ABERDOUR Shinty Club will aim to engage newcomers to the sport this weekend when they host a tournament at Fife’s annual Scots Gaelic festival.

Fèill Fhìobha, which will be held at the Lomond Centre in Glenrothes on Saturday, serves to showcase all aspects of Scots and Gaelic culture with a focus on opportunities that are available in Fife.

Shinty – “ionman” or “Camanachd” in Scots Gaelic – has long been referred to as the Game of the Gael, and is mostly associated with being played in the Highlands.

But, since coach Lisa MacColl established the club in 2001, the sport has been prominent in Aberdour and they are hopeful of introducing more people to the game.

She said: “We’ve got tasters running throughout the day and, from 12-2pm, we’re hosting one of the kids tournaments that’s part of the Central Scotland Youth Shinty Association schools festival.

“I think they’re planning to show the Camanachd Cup final on a big screen and the commentary is normally in Gaelic, which ties in nicely. We find that in Gaelic schools in Edinburgh and Glasgow, there is a huge interest so we’re hoping to pick up people who are interested in Gaelic and may want to try a Gaelic sport.”

Kirsty Strachan, Gaelic development officer with Fife Council, said: “Having this youth tournament as part of our festival highlights the heritage of Fife and demonstrates that there is a real, vibrant interest in traditional sports and culture.

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Aberdour Shinty Club to host this competition and offer this experience to those attending the Fèill.”

The sport has long been played throughout Scotland and across the UK and Aberdour, who play matches at Silver Sands, are a fully inclusive club that offer shinty to men, women and children or all ages and abilities.

They have teams in the Camanachd Association’s South divisions one and two - the former being one level below the national second tier - and in the Women’s Camanachd Association National Division.

As well as the shinty tournament, there will be historical re-enactment groups, storytelling, music, dance and more at the festival, which runs from 11am-4pm.