Derek Keir – Chief Executive Officer

Derek joined the Camanachd Association in 2017 after spending four years with the National Agency for Sport, sportscotland. Previous to that Derek held positions in Disability Sport with Sheffield Wednesday and as a PE Teacher and School Sport Coordinator in London. Derek has also started and led International Sport for Development Charity Umutima supporting education and sport in Zambia and also coached across America. Throughout his career Derek has held positions that have supported others in achieving their goals as well as playing sport to a semi professional level. Derek said “Shinty is a vibrant and integral part of Scottish life and the favourite part of my role is getting to support the incredible efforts of volunteers and all those that contribute to our sport across Shinty playing communities.

Astie Cameron – Operations & Events Manager

Astie is responsible for coordinating the Senior Fixtures and allocating Match Referees to these matches.

In addition Astie is in charge of the Misconduct Process, which includes dealing with the Yellow and Red Cards issued by the Referees and advising clubs of Misconduct Points and Player Suspensions. He also assists with the administration during the Disciplinary Process when Special Reports are received and cases are referred to the Disciplinary or Behaviour in Sport Committees.

As Events Manager, Astie organises the Cup Finals and other Events organised by the Camanachd Association.

Astie played for Fort William Shinty Club for nearly 25 years and was Full Back when they won the Camanachd Cup for the First time in 1992, a match that saw the fastest goal in a Camanachd Cup Final.

Deborah MacPherson – Finance & Admin Manager

Deborah or Debs, has been at the Camanachd Association since early 2018. She is responsible for areas of work such as Membership and the full financial aspect of the organisation.

Before joining the Camanachd Association Debs worked in a local Veterinary Clinic as a Practice Manager for over 16 years. She has a love for animals including her dog Denzil and outside of work has a passion for photography.

Debs is very approachable so if you have any queries about Membership then please do not hesitate to get in touch, if you have an overdue invoice however, you had better watch out!

Ronald Ross – National Development Manager & Child Protection Manager

Ronald has been with CA for over 10 years and has held various roles from Highland Development Officer to National Development Officer. “Sport has been a passion of mine since a young age and to work in shinty is my dream job – there is not a day that goes past that I take my job for granted and I still have the same drive and passion as when I joined the Association.

One of the aspects I love about working in sport is meeting and working with all the wonderful volunteers who’s contribution to their clubs and communities is remarkable; they truly are the heartbeat of our sport.”

Katie Drain– Regional Development Officer – North

Katie joined the CA as North Development Officer in late 2015. She made the move to Inverness from Glasgow where she worked as a Programme Manager for an Education through Sport charity after graduating with a BA Honours Degree in Sports Management.

Katie played shinty for GMA until 2018 picking up a number of League and Valarie Fraser Winners medals, as well as 10 Scotland Caps in her time as a player. In her ‘spare time’ Katie is a volunteer coach at Highland Bears Basketball Club.

Roddy Young – Regional Development Officer – Central

Roddy Young has been hired to the role of Regional Development Officer (Central) which will be based mostly across the central belt. The post has the focus of supporting clubs in the area to become stronger, creating new opportunities to engage the wider community and, importantly, to provide organised and high-quality experiences in shinty for new communities. Roddy said: “It’s been a whirlwind first year at the Camanachd Association, until you join it’s hard to grasp the magnitude of work that is undertaken to ensure that games and competitions happen across Scotland! I have really enjoyed my first year and I must thank the dedicated volunteers I work with across the central region who enable our sport to thrive.”

Will Cowie – Regional Development Officer – West

Will Cowie has recently been appointed to the role of Regional Development Officer for the West of Scotland.

Will grew up on the Isle of Skye where he played shinty from primary school to senior level. At the beginning 2023 season he began playing for Kyles Athletic. Will is a former Scotland under 17 and under 21 cap and holds a degree in Sports Studies from the University of Stirling.

Will said: “I am delighted to have started in this role with the Camanachd Association. Shinty is a huge part of my life and I hope to bring my enthusiasm to the role. I am really looking forward to working with clubs and local organisations to help boost participation at all levels of shinty in the area.”

