Camanachd Leòdhais would like to intimate that we have applied for and intend to take up a place in Marine Harvest North Division Three for 2011.
The club sees this as the best way to develop both our club and the sport in the Western Isles. Since the club was re-constituted in 2006, it has always been a long term aim to enter the league and our whole body of players was unanimous that this was the best course of action after a successful 2010.
We acknowledge as a club that some of our score lines since entering cup competition in 2007 have not been flattering but we would point to the opposition faced in those games. When faced with North Division Three/South Division Two we have performed admirably. We are sure that with regular competition against sides of this nature we will soon make progress.
We have secured an area for a full-size park and Camanachd Leòdhais will be working tirelessly to ensure that this new park is ready for our first home game. The principle of home games is one that we as a club feel is essential to the future survival of the game in the Western Isles. Whilst we applaud the mooted Development League, it would not provide us with home fixtures. These fixtures are essential to ensuring that shinty in Lewis and Harris does not wither and die.
The club will ensure it will have the financial standing to meet all requirements of the Camanachd Association whilst also supporting our own players in their travel costs. We have secured sponsorship and are seeking further support as well as setting up a 100 club. We also expect that home games will allow us to raise funds and further embed the game in the island.
We understand that fellow clubs will incur some cost in coming across the Minch but we also hope they realise that we will incur ten times the cost per season to go and play them all. We aim to fulfil all our fixtures and we hope teams will return the courtesy. The movement of clubs and referees once they arrive on the Island will be facilitated to ensure costs are kept at a minimum.
We acknowledge the support of the Camanachd Association in drawing up their fixture list to suit ferry timetables, as they have done in previous years when we entered the cups.
We appreciate the challenges that lie before us but we also see the opportunities that league entry gives us.