The Camanachd Association will carry out four local area consultation meetings with Members during the coming weeks.
The purpose of these meetings is to provide Members with the opportunity to discuss relevant matters with the Board representatives and key staff, also to provide an opportunity for the Camanachd Association to update Members on recent developments and future plans within the sport, including the review of the National League.
The dates, venues and times of the meetings are as follows:
- Tuesday 18 August 2015 – Strachur & District Shinty Club (7pm – 9pm)
- Wednesday 19 August 2015 – Taynuilt Shinty Club (7pm – 9pm)
- Tuesday 25 August 2015 – Caberfeidh Shinty Club (7pm – 9pm)
- Thursday 27 August 2015 – Fort William Shinty Club (7pm – 9pm)
The following briefing was issued to clubs:
The brief of the Short Term Working Group (STWG) was to look at the situation regarding the National League in the light of the fact that at present with only seven teams involved (two South / five North), it does not appear to be either fair or sustainable in terms of numbers of teams involved or in terms of the balance of clubs from the shinty areas represented.
This is a situation that came about only after the establishment of the National
League had been ratified by the Camanachd Association at the last AGM because a number of those Clubs which were originally eligible to take part in the National League decided not to participate.
The STWG was formed following an election process with representation from the Premier League (Paul MacArthur), the National League (George Hay & Aonghas MacDonald), North Division 1 (Ross Brown) and South Division 1 (Davie Hamilton). Keith Loades, Charles Young and Astie Cameron represented the CA, along with Fraser MacKenzie (Glenurquhart) from the Competitions Committee.
It was the understanding of the STWG that the principle which underpinned the setting up of the National League in the first place is still valid, this being to provide team’s outside the Premier League with a standard of competition high enough to prepare them for entry to the Premier League.
However as it was initially conceived the National League still confronted teams with problems of long distance travel with associated high costs, player unavailability due to travel / morning work. As it presently stands with its imbalance of clubs these problems are particularly magnified for the two South teams which compete in the National League.
As a step towards addressing the problems outlined above and bearing in mind the original principle which lay behind the creation of a National League, with the agreement of the STWG, George Hay (Glasgow Mid Argyll) drew up a paper in which he outlined three separate options for a system of AREA LEAGUES which would feed into a modified NATIONAL LEAGUE structure.
At the same time, as part of this Review, the Camanachd Association canvassed all clubs as to their opinions by way of a Questionnaire and these results along with the 3 options above mentioned were discussed at a meeting of the STWG in Fort William on 9 June 2015.
It was the recommendation of the STWG that the following proposal be submitted to the Board of Directors of the Camanachd Association for consideration as a means of attempting to make the National League more sustainable, while maintaining the principle which led to its creation and attempting to tackle the problems identified.
These measures should help to make it more attractive for Clubs to participate.
RECOMMENDATION
Form two “AREA LEAGUES” consisting of five teams each:
The AREA will be formed by the five teams which are collectively grouped closest together when measured by road miles from their respective home grounds. Due to promotion and relegation the AREA in which a team will participate may change from year to year in order to maintain equal numbers in each AREA.
- The five teams in each Area League will play home and away (eight matches per team).
- On completion of the Area Leagues, the top two from each Area will form one National League and the bottom three from each Area League will form another National League.
- The top four teams will play each other home and away (six matches per team = fourteen matches per season)
- The bottom six teams will play teams from the opposite Area League home and away (six matches per team = fourteen matches per season).
- Points from previous Area League encounters will be carried forward.
When the National element is completed, the top team in the upper league will be promoted and the second placed team will play off with the second bottom team in the Premier League for the final Premier Place.
The top team in the lower league will be awarded with a trophy.
A Reserve Team will remain ineligible to be promoted into the Area / National league structure. However, an eligible team finishing highest in their respective league may issue a “challenge” to the team finishing bottom and if successful will replace that Club in the appropriate Area league. If no “challenge” is made then there will be no relegation.
SUMMARY
- It reduces the number of long league journeys.
- It reduces travel costs.
- It should increase player availability as there are more “local” matches.
- It will do as much as possible to produce a winner capable of competing at Premier Level.
- This structure will produce the same number of matches as an eight team National League would provide.
- Eligible teams from the lower Divisions, with ambitions to improve, should find this structure more attractive due to the upper and lower split.
- It gives the lowest six teams an incentive to play for a trophy or to avoid relegation.
- It should be sustainable.
- It should increase spectator numbers as there will be more local fixtures.
RISKS
The Area League fixtures must be completed at a fairly early stage in order to allow sufficient time to complete the second/National part of this structure.
The lower leagues will be reduced in numbers if some teams buy-in to this proposed structure.
To make it work, three Clubs have to move from lower leagues into an Area league.
Briefing ends