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    Board Statement - Groundshare Plan

      Teaser Paragraph:

    The board of Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC have issued a statement in reply to stories about the proposed groundshare idea that have surfaced in the press over the last day or two.


    Board Statement on Temporary Stands / Groundsharing

    The Board wish to issue the following statement :

    1. Temporary Stands

    This option is still and will remain our first option. As you are aware we held discussions with the SPL at about this time last year, following that meeting we received written confirmation that our plans were acceptable subject to the necessary safety certificates being in place.

    At this stage we have no reason to believe there will be any change of stance by the SPL on this criteria to spite the "bouncy, bouncy" story in the press last week.

    Obviously the SPL may as is their right, as they make the rules, insist that we put up the temporary stands prior to winning promotion, a very dangerous situation indeed for us and one we cannot contemplate financially.

    The temporary seats would take a maximum of 3 weeks to install and we can see no good reason in erecting them before promotion is secured as they are utilised at sporting venues all over the UK and to date have never failed to secure the necessary safety certificates a point we will be asking the SPL to consider prior to them entering their decision making process on promotion.

     

    2. Ground Share

    As stated in today's press, it is incumbent up on the Board to investigate all possibilities in our pursuit of Premier League Football for the Highlands.

    If it means that we have to temporarily relocate to ensure we meet the SPL Criteria whilst striving to meet the temporary stand option then it is something we must consider. This would not be our preferred option but an avenue that must be explored so that we can determine its merits or otherwise.

     

    3. 1st Division Football - The Reality

    As you are aware ICTFC made a trading profit last season mainly due to our excellent Cup run and our dealings in the transfer market.

    Given that our home fan base is circa 1800, we are in a similar position to all the other clubs challenging for promotion from the 1st Division which is that our costs are not matched by income, a situation that is not sustainable. We have been to the edge of the financial cliff previously and cannot go down this route again.

    To produce a team capable of winning the 1st Division title is a costly affair as we are all employing players with the ability to play in the Premier League, a fact borne out by Cup results over the past few seasons which have proved that there is very little difference in quality between the bottom 6 teams in Premier League and the top 6 in the 1st Division.

    This leaves all the challenging teams, ICTFC included, in a very invidious position whereby we rely on good cup runs and transfer market profits to ensure the Club survives.

     

    To summarise, if we are required to meet the SPL criteria by 31st March or later if dispensation were to be granted, which includes erecting temporary stands at great expense to the Club with promotion not guaranteed, then we must have an alternative solution available to us in the short term, as this level of expenditure would be financial suicide for the Club and a route we refuse to be drawn down unless the guarantees were in place from the SPL.

    Alternatives must be looked at and at this stage this is all that the Board are doing - considering all the options open to us in our pursuit of Premier League Football for the Highlands.

    Remaining in the 1st Division in our current form is not an option for an ambitious club like ITCFC and we must therefore continue to explore all the avenues open to us or alternatively cut our cloth to suit, remaining out of top flight football in its current format.




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