ACT Construction (UK) Ltd was delighted to host a special evening of celebration for the company’s sponsored athletes in the countdown to Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018.

The event took place last week at 29, Royal Exchange Square, in Glasgow, with   an introduction and welcome by ACT Managing Director Ken Godsman and a relaxed Q&A with the athletes, “TEAM ACT”, hosted by John Cullen, a former Team GB Taekwondo Captain and commentator at the Rio Olympics.

The athletes included swimmer Ross Murdoch and hockey players Kareena Cuthbert and Robyn Collins. Around 50 friends and parents, as well as ACT clients and suppliers, joined the event and many said how much they enjoyed it.

Although ACT’s two sponsored netball players, Nicola McCleery and Emily Nicholl of UWS Sirens, could not be at the event due to training, the CEO of Netball Scotland, Claire Nelson, was in attendance, as well as Scottish Hockey chair, Scott Baird, and Head of Performance, Andy Tennant.

Ken’s welcome and support

Welcoming everyone to the evening, Ken said: “It is great to have some of the athletes from TEAM ACT with us. They are fabulous ambassadors of their sports and we are very proud to be associated with them and to have our business aligned with them.”

Ken went on to explain why he felt it is important to support some of Scotland’s young athletes. He said: “I was a huge fan of the Commonwealth Games in 2014 in Glasgow and afterwards I was fortunate to meet one of the leading Scottish stars of that Games, Ross Murdoch.

“We got chatting and I was surprised to hear that he did not attract many big sponsors and I thought: ‘Maybe a company like mine could help him.’ And this is what has happened. I decided that ACT would offer him some financial support, so he could focus on achieving his sporting dreams.”

ACT’s support of the hockey players came about when Robyn wrote to Ken to ask whether he would be prepared to support her. Ken said: “I was impressed that Robyn had taken the time to email me and I decided ACT would support her and another Scottish player, Kareena, who I have known since she was a wee girl playing sport in our joint home town of Greenock.”

Ken added: “I am proud that ACT is also supporting Nicola and Emily. As well as their own success in the sport it is great so see how they are helping to engage girls in sport through netball.”

Let’s hear from the athletes

Ross, Robyn and Kareena offered enthusiastic answers to John’s questions ­ and also gave a valuable insight into their sport. They are very focused on the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018.

For Robyn, it’s her first experience of playing for Scotland at a Commonwealth Games and she said how much she is looking forward to being part of the team.

Kareena will be playing in her second Games and has the experience of the Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010 to draw from. She is captain of the squad at GC2018.

Kareena offered a realistic prediction of the team’s hopes for GC2018, especially with a tough pool to play against, including Australia on home turf. She said: “We might struggle to gain a medal at this Games but the experience and knowledge that players gain individually and as a team against these world league teams is huge. This will only be a great driver for the future of Scottish Hockey.”

Ross also spoke about his experiences at Glasgow 2014, when he won gold in the 200m breaststroke. He said he extremely positive about the competition.

Ross added: “A lot has changed a lot since Glasgow 2014. I have learned a great deal and I am fully focused on the future. Anything can happen, I know that, and therefore I am focused on my preparation and giving myself the best chance of defending my title.”

Robyn also talked about how thankful she is for the support of ACT. She said: “It is important for us to come together as a team and we are grateful that we are able to train full-time thanks to ACT’s support. It means a huge amount to us that we can compete with all the other amazing teams.”

Kareena added: “It’s not just about now but also about the next 20 years. It’s about encouraging more people to play hockey in the future. Thanks to ACT we can help with this –­ and we can also realise some of our dreams.”

Family and friends

We are looking forward to following the progress of TEAM ACT and everyone wishes our sponsored athletes a successful and rewarding Commonwealth Games 2018.

See full gallery of photos in our events page.