There was an emotional backdrop to last month’s Camanachd Association AGM as board members and staff – past and present – gathered ahead of the meeting for an especially arranged meal after which they presented gifts to outgoing Chief Operating Officer Torquil Macleod as a mark of appreciation for his service in the post.
A popular figure during over six years at the helm of shinty’s governing body, Torquil moves on Leith, Edinburgh to take up a role with VisitScotland in their Events Directorate.
After announcing his departure at the end of August, he stayed on to see out the 2016 shinty season, with the final date in the diary being the Camanachd Association’s Annual General Meeting.
With the AGM successfully concluded, a Saturday morning lie-in might have been in order. However Torquil was to be found at his desk at the Camanachd Association HQ in Inverness, attending to some final matters before closing this particular chapter of his career. This included issuing notes of thanks to long-term sponsors Marine Harvest, who are about to begin their 30th year sponsoring their favourite sport, and Shinty / Hurling Celtic cousins, the GAA.
“Shinty is so lucky to have Marine Harvest,” says Torquil. “Their support over such a prolonged period is second to none. It’s important to have a sponsor who believes in the worth of the product and Marine Harvest does just that.”
On the GAA, he says, “It was a privilege to have partnered them. They are such a massive organisation and they really buy in to the international meetings.”
There’s much to cover since Torquil Macleod took up the role of Chief Operating Officer in April 2010. Let’s open by focusing on the highlights. “I couldn’t say I was most pleased about any one thing in particular,” starts Torquil. “But I’ve really enjoyed the big events such as Camanachd Cup Finals and the Shinty / Hurling / Camogie internationals with Ireland.
“The 2015 Camanachd Cup Final in Oban was a particular highlight. It was a beautiful day at a fantastic setting. The Mossfield pitch was in great condition and what Lovat achieved that day was wonderful. It was a really special occasion.”
Casting his mind further back to 2011, Torquil said, “When Newtonmore lifted the Camanachd Cup for the first time in 25 years, I think I really understood just how much the competition meant to so many people and to their community.
“The 2014 Camanachd Cup Final between Kingussie and Glenurquhart at the Bught Park, Inverness drew the biggest crowd of my tenure and there were some great celebrations within the Kingussie camp afterwards.
“The Shinty / Hurling / Camogie internationals also stand out. The whole scale of the GAA operation, their engagement in the fixture and the thrill of being at Croke Park are all real stand-outs. The games themselves are fascinating spectacles and they create something which is quite different to anything else you see on a sporting field.
“As well as these fantastic events though, I’ve met many characters within the game of shinty. The people and their communities are so special. I wasn’t brought up as part of a small community but shinty has showed me just what that is all about and how important the game is to people.”
Looking back to early 2010 and how he felt about taking on the post, Torquil said, “I was attracted by something that I saw as being a great product. My background was in events, promotion and the commercial side of operations and I saw great possibilities there with shinty. On the other hand, I certainly didn’t anticipate running a disciplinary committee and all that would entail or of the liaison that would be required with major bodies such as the GAA. That was all new to me as were things like governance, a corporate structure and human resources but you quickly slot into these roles and I must say that Sportscotland were very supportive regarding these matters.”
As for the way forward for shinty, Torquil goes on to say, “What shinty needs to do next is to continue the development of the game in a positive fashion. We must continue to make the game of shinty attractive to young people. Shinty is highly relevant, particularly in the Highland and Argyll areas, and it’s important to make young people buy into it and to commit to the sport. There is real competition out there from other sports and activities and we have to continue to offer shinty as a positive experience. If we have organised competitions with players who are well looked after in a competitive and developing environment, then I think the sport sells itself. Many clubs are doing just that and it’s great to see developments such as old changing rooms being replaced by brand new facilities. This all contributes towards the players enjoying the shinty experience.
“I can drive around the Bught Park area in Inverness on any given day and see football, hockey or rugby being played. Shinty stands up well against these other sports but we can’t afford to be complacent. We have a great product but its future success is all down to the player experience.”
When asked what has changed most since 2010, Torquil reflects, “Well I feel we have really pulled together as a sport. The level of in-fighting is nowhere near what it was. I would like to think that whilst we still have internal discussion on a range of topics, we come out of it all still going forward. That’s the way it should be because we have many competitors out there and shinty is too fragile a sport to fight amongst ourselves. Our fight should be with other competing sports but I can see cohesion now; we are fairly united as a sport which is something to be proud of.”
Torquil Macleod has played a significant role in being a unifying presence within the sport over his six year term in office. He could never have been described as a “shinty diehard” ahead of his appointment but his attributes, including events management, promotion and commercial input are strengths which the Camanachd Association Board of Directors are keen recognise in his successor. That is a compliment in itself.
Camanachd Association President Jim Barr was in no doubt as to the huge contribution Torquil has made. He said, “Torquil brought significant energy into the role of Chief Operating Officer. He remained 100% committed to the job from the day he arrived. He never let up and, in fact, he is still doing some things for us now even although he is officially off the payroll.
“He is a very dedicated individual who made significant improvements to a number of areas of the workings of the Camanachd Association. Governance is one area where he has made significant improvements. He took advice from the likes of sportscotland and then took time to understand the detail of what should be implemented so that he could educate the Board on what was required for good Governance. Our Disciplinary process is much stronger for his work.
“Torquil also enhanced the image of shinty which helps sell it to a wider audience whilst the standard of our marketing and events is higher than it has ever been. We’ll miss Torquil and we wish him well in his new appointment.”