Alaina MacLennan – Regional Development Officer – East

After completing a degree in BA(Hons) Sports Coaching and Development at the University of the West of Scotland, Alaina MacLennan has joined the Camanachd Association as Regional Development and Welfare Officer for the East of Scotland.

Alaina said, “I am really excited to work with the Camanachd Association in my new role. I have a passion for shinty and creating opportunities for people to be involved! I look forward to working with and supporting the clubs to develop shinty.”

Kirsty Lobban – Women & Girls Development Officer

Kirsty joined the Camanachd Association in January 2023 as Development Officer (Women & Girls) in the Central Belt. Kirsty grew up in Inverness but now lives in Edinburgh after finishing a degree in Sports & Exercise Science at Edinburgh Napier University. Kirsty has a passion for all sport and is looking forward to having a positive impact for women & girls in shinty.

Ruth Gordon – Gaelic Language Development Officer (Skye)

The Camanachd Association’s partnership work with Bord Na Gàidhlig enabled them to recruit a Gaelic Language Shinty Development Officer on the Isle of Skye. Thereby, in December 2022, Ruth Gordon was also welcomed to the team in a new exciting role. Speaking of this, she said: “After just recently becoming involved with the Camanachd Association, I have very quickly come to the realisation that it is such a hardworking and driven team to be a part of. It is a privilege to be able to work within the organisation, making sure shinty and it’s culture remains alive throughout the next generations. Working with Bord Na Gàidhlig is also an absolute pleasure. As a fluent Gàidhlig speaker, being able to engage with youngsters and increase their participation through the language is a brilliant way to help keep it alive. I’m extremely excited for the year ahead and increasing the involvement of youngsters within our sport.”

Aarron Duncan-MacLeod – Marketing & Communications Manager

Before joining the Camanachd Association, Aarron studied Politics, International Relations & Geography at Aberdeen University.

Living in Beauly, Aarron has spent much of his life in and around shinty and is keen to help grow our presence both on social media and on the ground across our varied communities.

If you have any questions regarding how to grow the social presence of your club, require any support with marketing, communications or just want to know how you can get more involved with the Camanachd Association then please make contact with Aarron. If you are ever struggling to sleep, Aarron’s Half-Swing Shinty Podcast could be the perfect remedy.

Steven MacKenzie – President & Heritage Chair

Many shinty players will have had more successful playing careers than myself, and enjoyed greater honours, but I would question whether any have derived greater enjoyment or satisfaction from the playing the game of shinty than I have.  I was fortunate to enjoy some minor successes but more importantly I have made numerous friends along the way from across the shinty playing areas and beyond.

My playing career also saw me experience two very different clubs – Beauly Shinty Club and Aberdeen University Shinty Club, both with very proud and interesting histories.  As I grew older and my focus widened beyond just playing, I came to appreciate not only their specific stories but also that every club has a story to tell, and that together they make our game what it is.  That has made me determined that we should protect and promote the important cultural and historic role that shinty has played within our communities, and within the wider context of Scotland and Scottish sport.

Having given me so much I would like to give something back to shinty.  For many this would involve coaching or managing teams within their club and while I have also enjoyed this aspect of shinty I have also enjoyed the administrative and organisational side of the game which is where I find myself now.

Lyndsay Bradley  – Equality

She has coached the South U14 girls for the past few years and was selected to coach the Scotland U18 Ladies team for both the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Additionally, she was recognised by the WCA on three occasions in the last few years being awarded Development Coach of the Year, South 2 Coach of the Year and Volunteer of the Year at the annual awards. In 2019 she received the Donella Crawford Award.

In her role as a Cluster Headteacher, she continues to develop shinty within the curriculum and will also be assisting Ardnamurchan High School as they move to become a School of Shinty.

Since joining the Board, she has already taken steps to improve the links between the CA, WCA and CRA and also brought her knowledge of the Education system to help take forward initiatives to further develop school and Youth Shinty.

Burton Morrison – Competitions

A chartered civil engineer, now retired, Burton is a native of Drumnadrochit and was part of the successful Aberdeen University team of the early 70s which he captained to Sutherland Cup success in 1973.

After moving to Glasgow, he played for Glasgow Mid Argyll for over twenty years, managed the first team and became Club President in the early nineties.

