Shinty board confirms 2021 competition plans

Competitive shinty is a step closer to getting off the ground thanks to planning from the Camanachd Association (CA).

At a meeting recently, the CA board of directors backed the competition committee’s plans for the 2021 season following the 100 per cent registration from member clubs for the 2021 season. It was agreed that, when it is safe to return, clubs will be given a four to six-week pre-season to get fitness and stick work back up to standard. This will be followed by a league and cup campaign. The plans include Mowi leagues of six teams playing 10 fixtures each. How these leagues will be split will be determined on locality.

Regional competitions including the cottages.com MacTavish Cup and Celtic Cup may be moved to a later stage in the season, subject to necessary agreements.

National cup competitions will be regionalised in the early rounds to reduce long distance travelling.

Burton Morrison, competitions director, said: ‘Under the current restrictions, we are unable to confirm a start date for the revised season. However, we are optimistic we can plan for a number of options for a competitive structure which will give teams the opportunity to get back playing.’

CA president Steven MacKenzie said: ‘I and my fellow directors were pleased to endorse the plan put forward. I thank competitions director Burton Morrison and the committee for developing a robust plan that enables us to maximise our shinty playing opportunities while minimising the risk. We are all eager to return to play shinty and with this plan in place we are one step closer to doing so.’