The Schools Camanachd Association in partnership with The Camanachd Association propose to launch an imaginative national sixes competition for primary schools who do not enter the Mackay Cup or Tulloch League 12-a-side competitions.
It is recognised that some schools have a number of children who regularly play shinty but do not have a sufficient number of players to enter 12-a-side competitions.
This new format will provide such schools with a national outdoor completion which is sure to excite the young players involved. It will also encourage maximum shinty participation across Scotland.
The proposal for this competition is as follows:
- Open to schools not involved in Mackay Cup or Tulloch Leagues.
- Area Leagues to be formed on a similar basis to existing National First Shinty qualifiers and to be run by area groups supported by Camanachd Association Development Officers. Existing area leagues/competitions could be used as a round of qualifiers if this was beneficial. Flexibility is key.
- Teams are to consist of six players and three rolling substitutes.
- To encourage maximum participation for all who wish to play, a school may enter more than one team but players may not 'cross over' between teams during a season. A strong sense of fair play from coaches will be required.
- Matches are to be played outdoors on regulation sized primary school sixes pitches. Players will use wooden sticks, helmets with faceguards and play with leather shinty balls.
- Area Leagues are to meet a minimum of once and a maximum of three times (at individual leagues discretion) and play round robin fixtures on each occasion between April and mid - June.
- The winning team from each league will play in a Grand Final tournament at Fort William at the end of June and before the school summer holidays commence.
The proposed 18 Area Leagues are as follows;
- Skye
- Uist & Lewis
- Wester Ross
- Far North
- Ross-shire
- Lochaber
- Inverness area
- Inverness city
- Badenoch & Strathspey
- Fife
- Glasgow area
- Edinburgh area
- Aberdeen area
- Oban area
- Mid Argyll
- Cowal & Bute
- Mull & Tiree
- Kintyre