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Clach in administration


Heilandee

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and as I understand it you have not yet reached the stage even of paying players (which Clach continue to do - albeit modestly). You have been on the wrong end of a few real roastings and you just don't know how things are going to go although I do hope they go well.

It might be a more prudent strategy as a Highland League "new boy" (and apparently, from the tone of your posts, a "lifelong" Strathspey fan who has never had an interest in any other club?)

For insance you will find that the rest of the Highland League are totally behind Clach and their efforts to survive.

One final point... has it not occurred to you that Clach, especially since they are a fellow North FA club, MIGHT just have been one of the clubs you depended on to vote you into your recently acquired place in the Highland League? In that event, your gratitude does not appear all that evident.

a few points

1stly we do pay some players/and for players,so get your facts right 1st,dont know how things are going to go? we have spent over ?70k this season getting the ground upto standard,and next season we will have money to sign/buy players and further develop the ground(a enclosure,turnstiles,do up scout hut)

2ndly i have never said iam a lifelong strathspey fan,please quote it,if i have(which i know i havent)all iam donig is gladly helping out my local club in anyway i can to acheive there goals

3rdly no-one knows who clach voted for,for all i know they could have voted against us,as maybe scared we took some of there players,which has happened already.i didnt say i had no gratitude,i quite like clach as a club and want them to survive,no club going to the wall is good,and was made to feel most welcome there in our visit there this season,they went out there way to help me and my son,with a few things,but to describe there ground as "old world charm" is very laughable at least

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Marty, fair play to you for rolling up your sleeves and getting your hands dirty in trying to do something for your local side. Doesnt matter if they are HFL or SPL, you are doing your best to try and help so kudos for that. Sadly, I think Mr Bannerman may be more objective in his observations and you might have a touch of the rose-tinted specs, but here's hoping that all the plans you have outlined for development come to fruition and the pitfalls are small and easily overcome.

(PS - I also like how the position of "Webmaster/Youth development commitee/treasurer/merchandise" on the website contact page comes above Chairman, Manager, Secretary, Treasurer etc :004:)

As CaleyD said, what you are doing is something that used to be encouraged at ICT but has eroded over time. I guess as ICT became more and more succesful, positions that used to be voluntary and "hobbyist" in nature took up more and more time and had to become professional paid positions which the original volunteers could not always commit to. The way in which volunteers were replaced was not always diplomatic and over time the whole thing began to look like the club didnt need, want, or appreciate any "outsiders" trying to help. Maybe a stint in the first division might shake the tree a bit and allow for a closer relationship between club and fans again. I hope so anyway.

With regards to Clach, its a shame. I think there is a lot of goodwill towards them from many angles but for whatever reason, or combination of reasons they clearly dont seem to be sustainable at the moment. I would hate to see them go to the wall, but havent read anything that seems to indicate any light at the end of the tunnel .......

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look at the results we have been getting this season

Yep. I have been. For instance I see that you're defeat to Rothes yesterday gives them there first win, takes them off the bottom and puts you there instead. :lol:

not to down hearted,after all we did scored 4 goals in the 2nd half yesterday,so we are creating chances

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not to down hearted,after all we did scored 4 goals in the 2nd half yesterday,so we are creating chances

You mean you had two OGs as well as the two for yourselves?!

Wyness 101.. and anyone else hoping to attend... the kick off v Celtic is 7pm at Grant Street. This is to allow Celtic to avoid an overnight stay. I could thoroughly recommend to anyone to spend a tenner here in a very good cause. I'm taking my Celtic supporting son to hospitality (which is a bit more than a tenner but money well spent.)

Edited by Charles Bannerman
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looking at the strathspey site and highlandleague.net the game finished 2-1 to rothes...where are the 4 goals coming from?

nope we scored 4 in rothes goals,3 were disallowed,1 was offside,but no-one knows whats wrong with the other 2

:angry: :angry:

Might pop along to the Clach game on Tuesday, would be a shame to see them go down.

