Join our team!

As part of our current development activity, we’re looking for some new team members!

Sporting Heritage is the Subject Specialist Network for sporting collections in the UK. We work to ensure that there is support for those working with these collections to better understand, collect, share, research, and celebrate the vibrant collections and stories which exist.

As a relatively new organisation, we are constantly developing activity to better understand sporting heritage, and to better ensure the sector’s future resilience. We know that part of this resilience is to ensure that collections are diverse and that this is embedded within the sector, rather than an afterthought or additional consideration of collecting policies and delivery.

Consequently, Sporting Heritage are delivering a number of research pilot programmes which aim to understand the sector’s current position, and begin to implement practical recommendations and activities to increase the representation of diverse communities both in the delivery and presentation of sporting heritage across the UK.

For both roles, we are holding discussion surgeries w/c 30th November so please follow the details outlined in the brief if you would like to discuss the activity in more detail.

Ignored Sporting Heritage 

Sporting heritage collections have the ability to share and tell the story of many different diverse histories. However, to date, the predominant focus, as with much of heritage, has ignored many individuals and communities from black, Asian and ethnic minority communities. This has resulted in a bias presentation of sporting heritage in the nations heritage venues, and a lack of knowledge and awareness of where these collections are held within the community.

This piece of work is the first step for the network organisation to support both ourselves and the sector to:

• Better understand and represent ignored communities instead of using the term BAME – which specific communities are ignored, how do we know, and what can we do about it? How can both Sporting Heritage and the sector better understand how to engage with different ignored communities?
• Explore the current limitations in sporting heritage storytelling where black, Asian and ethnic minority communities are ignored or hidden and understand how this be rectified. What steps need to be put into place and how can these stories be representative of the people and communities concerned?
• Develop a clearer understanding of how both Sporting Heritage and the sector as whole, can rectify this situation going forward including practical recommendations for future activity which can be actioned in the short, medium and long term
• Begin to develop key strategic partnerships which enable Sporting Heritage to better understand how to continue this work, and how to support the sector’s development and place the individuals and communities with ignored heritage at the centre of our activity

For further information, please download the brief at the end of this page.

Scotland Development Pilot Programme 

Over the last couple of years, Sporting Heritage have been working hard to develop a clear strategy to support sporting heritage activity in Scotland. Part of this work has involved the creation of an active network of individuals and organisations with an interest in furthering this activity.

We now wish to engage a consultant to support our understanding of:

• The number, type and location of sporting heritage collections across Scotland (we understand that this will not be an exhaustive scoping programme due to time and current issues concerning the pandemic, but it should provide a clear picture of activity and gaps and help to engage those organisations not currently supported by the network into this activity)
• The at-risk nature of collections in Scotland and what needs to be done to remove risk
• The opportunities and threats to collections in Scotland and how these may be addressed to protect and share heritage in future

For further information, please download the brief at the end of this page.