Aberdeen University Shinty Club is a

shinty Shinty () is a team sport played with sticks and a ball. It is played mainly in the Scottish Highlands and among Highland migrants to the major cities of Scotland. The sport was formerly more widespread in Scotland and even played in Northern ...

club from

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

, Scotland, that plays in Marine Harvest North Division One. It is the oldest constituted shinty club in Scotland, and therefore the world, dating back to November 9, 1861 in a document held by the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

. The club celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2011. The team is the current champion of North Division Two. Despite the club's name, it is not a University club and participates at a senior level with students, non-students and former students in the team. However, there is a student team that competes in University competitions under the same name. ''See University Shinty.''

History

The club was established in 1861 through the merger of Kings College and Marischal College shinty clubs. In 2005, the club had its best season ever, winning the National Intermediate Indoor six-a-side competition in Perth, the North Division 2 Title and the Sutherland Cup, only the fourth time the club had won the trophy. By 2006, the club was still predominantly made up of Highland exiles, although there are increasing numbers of newcomers taking up the game as they study at Aberdeen University. In 2007, the club finished at bottom of North Division One, although they failed to play a game against Caberfeidh, which resulted in the docking of two points which would have placed them a point ahead of Inverness Shinty Club. In 2008, the club applied for entry into North Division Three and were successful, allowing the club to compete at a higher level of shinty. They eliminated Skye Camanachd from the Strathdearn Cup on May 31, 2008. In 2010, the club finished level in points with Lochaber Camanachd's reserves at the top of North Division Three. A playoff ensued at Castle Leod, Strathpeffer. Lochaber defeated the University 3–2 with a goal in the final minute. In 2011, the club won the third division, finishing undefeated. They also lost to Kingussie (eventual winners) in the Sutherland cup quarter finals. The Sutherland cup final was held at the Aberdeen University in celebration of its 150th season. The club welcomed

Alex Salmond Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond ( ; 31 December 1954 – 12 October 2024) was a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. A prominent figure in the Scottish nationalist movement, he was Leader of the Sc ...

MSP,

First Minister of Scotland The first minister of Scotland () is the head of government of Scotland. The first minister leads the Scottish Government, the Executive (government), executive branch of the devolved government and is th ...

as patron. The club finished bottom of North Division Two in 2014, but was saved from relegation by league reconstruction. They won the reconstructed North Two in 2016, finishing undefeated with over 100 goals scored. There was also an Aberdeen Camanachd side in existence through the 1960s and 1970 founded by Peter English, which drew on the large Highland community living in the area for working in

North Sea oil North Sea oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons, comprising liquid petroleum and natural gas, produced from petroleum reservoirs beneath the North Sea. In the petroleum industry, the term "North Sea" often includes areas such as the Norwegian ...

References

External links

Old Aberdeen University Shinty Club HomepageNew Aberdeen Uni Homepage
{{Authority control Sports clubs and teams established in 1861 Shinty teams Sports clubs and teams in Aberdeen University and college sports clubs in Scotland 1861 establishments in Scotland University of Aberdeen