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looking at the strathspey site and highlandleague.net the game finished 2-1 to rothes...where are the 4 goals coming from?

nope we scored 4 in rothes goals,3 were disallowed,1 was offside,but no-one knows whats wrong with the other 2

nb was just asking, match report mentions nothing about the 3 disallowed goals

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looking at the strathspey site and highlandleague.net the game finished 2-1 to rothes...where are the 4 goals coming from?

nope we scored 4 in rothes goals,3 were disallowed,1 was offside,but no-one knows whats wrong with the other 2

nb was just asking, match report mentions nothing about the 3 disallowed goals

its mentioned in post match interviews-:

We got the equaliser with a bit of a scrambled goal but we had three goals chalked off. The first one was offside but the second two I am baffled with. That would have put us in front but because it was still level, we changed the system and went to three at the back late on and put on another forward in Tolga (Daktas) to give us three strikers on the pitch but we got caught by a sucker punch at the other end when they broke away and scored the winner.

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Unfortunately not a great turn out tonight... A few Inverness (I assume) based Celtic fans, couple hundred maybe, but wouldn't say anymore than 300/350 there in total.

Went to Clach Park a few times when I was growing up, probably best part of 10 years since had last been in it. Have to be honest, impressions tonight were less old worldly charm and more complete dump of a facility. Having said that, if Friday night games became a regular occurrence there and were priced around the ?5 mark, I would probably be tempted to go a bit more.

Can anyone (Charles Bannerman perhaps?) clear up a query for me? Am I right in thinking that Grant Street is owned by the Council now, hence all the issues recently, and if so, why has it not been considered as the obvious choice for a 3G synthetic surface, a facility Inverness is absolutely crying out for? Surely it is the obvious location, ready made ground with a touch of history/prestige about it, and would be a real revenue generator for the Council and provide permanent, and dare I say it cheaper, long term homes for Clach and Inverness City as well as a fantastic all-weather facility for training kids, social football space, etc?

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STATEMENT FROM CLACHNACUDDIN FOOTBALL CLUB

The Directors of Clachnacuddin Football Club with great regret announce this evening that the club will enter administration tomorrow morning (October 27th).

This step is a result of requirements placed upon us by Highland Council in relation to the repayment of our debt to the Inverness Common Good Fund. As a result of the manner in which this issue has unfolded, we have also resolved to write to the First Minister requesting an investigation into Highland Council?s handling of the matter of this debt.

The extremely serious step of seeking administration follows a letter received last week from Mr David Haas of Highland Council demanding that our monthly repayment of ?400 must increase by 850% to ?3800 per month. The letter also requests yet another business plan to be submitted by the November 2nd. This deadline was then brought forward by his colleague William Gilfillan to October 23rd, making an already difficult task impossible.

It was this e-mail which was the final straw and led us to seek insolvency advice.

This latest move by the Council is particularly disappointing because an outline plan is in place to sell the Clachnacuddin Social Club to William Gray Construction for a sum that would ensure every creditor, not only Highland Council, is paid and that the club could continue. This proposal was included in our business plan along with detailed profit & loss forecasts & cash flow projections for the next 2 years. All these documents were submitted to Mr Haas on Friday August 28th and the same documents where also submitted to the club?s two main creditors, Carlsberg and The Royal Bank of Scotland. They were also discussed with the Her Majesty?s Revenue and Customs.

All the creditors were completely behind the proposal with the sole exception of the Highland Council who have hence forced the club into administration. The irony here is that by taking this action the Council, as an unsecured creditor, will now almost certainly receive none of the money due to them and have also caused a number of small creditors to lose out.

Clach have never at any point abdicated responsibility for what is due to Highland Council. Recent monthly payments, none of which has been missed, have seen the overall debt to the council steadily drop. Clach have also been active in promoting an all weather pitch at Grant Street Park, an idea that has now been taken up by our local councillor, and a ground share with Inverness City FC who still have no regular home pitch for part of their season.

