The Camanachd Association has announced on www.shinty.com that their Rules of Play committee met for the first time this week. Amongst the topics discussed were applying advantage, free hits and rolling substitutions. Subsequent meetings of the group will look at all these areas in more detail.

 

The committee convenor, Camanachd Association Director (Club and Volunteers) Donnie Mackenzie, said, “Up to now there’s been no place where people could come together to discuss the rules of play and think about longer-term development of them. This first meeting was an open discussion and the group identified a number of rules that could be clarified or developed to better improve the game.”

 

Donnie went on to say, “The system in place has meant that the Camanachd Association or members clubs have had to present a proposal to an AGM, which was then voted upon, either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. This committee gives everyone in the sport a chance to table ideas and for these to be considered in a more detailed and thoughtful way.”

 

The remit of the committee is:

• to allow members of the committee to consider ByeLaw 1 of the Association’s ByeLaws and, collectively, make recommendations for changes.
• to provide a forum for any member club or Association to table suggestions for changes to ByeLaw 1as well as seeking advice and guidance on the relevance and/or wording of any proposed change to a member club or Association.
• to advise any member club or Association on the process for promoting a change to an AGM,
• to make recommendations to the Board in relation to the interpretation of ByeLaw 1.
• to promote consultation, by members of the committee, with the wider membership of the shinty community on matters relating to the rules of play.

 

Donnie said, “We are keen that others should join us in this work, particularly current players who understand the implication and effects of rules of play better than most. This is group where ideas can be explored. We hope to do a lot of our work electronically, so the demand to travel to attend meetings should not be great.”

 

Any club member, player, club or match official interested in being part of this committee should contact the Camanachd Association’s office indicating their interest.