Important Skye Camanachd Update | |
14 August 2020 As many of you will be aware, the Camanachd Association, in consultation with sportscotland, has announced that clubs can restart shinty training sessions providing they document and gain approval of their new Covid protocols and procedures. The Skye Camanachd Board consulted with our club players this week to gauge whether there is interest in resuming shinty training. The consensus from that survey is that the majority of our players are keen to have the opportunity to train. However, there were a number of our players who had reservations and, given the current circumstances, their views are very valid and were discussed at length at tonight’s Board meeting. As an island club, we are acutely aware of the responsibility we have towards our communities and our island residents. With many restrictions being eased over the last few weeks, Skye Camanachd has been thorough and considered in deciding whether any shinty activity should resume in the coming weeks. After a long discussion, we have tentatively mapped out the way forward for the club, our players and the wider community with regards to shinty at Pairc nan Laoch. It was decided that we would wait 4 weeks from the point of schools returning to gauge the impact this has had on our island before resuming any shinty training. We will be working on the measures that are to be put in place over the coming weeks with a view to shinty training beginning on or around 14 September 2020. There is no pressure on any of our players to resume training and each player can decide for themselves whether or not to return to training at the moment. We appreciate that everyone’s circumstances have changed over the last few months but we consider the benefit of exercise for physical and mental health to be of great importance, providing it is in the safest environment we as a club can offer. It is worth noting that, if at any point in the weeks before 14 September 2020, there is evidence of a Covid outbreak on the island, shinty training will not resume. We will closely monitor the Covid statistics on the island and will act accordingly with the information we have available. Skye Camanachd will not be taking part in any competitive shinty this year. The Camanachd Association had hoped to plan for some localised fixtures which, for Skye Camanachd, would not have meant playing other clubs in our locality. Instead, as a club, we have decided that there could be an increased risk to our communities in taking part in any fixtures and have decided to prioritise shinty training and allow our players the time to get accustomed to the new ‘normal’. We have decided to be as transparent as possible to try and reassure our players, families and supporters that we have not taken this decision lightly. We will make our documentation on Covid procedures publicly available to everyone in order to inform our players, supporters and the island communities of all the measures we are putting in place in order to minimise the risks involved. We are committed to our island residents, many of whom have been supporters of the club for many years and we hope for many years to come. Stay safe Skye Camanachd Board |