
A new chapter will begin later this year for the Camanachd Association after it was announced today that current Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Derek Keir has accepted the offer to become the new CEO for Scottish Hockey.
Derek Keir said ‘It has been an amazing seven years with the Camanachd Association where I have had the privilege to serve under four incredible Presidents and worked with a brilliant staff team and Board. The iconic moments, the work and the friendships the role has offered are more than I could have hoped for when I joined in 2017. My thanks to the entire shinty community for all their support during my time in the association”

Camanachd Association President, Burton Morrison said “I received this news with mixed feelings, on the one hand, being really pleased for Derek taking another step forward in what I’m sure will be a very successful career. However, I am bitterly disappointed that the association is losing an excellent chief executive and an outstanding ambassador for our sport.”
There have been many highlights during Derek’s time in post some of which have been detailed below. Derek added ‘none of the achievements below could have been delivered without the incredible support, drive and leadership from a brilliant staff and board, a shinty network of amazing volunteers and the incredible contribution and leadership from our partners and sponsors.
- A new £10 million pound facility delivering 10 new changing rooms and a shinty experience at the Bught park, Inverness due for completion by March 2025.
- 13 Schools of Shinty established.
- A performance camp for 5 schools and 43 teenage girls will take place just outside New York City this summer
- A sponsored residential performance camp was delivered for 95 young people with disabilities in Aviemore last week
- Continued sponsorship and record ticket sales for major events across the sport in 2023.
- Sponsorship and TV deals secured for the next three years up to 2026 and 2027 respectively.
- A record number of youth teams taking part across multiple youth events including almost 200 young people taking part in last weeks UHI cup and over 100 young people in last weeks Macbean cup.
- Sold out tickets for the Tulloch Homes Camanachd Cup final in 2022 and followed up with similar attendance in 2023.
- Continued coverage for the sport through 34 podcasts, 222 articles on website in 2023, plus weekly live shinty on YouTube and 7 live matches on MG Alba and BBC Scotland
- A strategy for shinty that focuses on extending the support network
- Partnership with UHI to deliver teacher training to 196 teachers who will be deployed in shinty playing communities this year.
- Over six hundred games delivered every year and not forgetting a return from the pandemic in 2021.
- Continued support in mental and emotional wellbeing for clubs through a network of brilliant partners
Mr Morrison added that the process to recruit our new CEO will begin straight away with an advert being prepared to go out later this month. A full acknowledgement recognising the achievements of the Association during Derek’s time in post will be shared in due course.