There was a record attendance as outgoing President Keith Loades hosted the online 2020 Camanachd Association Annual General Meeting on Friday 27 November 2020.
Proceedings got underway at 7.30pm and this was the association’s first ever online AGM, facilitated via Microsoft Teams. There was a voting strength of 42 clubs and associations with 64 attendees highlighting the popularity of the new online format.
Equality Standards
The first special resolution for consideration was the updating of byelaws to comply with Equality Standards leading to the replacement of
- he with he / she
- him with him / her
- his with his / her
- himself with himself / herself
There were 41 votes in favour with one abstention as clubs and associations came to terms with the online voting format.
Mandatory Wearing of Helmets
Glenurquhart and Glasgow Mid Argyll both put forward special resolutions introducing the mandatory wearing of approved helmets and face-guards during all shinty matches.
The main difference between both proposals was Glenurquhart wanted the mandatory wearing of approved helmets and face-guards from 1 January 2030 whilst the Glasgow Mid Argyll proposal would take effect from 1 January 2024. The Glen felt players who have never worn a helmet could be lost from the game with too early an introduction whilst GMA felt the game needed to act sooner.
The GAA introduced the mandatory wearing of helmets in hurling in 2010 leading to a reduction in eye, facial and dental injuries. There had been four previous attempts to introduce comparable rules in shinty which had been rejected by Members.
The Glasgow Mid Argyll proposal was considered first and, as a special resolution, required a 75% vote in favour (32 votes) to succeed. It fell just short with 29 votes in favour and 9 against.
However Glenurquhart’s proposal sailed through the 75% threshold with 37 clubs and associations voting in favour, only 3 against with 2 abstentions.
The exceptions to this new rule include:
- First Shinty competitions when different camans and balls are in use.
- When a player opts not to wear an approvedhelmet and / or face-guard and has signed a Liability Waiver prior to the start of the shinty playing season. (For the avoidance of doubt: any player who seeks a waiver will still be permitted to use any protective head gear to which they are accustomed provided that it has a chin strap and is free from sharp edges and / or projections. This will include helmets without visors and helmets with wide gap face guards).
Players who have graduated through from the youth game are expected to continue to wear a helmet and face-guard when they pass through the current under 18 threshold.
It shall be a specific disciplinary offence for a player to represent directly or indirectly that they have signed and registered a Liability Waiver if they have not in fact done so.
Rule 1.4.4 b means an approved Helmet and Faceguard will become mandatory for all players in shinty on 1st January 2030.
The Camanachd Association warmly welcomed the introduction of the mandatory wearing of helmets and face-guards for the enhanced health and safety for all players and it was suggested that the matter could be looked at again during the next 10 years opening the possibility that the new rule may be introduced sooner.
Camanachd Cup Replays
The two final ordinary resolutions that were passed by majority vote included
3.8.2 In all cup competitions a winner shall be decided in the first game. No replays will take place. When a match results in a draw at full time, extra time will be played and a penalty play-off will take place if necessary. This brings the Camanachd Cup in line with all other cup competitions.
Postponement of Scheduled Matches
The rule surrounding the postponement of a match where there has been a bereavement was tightened as follows: 3.2.1 Postponement of a Scheduled Match - where one of the competing teams requests a postponement due to the death of an active player or coach, either because they have died in the days just prior to a match, or if their funeral service will take place on the day of a match. For the avoidance of doubt an ‘active player or coach’ refers to a player or coach actively involved with the club during the current season.
It was suggested that any postponement due to the death of any person out with active players or coaches would be recognised if desired by a minutes silence or similar.
The Camanachd Association's proposed increase to fees for 2021 was approved and full details will be available when the minutes are published.
Director Appointments
John Finlayson’s tenure as a director was extended whilst Kirsty Deans had her Directorship ratified.
John Finlayson – Communications & Facilities (North) Director
John Finlayson has been involved in shinty for over 50 years having started playing at Portree High School. Other than five years when he played for Glasgow University, where he also assumed the role of manager and administrator for the team, the rest of his shinty career was spent with Skye Camanachd. During his playing days, he was lucky enough to win both Sutherland Cup and Camanachd Cup medals and he also coached and then managed the Skye Camanachd first team in the 1990s.
In his previous career as a Head Teacher at both Plockton Primary School and Portree Primary School, John was very involved in supporting youth shinty and sustainable efforts to grow the game in communities across the country. He established a very successful youth pathway in Portree when he was Head Teacher, with the team claiming the prestigious MacKay Cup on several occasions, and as Chairman of the very successful Isle of Skye Primary School’s Camanachd Association for many years.
