Rising again: Springburn grow after Glasgow 2014 stirred junior revival

Sunday 31st December 2023

By Katy Barden

The distinctive diamond-shaped logo of Springburn Harriers, an adaptation of the trademark of the famous North British Locomotive Works in Springburn, represents a club steeped in history.

Athletes such as Graham Williamson – who became one of Scotland’s best middle-distance runners under the guidance of famed Springburn coach (and athlete) Eddie Sinclair – helped make a name for the Bishopbriggs club. Athletes such as Michelle Sandison continue to do so.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, in parallel with a strong senior contingent, the club’s junior section flourished. According to Scottish Distance Running History, Sinclair’s U15 athletes won medals in 16 out of 19 national championships between 1962 and 1981.

By the late 1990s, however, the club’s make up was totally transformed. Springburn operated as a male-only club that shared its historic Huntershill clubhouse with Strathkelvin Ladies, a successful women’s-only club with a young females section.

The two clubs linked up for league matches and later joined forces under the banner of Springburn Harriers, but their new-found collective senior strength was never matched by the once dominant junior presence which eventually faded to nothing.

In the years leading up to Glasgow 2014 the prospect of a home Commonwealth Games inspired conversations, led by then-President John Owens, to return the club to its former glory.

Knox, together with a team-mate from her Strathkelvin days, had already generated local interest through an after-school running club. It eventually acted as a gateway for aspiring athletes who wanted to join Springburn Harriers.

Planning meetings in January 2014 led to a come and try session in May which was so successful the committee (re)launched the club’s junior section in June 2014.

Those initial training nights – as Hampden prepared to host the Commonwealth Games – proved a catalyst for growth. From around 30 members at its inception, junior membership now stands at around 300 and represents a Glasgow 2014 legacy that led to Springburn being awarded the 2022 4J Studios/scottishathletics Impact Club of the Year award.

Gary Beggan receives our 2023 Community Coach of the Year award from Scout Adkin (photo by Bobby Gavin)

‘I think we’ve done really well considering how young we are,’ says Knox, whose passion for the club pre-dates her membership thanks to Springburn stalwart Jack Crawford, her husband’s grandad.

‘One of the big drivers of change was when we got our Club Development Officer (Gary Beggan) who had combined events experience. Before that we basically had one sprints coach and one endurance coach – we didn’t do any field events at all.

‘Gary helped us set up into competition age groups. We got more parents involved and we started building our coach network and assigning them to groups. We got help with planning and we were soon able to do it ourselves.

‘We tried to integrate run, jump and throw into all the age groups, and it has developed from there.’

As the junior section grew, the club’s development strategy, which included getting its Duke of Edinburgh licence, took shape.

‘Part of our strategy is to get young people in, to get them volunteering because they’re at the club anyway, and to grow our volunteers that way,’ says Knox.

‘A lot of our parents are more engaged now too and want to do their level one or level two (coaching qualifications), so it’s really just making sure we’re talking to people the whole time.

‘A couple of our young members have also been officiating through their Duke of Edinburgh – two of them actually led the long jump at the Lanarkshire Champs which was amazing – so that’s been another way for people to get involved, even if they’re not competing.’

The North British Locomotive Works, exporting over 18,000 locomotives across the globe from its Springburn HQ, was the largest builder of steam locomotives anywhere in the world. That didn’t happen overnight.

Looking to its own future, the club’s ongoing investment in developing young people – not just as athletes but as volunteers – will be central to its success and sustainability.

Already change is afoot, with Springburn juniors once again topping rankings and earning Scottish vests, as well as making names for themselves as confident young coaches and officials.

‘We’re just trying to get better at what we do all the time,’ says Knox.

‘We all want the same thing. We want athletes to have a great experience and we want parents and volunteers to feel like they’re a crucial part of the Springburn family. If we do that, then the club will continue to grow and evolve.’