The competition will be held between Thursday 21st April to Wednesday 11th May with the final match happening on Monday 1st June at Bught Park, Inverness.
Schools from all over the country will be taking part, with more girls taking part this year, including 3 all girls teams from Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Inbhir Nis.
Cuach na Cloinne is a national 5-a-side football competition aimed at young people all over the country with Gaelic in P4-7.
The regional competitions will take place in:
Thursday 21st April – Portree High School, Skye
Tuesday 26th April – Sgoil Lionacleit
Thursday 28th April – All weather pitch, Smith Ave., Stornoway
Tuesday 3rd May – Bught Park, Inverness
Tuesday 10th May – Goals, Glasgow West, Great Western Road, Glasgow
Wednesday 11th May – Mossfield Park, Oban
The last team to lift the cup were Sgoil an Iochdair from South Uist, making it 2 wins in a row, can they make it 3 in a row or will someone beat them to it in 2022!?
Last year, in partnership with FC Sonas, Cuach na Cloinne went online with videos for both players and facilitators.
You can still view the videos on CnaG’s website.
Everyone involved in Cuach na Cloinne are ecstatic that the competition is back on the playing field this year.
Marina Murray, Development Director at CnaG, said:
“We are delighted to be running the competition again this year after two years of regulations which stopped the event taking place in its usual format.
“Cuach na Cloinne has built up a good reputation and is now firmly established in the school calendar, with the children all looking forward to playing in it.
“We are looking forward to a highly successful competition this year with over 400 young people taking part.
“It is a matter of great encouragement to see such high numbers participating.
“It is important that children going through Gaelic medium education are provided with opportunities to use their language out with the classroom and also to meet with Gaelic-speaking children from other areas.
I want to record my gratitude to the sponsors of Cuach na Cloinne, without whose assistance the competition wouldn’t happen.
“They are Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and The Highland Council.
“I also want to send my best wishes to all teams as they fight it out for this year’s title.”
Nicky Grant, Executive Chief Officer Education at Highland Council, said:
“At last, as we come out of Covid-19 – pupils will be able to hone their Gaelic and football skills at pitches across Scotland.
“I am delighted that two of the Cuach na Cloinne events will be held in Portree and Inverness.
“Highland Council is pleased to support Comunn na Gàidhlig to run the event which provides young people the opportunity to use their linguistic skills while taking part in extracurricular activities.
“Good luck to all the participants.
“I look forward to attending events in the future to support our local community.”
Donald Weir, Gaelic Officer for Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, said:
“Comhairle nan Eilean Siar are funding this project, which has been very successful over the years.
“The competition enhances pupils’ Gaelic learning experience by offering them opportunities to use the language outside of the classroom.
“By using Gaelic in these engaging, natural contexts, the competition both increases the confidence of young people in speaking Gaelic, and demonstrates that it is an everyday, relevant language in their lives.”
Brian Ó hEadhra, Partnerships and Funding Manager at Bòrd na Gàidhlig said:
“It gives us great joy to support this important project enabling children to come together in a fun way and use their Gaelic on the pitch.
“I’m sure that they will enjoy it and make up for the absence of Cuach na Cloinne over the last 2 years!”
Cuach na Cloinne 2022 is funded by Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and The Highland Council, and organised by Comunn na Gàidhlig.