John has already served as a director for 3 years up to 2020 and during this period was influential in marketing projects such as; obtaining funding to employ a Marketing & Communications Officer and raising the profile of shinty online both through the website and social media. In addition to this, he has supported on many facility developments including the Feasibility Study on the Bught Park, Inverness which is ongoing. He also believes strongly that the work of the Board needs to revolve around a strong team ethos and an empowerment agenda and good communication with clubs. While giving the keynote speech at a sportscotland regional event last year, he said: “Shinty belongs to clubs and communities and the Camanachd Association Board is there to offer advice and support to shape a sustainable and strategic direction for our beloved sport.
Kirsty Deans - Club Leadership (Volunteers) & Young People Director
Kirsty Deans was first co-opted onto board in April 2020. She grew up in Kingussie and is still based there, currently teaching Physical Education at Forres Academy. She has played for Badenoch Ladies since 2008 when the club was formed and has enjoyed a great deal of success in doing so, winning the Mowi Valerie Fraser Camanachd Cup on two occasions and enjoying her first league victory in 2019.
Kirsty is also a multi-time Scotland international, having made her debut in 2009 and first captaining the national team in 2018. Despite her proficiency with a caman, Kirsty also boasts great technique with a football and currently plays with Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Her role as a teacher undoubtedly prepares her well for the Club Leadership & Young People portfolio she will be taking on and we look forward to the further development of the successful School of Shinty programme.
New Camanachd Association President
President Keith Loades in one of his final acts before standing down received the Presidents Silver Mounted Caman from newly elected President Steven MacKenzie. In a fitting tribute to the role Keith Loades then presented a new Presidents’ Medal which is to be passed from one President to the next beginning with Steven MacKenzie the recipient.
Incoming President Steven MacKenzie paid tribute to Keith Loades’ tenure over the past three years as did Vice Chief Richard Gall who thanked Keith for his leadership.
New Camanachd Association President Steven MacKenzie’s working career started with the Clydesdale Bank having left school aged 17 but within a few years he realised that banking was not for him. He went on to study at the University of Aberdeen and now works for the Royal Mail and is responsible for a team that organises staffing and records workload at the Inverness Mail Centre.
Steven’s playing career saw him experience two very different clubs – Beauly and Aberdeen University - both with very proud and interesting histories. Steven said: “As I grew older and my focus widened beyond just playing, I came to appreciate not only their specific stories but also that every club has a story to tell and that together they make our game what it is.”
This made Steven determined we should protect and promote the important cultural and historic role that shinty has played within our communities and within the wider context of Scotland and Scottish sport.
When asked about first priorities under his premiership, Steven said: “My immediate aim as President is to implement the wishes of the Camanachd Association membership. As a member-led organisation, our strategic plan guides the Board of Directors and the Association staff. It was developed after a comprehensive consultation exercise with clubs followed by discussions with sportscotland. The current plan ends in 2022 and will need to be updated not least to take account a post-COVID world.
“Many of the membership will not be familiar with the strategic plan but it’s a detailed document I’d encourage anyone interested in shinty to consult as it demonstrates the breadth of work undertaken by the Camanachd Association. My own experience suggests that we need to continue to focus on playing numbers, supporting teams from traditional shinty areas and looking to expand into areas where the game has ceased to be played.
“Youth initiatives such as the Schools of Shinty and the Young Ambassadors programme will also be key to future success and will help with player retention which is another issue for our sport.”
New Camanachd Association President Steven MacKenzie and recently elected Board members John Finlayson, Kirsty Deans are joined by:
Other Board Members
Burton Morrison – Competitions Director
A chartered civil engineer, now retired, Burton is a native of Drumnadrochit and was part of the successful Aberdeen University team of the early 1970s which he captained to Sutherland Cup success in 1973.
After moving to Glasgow, he played for Glasgow Mid Argyll for over twenty years, managing the first team and becoming Club President in the early 1990s.
Burton gained representative honours playing for Scotland in each of the Shinty / Hurling matches which took place between 1976 and 1979.
Burton then assisted Kingussie legend Donnie Grant in managing the Scotland U21 team in 1991and 1992, taking over as manager for the period 1993-96.
In 1996, he returned to club coaching, and was a founder member and first chairman of the highly successful Milngavie & Bearsden Junior Shinty Club.
Lyndsay Bradley - Officials & WCA Director
While still living and teaching in Ayrshire, Lyndsay Bradley completed her UKCC Level 1 Shinty Coaching qualification with a view to delivering shinty at school level there.