Burton gained representative honours playing for Scotland in each of the shinty-hurling matches which took place between 1976 and 1979. Later on, he assisted Kingussie legend Donnie Grant in managing the Scotland U21 team in 1991and 1992, taking over as manager for the period 1993-96. In 1996, he returned to coaching, and was a founder member and first chairman of Milngavie and Bearsden Junior Shinty Club.

Roddy McCuish – Communications and Facilities (South)

Roddy is a great friend to shinty in Oban and brings to the Association a wealth of experience gained over many years in Local Government. He is an independent member of the Argyll and Bute Council, having formerly been the leader of the council twice and at present he is Deputy Provost of Argyll and Bute. His knowledge of the workings of the Council and his membership of various committees and his position as President of Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) fits him well for his role as Comms & Facilities South Director with a special remit on the Argyll & Bute Focus Group with the Camanachd Association.

Shinty-wise, Roddy is a member of the Macaulay Association and takes a keen interest in the sport and is always eager to protect the interests of his home town clubs and Oban’s strategically important Mossfield Stadium. In this role he presented the Macaulay Cup and the silver mounted caman to 2019’s winning captain, Robert Mabon (Kingussie).

John MacRitchie – Officials

John has already shown a desire to grow and improve the game with a focus on ensuring that young people stick with shinty as they grow older and encouraging as many as possible to take up the sport and progress through the pathway to senior level. Professionally, John has worked with the public for 38 years as a Business Relationship manager for the Royal Bank of Scotland. From a shinty perspective, John has played since his youth, having first played at Tomnacross and then Lovat for 30 years of first team shinty. He was treasurer when Lovat had their centenary year and John also filled other major roles at the club including Secretary and more recently was elected President in 2014. Further engagement with shinty has come through an active role with the Camanachd Association Competitions Committee and as a regular match official.

Kirsty Deans – Youth

Kirsty was first co-opted onto board  in April 2020 later ratified at AGM November 2020. She grew up in Kingussie and is still based there, currently teaching PE at Forres Academy. She has played for Badenoch Ladies since 2008 when the club was formed and has enjoyed a great deal of success in doing so, winning the Mowi Valerie Fraser Camanachd Cup on 2 occasions and enjoying her first league victory in 2019.

Kirsty is also a multi-time Scotland international, having made her debut in 2009 she first captained the national team in 2018. Despite her proficiency with a caman, Kirsty also boasts great technique with a  football and currently plays with Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Her role as a teacher undoubtedly prepares her well for the Youth portfolio she will be taking on and we look forward to the further development of our successful School of Shinty programme.

Alister MacKinnon

Alister is of Harris/Skye parentage brought up speaking Gaelic and lived in Skye, Ness and Kyle where his father was a Church of Scotland minister. His home is in Conon Bridge; he is married to Catherine and they have three daughters.

His career in finance started in the Royal Bank of Scotland and for many years he has been a financial and insurance adviser. He is a keen follower of shinty and has been very actively involved with Beauly Shinty Club for whom his son-in-law David MacLean plays.

Alister is a high profile figure in the Highlands who served as a councillor for 10 years including being budget leader.

He looks forward to using his broad financial experience to the benefit of the Camanachd Association and the promotion of our great Gaelic sport.

Alan Clark – Development

Alan educated in Aberdeen moved to Ross shire in 1990 to take up the post of Principal Teacher of Physical Education at Inverness Royal Academy where he taught for 13 years. Moving on professionally in 2003 to take up Active Schools Manager he was responsible for establishing and developing the first 5 years of Active Schools and the development of out of hours sport and physical activity. Joined up sport delivery in communities from schools to clubs was the priority and is as important today as it was then to develop the sporting pathway.

Alan moved to sportscotland in 2009 as Head of Partnerships Management and latterly Regional Development Manager for Highlands and Islands and Grampian .From 2013-2017 Alan was the sportscotland Partnership Manager for Shinty supporting and assisting the Camanachd Association with funding and governance.

Alan is a lover of shinty, not affiliated to any club ,and will act in the best interests of shinty using his professional expertise in sports development to enhance and develop the shinty pathway and support CA staff in their job working with clubs.