Introduction
Over the last few years, our club has seen record numbers of athletes enter competitions at all levels, sending dozens of lifters to compete at the Scottish, and British, University & College Championships. We also have lifters competing at a national level in other competitions such as the Scottish Open and Scottish seniors. With our current membership, the next academic year is looking to be just as strong! Our vision is to continue to get as many lifters as possible to compete at regional and national levels, as with our track record there is plenty of room for setting more records in the sport!
Nonetheless, competitions can be quite expensive. The total costs accumulated from buying kit, to travel and accommodation all add up and ultimately act as a barrier for many lifters who simply cannot meet those costs despite their passion for the sport and competing. In order to allow more of our talented lifters to reach their potential, we aim to lower the out-of-pocket cost of competing. We want to make sure that anyone who wants to compete, can compete – regardless of financial circumstances.
Why are we doing this?
We are passionate about weightlifting and want to provide the opportunity to be able to compete to every lifter that wants to. We also hope that by increasing the number of lifters training for and attending competitions, we will be able to create a more inclusive environment and tight-knit team.
Moreover, our project’s aim aligns with the University's pursuit of greater equality and diversity as allowing athletes to compete regardless of financial circumstance allows people from all backgrounds to have the same opportunities within the sport.
Current budget outline and funding
At the moment, we do not have any external funding for the 2025/26 academic year. Our membership fees are used to cover coaching costs and maintaining the lowest prices is paramount to ensuring the most people possible are able to take part. All funding raised goes directly back into the club, whether it be supporting our athletes in competition or towards additional technical seminars with our coach, Lee.
Successes So far
In February the club attended the Scottish Universities and Colleges competition in Broxburn. With the help of previous donations we were able to send 9 lifters across 6 weight classes and come home with 6 medals. Under the guidance of our head coach Lee, 3 of our lifters received gold medals in their class, setting a number of Scottish University, and Under 23s records in the process. Following this competition, more than half of our advanced lifters have qualified to compete at a British level later this year.
Earlier this year, three of our athletes were called up to compete at Scottish Seniors - the highest level of competition within Scotland, run on an invite only basis. Both Hannah and Jack were able to place first within their respective categories. Two of our most successful athletes have since been invited to join the Scottish team in training prior to the commonwealth games in Glasgow this year.
How do we use your donations
Last year we sent 7 athletes to our main competition - BUCS. The cost of this was matched by our fundraising efforts, to raise the necessary £950 that enabled all of our qualifying lifters to take part. The money brought in was used to provide transport and accommodation, both of which are essential to to being able to take part in this national event.
This year we aim to be able to provide a similar opportunity to all of our new and returning members. This will require comparable resources, with every £135 raised allowing us to send an additional athlete to compete.
Because of the club's financial situation we are only able to provide financial input for our two biggest competitions, SSS and BUCS. If this project is successful in funding the two then additional money will be available to support our lifters in other competitions such as Scottish Seniors, something which we currently are unable to do.
Please note: all payments will be processed at the time of donating. This means that you will be charged immediately upon making your donation. In the event that a project does not reach its specified target, rest assured that your donation will be directed towards future competitions. This approach allows us to maximise the impact of your support and ensures that your contribution continues to make a meaningful difference. If you have any questions or concerns about this update, please don't hesitate to contact us at saintsfunder@st-andrews.ac.uk
How can you help?
We are in the process of running our annual raffle, an event put on by the club members with all donations going directly towards funding our athletes. There's plenty of weightlifting related goodies up for grab!
Entries will be going live soon so keep an eye out.
For more information, message us on instagram or send an email to:
weightlifting@st-andrews.ac.uk
You can help us by donating any amount – every little bit counts!
• Your support would be greatly appreciated, whether it be a small or large financial contribution.
• Spread the word about our project and share the link!
• Follow us on our Instagram (@ustalifting) and Facebook or sign up as a follower of this page to receive updates on our project.