After moving to Ardnamurchan in 2006, she immediately became involved in developing the sport at all levels, coaching initially at primary school level and then with the women’s team. She has continued to promote participation at all levels and the progress that Ardnamurchan have made has been in no small part down to Lyndsay’s drive and determination.
She has coached the South U14 girls for the past few years and was selected to coach the Scotland U18 Womens team for both the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Additionally, Lyndsay was recognised by the WCA on three occasions over the last few years being awarded Development Coach of the Year, Mowi South 2 Coach of the Year and Volunteer of the Year at the Annual Mowi Awards. In 2019 Lyndsay received the Donella Crawford Award.
In her role as a Cluster Head Teacher, Lyndsay continues to develop shinty within the curriculum and will also be assisting Ardnamurchan High School as they move to become a School of Shinty.
Since joining the Camanachd Association Board, she has already taken steps to improve the links between the Camanachd Association, Womens Camanachd Association and Camanachd Referees Association and has also brought her knowledge of the Education system to help take forward initiatives to further develop school and youth shinty.
Roddy McCuish - Communications & Facilities (South) Director
Roddy McCuish is a great friend to shinty in Oban for many years and he brings to the Association a wealth of experience gained over many years in Local Government.
He is an independent member of the Argyll & Bute Council, having formerly been the leader of the council twice and at present he is Deputy Provost of Argyll & Bute. His knowledge of the workings of the Council and his membership of various committees and his position as Chairman of Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) fits him well for his role as Comms & Facilities South Director with a special remit on the Argyll & Bute Focus Group with the Camanachd Association.
Shinty-wise, Roddy is a member of the Macaulay Association and takes a keen interest in the sport and is always eager to protect the interests of his home town clubs and Oban’s strategically important Mossfield Stadium. In this role he presented the Macaulay Cup and the silver mounted caman to 2019’s winning captain, Robert Mabon (Kingussie).
Ross Brown - Coaching & Development (Equality and Inclusion) Director
Ross Brown, a native of Wester Ross, was a noted player and former manager of his home club Lochcarron. During his playing career, Ross was part of a Lochcarron team that gained promotion to the Premiership in 2002 as well as winning the Balliemore Cup. During that time Ross also won a Scotland U21 cap.
After a spell away from the game when he worked as a Real Tennis Professional in Melbourne, Paris and Oxford, Ross returned to Lochcarron to play and manage before moving south to work with the Scottish Ambulance Service.
On his return, Ross served as a coach for the Scotland Women’s International side during a period which saw them win in both Dublin and Inverness.
As an active official, Ross referees regularly in the Mowi Premiership. He has also taken charge of the Scottish Sea Farms 2018 Glasgow Celtic Society Cup final and in 2019 he handled the Liberty British Aluminium Balliemore Cup final at Fort William and the televised Tulloch Homes Camanachd Cup semi between Newtonmore and Caberfeidh.
Willie MacDonald - Youth Director
Willie MacDonald has been involved in Shinty for most of his life.
A native of Ballachulish, he played for the primary school before eventually progressing to the Ballachulish senior team at the age of 13.
At the age of 24, Willie moved to play for Fort William, who had just been promoted to North Division 1 in the days before the Premier league had been established.
During this time he enjoyed great success winning all senior trophies – his finest moment being the 1992 Camanachd Final in Glasgow when Fort William defeated Kingussie 1-0 to win the ‘Camanachd’ for the first time in their history. He also won the coveted Albert Smith medal that day.
International honours followed in 1993 when he was in the winning Scotland team against Ireland at the Bught Park, Inverness. A few years later, he captained Scotland against Ireland in Fort William.
When his playing days were over, Willie started coaching school kids from Inverlochy School through to senior level with Fort William. He spent eight years coaching at Inverlochy School in where he took an almost complete team through from P1 to P7. In 2017/18, the school won all before them including the MacKay Cup. Some of the older kids he coached in the school make the breakthrough to Fort William senior team which gave him great satisfaction.
Willie is keen to work closely with the Camanachd Association Development Team to promote shinty in areas out with the traditional shinty heartland to get as many children playing our great game as possible.
Full minutes from the AGM will be available in due course.
The meeting drew to a close at around 9.45pm and clubs were reminded that registrations for next season are due by Wednesday16 December 2020. Players must be registered with the Camanachd Association before training sessions commence as 2020 insurance ends on 31 December 2020.
The Camanachd Association, in line with government guidance, are looking forward to a full season in 2021. However it should be noted that modified regional options have also been considered and prepared should they be required.
The structure of season 2021 shinty season will be considered by the Competitions Committee and then confirmed by the Camanachd Association Board on Wednesday 27 January 2021.