Welcome on board Kirsty
Badenoch Ladies captain will focus on shinty’s return
Shinty player Kirsty Deans has been appointed to the Camanachd Association Board of Directors.
Kirsty has been co-opted into the position and will focus on planning for a return to shinty and supporting the evolution of the successful School of Shinty programme.
Kirsty is the Badenoch Ladies Captain and was integral to her side pipping Skye Ladies to the Mowi National Division title in 2019. She is a regular Scottish internationalist and one of the most recognisable players in the modern game. Away from the sport, Kirsty has done a lot of travelling and balances her shinty and football training with full-time work as a physical education teacher.
Kirsty’s importance to the success of Badenoch Ladies cannot be overstated, despite her modesty when interviewed by the Camanachd Association last year. When probed on the importance of her 41 goals - at the time of writing - ahead of the Mowi Valerie Fraser Camanachd Cup Final she said: ‘I’m very happy with that tally and the majority of those need to be credited to my team mates. We do a lot of work in training around movement up front and creating chances and I’ve just been the fortunate one who has been in the finishing position.’
Kirsty will bring a wealth of experience in the game to the board as well as a fresh perspective and expertise on how the association can further the game at junior level having worked in Kingussie and Forres high schools over her six year career. When asked about her appointment, Kirsty said: ‘I was absolutely delighted to be asked to join the board and one of the main reasons I was keen to take on this role was because of the opportunity it gave me to help improve and move the game forward. I am passionate about the sport and enjoy all aspects from training and playing to coaching. This role adds another dimension and is a chance for me to learn more about the game and help improve the experience of those currently playing. I feel I can provide a fresh perspective as a younger member of the board but also as someone with a football background and an occupation working with young people.
‘Shinty has progressed massively in recent years. Hopefully this will be furthered by the development of the school programmes. This is a really challenging time for all sports, however, I have embraced these challenges so far and I hope I can keep contributing positively and support a return to youth and adult shinty in the near future.’
Keith Loades, Camanachd Association president, said: ‘Kirsty is an exciting addition to our board of directors who will add a great deal to what is an already strong and multi-talented group of people. We look forward to working with her more closely as we aim to return our sport to some kind of normality. Her expertise in schools within Highland region can only help us further the School of Shinty programme.’