Future of shinty unveiled

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The Camanachd Association has announced the result of its competitions review, along with some other interesting plans for future seasons.

National Division One is to make a comeback, and the following statement by the Camanachd Association is published in full and without amendment...but what do you think?
 

The outcome of the Camanachd Association’s Competitions Structure Review, which will take effect from the 2014 season, was announced at last week’s General Meeting.


The decision was to reduce the number of teams in the Orion Group Premiership from ten to eight and to introduce an eight team Marine Harvest National Division One which will comprise the bottom two teams in the Orion Group Premiership and the top three from North Division One and South Division One at the end of season 2013.


The principal reasons for the changes were to shorten the season for the Orion Group Premiership which has often not finished until late November and to introduce a stronger competition in the new Marine Harvest National Division One.


Marine Harvest National Division One will comprise the teams which finished 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd in Marine Harvest North and South Division One along with the two teams relegated from the Orion Group Premiership. There will be no promotion into the Orion Group Premiership in 2014. From the end of the 2014 season onwards, there will be one team relegated from the Orion Group Premiership, one team promoted from the new Marine Harvest National Division One and a playoff between the winners of Marine Harvest North and South Divisions One for a place in the Marine Harvest National Division One. The existing regional leagues (Marine Harvest North One, Two, Three and South One and Two) will remain as they are.


Speaking on the outcome of the review, Camanachd Association Competitions Director, Richard Gall, “I am confident that this is the way forward for the Camanachd Association league structure. I would like to thank the Competitions Review Committee and all those who participated in the public consultation.”

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(and this is the Camanachd Association speaking): 

The Competitions Working Group, after consultation with the clubs in Marine Harvest North Division One, proposed that a third round of fixtures be played again this season, with these being a reverse of the third round of fixtures which were scheduled last season. The sanction for non fulfilment of a third round match will be the same as for the first two rounds of fixtures and this was agreed by the Board.

Beauly Shinty Club proposed that “Any four of the ten players named in the Player Pool can feature in a reserve league fixture. There is no restriction on how many times a ‘named player’ can feature in league fixture for the reserve team over the course of the season.” The Board agreed an amendment to the proposal of reducing the four to two and that it would be reviewed at the end of the 2013 Season.

Aberdour Shinty Club proposed that in addition to the existing sanctions for non fulfilment of fixtures in Marine Harvest North Division Three and Marine Harvest South Division Two, the team which is responsible for causing the fixture to be cancelled will also be deducted one point as a penalty for not completing the fixture. This was agreed by the Board and will be implemented for the 2013 Season.