Why The Proposed New Shinty League Structure is Wrong | |
26 April 2013 With an EGM approaching to debate and vote on the new shinty league format, we are approaching a crucial time for the game. The growing opposition to the proposed shinty league structure is based on a number of factors.
Orion Group Premiership The Orion Group Premiership format has been one of shinty’s major success stories in recent years. We have had exciting title run-ins and relegation issues which have not been decided until late in the season. Other clubs have established themselves as top flight teams and look to go from strength to strength. Clubs aspire to reach the game’s top division but to reduce the league to eight teams will make it elitist and out of the reach of most clubs. The current format has generated sponsorship and television coverage and terrific interest in the game. This league does not deserve to be reduced to eight teams.
Too Few Games Shinty’s top two divisions will only have eight clubs. This guarantees 14 league fixtures and any club making first round cup exits will only play 17 matches in a season. This is repeated throughout the divisions and indeed gets worse when you reach the bottom tiers of the game. The club season could end up starting in March and ending before July is out for most clubs. This is simply too short a club season and the structure does not provide enough games to keep players, coaches and supporters interested in the sport.
Length of the League Season The length of the league season over the last 5 years has been highlighted as a problem with the current structure. However this is a red herring and the Camanachd Association is guilty of putting out misinformation on this issue. At the start of the 2012 shinty season, the Camanachd Association agreed to enforce an existing rule where league fixtures could be reversed, or other venues sought, if the home club’s pitch was unavailable for whatever reason. This led to the 2012 shinty season finishing on time so comparisons to previous years when this rule was not enforced are not appropriate.
Representative Shinty One of the reasons for a shorter shinty season seems to be to allow time for more representative shinty. This could lead to matches between districts such as Badenoch & Strathspey, Inverness-shire, Lochaber and Skye & Wester Ross. Previous experience shows that whilst this format is popular at U14 and U17 level, there is little appetite at senior level. Even if it were to go ahead, it would involve as few 15%-20% of shinty players. What would the remaining shinty players do? The answer is that they would simply find another way to spend their Saturdays and many could be lost to the sport.
National Second Tier A national second tier is not a new concept in shinty. It didn’t work last time so what has changed?
Travel Clubs who have won promotion to shinty’s top flight need to have a talented squad, talented coaches and a committed pool of players. It has to come from with-in for a club to aspire to this level in the game. The game cannot drag clubs into a national structure if the clubs are not ready for it. We do not believe the proposed format will raise standards as previous experience demonstrated that clubs travel to away matches with weakened squads and a lack of substitutes as players will be unavailable for a number of reasons.
Neutral Venues It has been suggested to Skye that if we qualified for a national second tier, instead of making long journeys, we could play some of our South opponents at a neutral venue. Skye Camanachd has invested around £800,000 in a pitch and Clubhouse complex in Portree. Are we seriously being asked to play four of our seven home matches away from the Island? This would give us only three home league games in Portree against other North teams. What is the point in investing in facilities if this is the path the game is taking? We are a well-supported club but these proposals could leave our supporters, especially the younger ones, with little shinty to watch on the Island.
Raising The Standard The perceived weakness of certain divisions has been highlighted as a reason for the new format. However asking these clubs to travel the length of the country on a Saturday is not the answer.
Expense Travel costs have never been higher and they will just be exacerbated by introducing a second national tier.
Reserve Shinty The new format means that the clubs which finish in the bottom three positions of Marine Harvest North Division 1 teams will play against reserve teams next season. None of these clubs deserve that and it is also of little value for reserve teams. How can they be expected to fully develop their younger players against clubs currently playing in Marine Harvest North Division 1? This could also have a knock-on effect on some reserve teams who would not be allowed to play in the same league as their first team and so could find themselves dropping to a lower division. The same argument applies to clubs finishing out-with the top three in Marine Harvest South Division 1.
National Second Tier Participation There is the real possibility that a club finishing in the top three positions in Marine Harvest North Division 1 or Marine Harvest South Division 1 may opt not take part in a national second tier. This is something that Skye Camanachd would need to seriously consider if we find ourselves in this position.
North Division 1 Success Marine Harvest North Division 1 can only be considered to have been a success in recent seasons. Teams have had to put together a string of consistent performances to win promotion to shinty’s top fight. The promoted teams are also managing to hold their own in shinty’s top division.
Smaller Divisions The current six team Marine Harvest North Division 1 format is not ideal but it is better than what is being proposed. It could also correct itself depending on who is relegated from the Orion Group Premiership. However all the introduction of a national second tier does is push the small leagues problem further down the divisions.
Solutions It has often been put to Skye Camanachd that our proposal to retain the status quo does not offer up any solutions. However Skye Camanachd have always promoted youth shinty as the solution to many of shinty’s problems rather than introducing a whole-scale league change which is likely to disengage players with the sport. Promoting shinty at U12, U14 and U17 levels is the real solution. Getting youngsters interested in the game and giving them plenty games to maintain that interest is key. Give them the platform to learn and practice their skills. This is where the real solution lies.
Previous Experience The suggestion coming from the Camanachd Association that clubs just don’t understand the reasons behind the new structure and the benefits it will bring are simply not true. Those who oppose the new set up not only have many years’ experience in the game but they were involved during the previous incarnation of a national second tier. They speak from an informed position. Few clubs will be unaffected by these changes.
Structure Review It is healthy to review the structure of any sport but it is crucial that any new proposal is better than what went before and the clubs who oppose the new plans believe that the plans for 2014 are not better than the current structure.
Roles & Responsibilities Skye Camanachd fully understands that responsibility for making decisions on matters such as league reconstruction was delegated to the Camanachd Association board of directors in 2005. However clubs have the right to call an EGM if they feel that any decision made by the board is wrong for the game. This decision has not been taken lightly by Skye or the clubs who have supported their stance. Skye Camanachd would also like to make it clear that we have the utmost respect for the volunteers, including the directors and officials, who took part in this process. Many are volunteers who do sterling work for their clubs on a daily basis and are a huge asset to the game. We just feel that the board of directors have made the wrong decision in this instance and we cannot stand by and watch the introduction of a structure which could have grave repercussions for the game we all love. |