Skye Camanachd - Recent Times

Recent Times

Skye have never again achieved the high of winning the Camanachd Cup, but they did achieve Premier division status in the early 2000s under the management of Angus Murchison before being relegated. The club has shown a flair for another sort of promotion however, securing lucrative sponsorship deals with Danish firms Carlsberg and Hummel. The club also benefited in early 2008 from an anonymous loan of £50,000 sterling from a local individual, with repayments based on future success. Much of this went to pay off some of the loan which had been invested in the development of the Pairc nan Laoch stadium after the move from the council owned King George V Park.

In July 2008, the first team won the Balliemore Cup for the first time, defeating Kilmallie 3-1 at Braeview Park, Beauly. Gilleasbuig Macdonald was the captain. The club re-appointed Angus Murchison to succeed Alasdair Morrison as manager in 2009. Aonghas MacDonald became manager halfway through the season and steered Skye to a 3rd place position, impressing enough to be given the full time position in 2010. Ross Cowie, now Chairman of the club demanded an improvement from the club's reserve side in 2010, after a poor couple of seasons which had seen the reserve team, which historically has brought Skye a great deal of success, finish in the bottom half the North Division Two and suffer humiliating defeats to lower league opposition.

In June 2009, Skye won the Plate competition of the Marine Harvest Clash of the Camans at An Aird, defeating Lochside Rovers and Fort William 2nds. The club also undertook the first ever tour by a Scottish shinty club of the United States, visiting California in September 2009.

The club had an underwhelming 2010 season. Aonghas MacDonald stepped down at the end of the season. However, MacDonald was re-appointed to the role for the 2011 season before stepping down again at the end of the year. Davie MacVicar also stepped down as reserve manager at the end of the season to be replaced by Murdo Morrison. Willie MacRae was appointed as the eleventh manager of Skye Camanachd in early 2012. He had a successful season at the wheel, with the club's young squad reaching second in the league.

The club started a ladies' shinty team in 2011. Previously, players such as Sarah Corrigall would play for Glengarry, but now the opporutnity for players in Skye and Lochalash would be available. The club entered North Division Two in 2012 and finished 3rd. They also were successul in securing the right to play home games on a Saturday. (Sunday play deemed to not be possible due to loval religious sensibilities.)

The club provides the bulk of the Alba, the Scottish Gaelic representative team.

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