Apart from the danger now of Clachnacuddin FC going out of business and Highland League football therefore disappearing from Inverness, there is also a threat to our Youth teams. These teams make a massive contribution to the local community which includes one of the most economically deprived areas in Scotland. We currently make provision for over 200 young players who train and play with these teams. We therefore can only wonder how it can be for the ?Common Good? of Inverness if the club fold completely at such social cost and with no more of the outstanding debt paid back to Highland Council as a direct result of the club being forced out of existence.

It is this particular aspect that leads us to write to the First Minister asking him to investigate the matter. Our Chairman David Dowling met with him recently and he has always been strong in supporting an organisation which promote exactly the values that our coaches instil into our youth players. Surely the City of Inverness needs the sort of facility we provide.

Despite being forced to take this step which places the club in serious danger of going out of business mid season we can, however, confirm that our Lily Lotto will not be affected by administration since it is a separate company, independent for these purposes of Clachnacuddin FC.

We very much regret having been forced to take a step which could have such drastic consequences for so many people but, given the circumstances described above, this is now the only one left to us.

Issued by the Directors of Clachnacuddin Football Club. 26.10.09.

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Unfortunately not a great turn out tonight... A few Inverness (I assume) based Celtic fans, couple hundred maybe, but wouldn't say anymore than 300/350 there in total.

Went to Clach Park a few times when I was growing up, probably best part of 10 years since had last been in it. Have to be honest, impressions tonight were less old worldly charm and more complete dump of a facility. Having said that, if Friday night games became a regular occurrence there and were priced around the ?5 mark, I would probably be tempted to go a bit more.

Can anyone (Charles Bannerman perhaps?) clear up a query for me? Am I right in thinking that Grant Street is owned by the Council now, hence all the issues recently, and if so, why has it not been considered as the obvious choice for a 3G synthetic surface, a facility Inverness is absolutely crying out for? Surely it is the obvious location, ready made ground with a touch of history/prestige about it, and would be a real revenue generator for the Council and provide permanent, and dare I say it cheaper, long term homes for Clach and Inverness City as well as a fantastic all-weather facility for training kids, social football space, etc?

Bridge Ender.. a response for each of your three paragraphs above!

1) The official attendance last night was 590. In addition to that there was corporate hospitality (with food donated by local businesses - I took my son, it was very good) with raffles, extra Lily Lotto sales etc. The "pie shop" was also extremely busy. OK, the crowd could have been bigger but, although they did not know on the spot how much they had made, they reckon it was "a good few thousand". They say it's well worth repeating and the word is that at least one other "major club" may be lined up to do a repeat.

2) There is actually a League game there this Friday v Turriff who have been flooded out of their ground so the venue has been switched. Admission ?6. Get yerself along there!

3) Caledonian Thistle Properties (Caley D... geezabreak with the precise designation of the company! :lol: ) bought the playing surface and immediate surround from Clach in 1997 for ?280K and a few years later sold it on for the same amount to the Common Good Fund to whom ?46K is still owed in rent arrears. The land at the ends (Wine Shed, Social Club, Dressing Rooms, Car Park) still belongs to Clach but is now in the control of the Administrator. This land could be the key to the short to medium term survival of Clach but its disposal or otherwise is the business of the Administrator. Some time ago, Clach floated the proposal of making Grant Street an all weather facility and yes indeed, Inverness City do not have a home for their entire season. However no progress seems to have been made with regard to this.

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Bridge Ender.. a response for each of your three paragraphs above!

1) The official attendance last night was 590. In addition to that there was corporate hospitality (with food donated by local businesses - I took my son, it was very good) with raffles, extra Lily Lotto sales etc. The "pie shop" was also extremely busy. OK, the crowd could have been bigger but, although they did not know on the spot how much they had made, they reckon it was "a good few thousand". They say it's well worth repeating and the word is that at least one other "major club" may be lined up to do a repeat.

2) There is actually a League game there this Friday v Turriff who have been flooded out of their ground so the venue has been switched. Admission ?6. Get yerself along there!

3) Caledonian Thistle Properties (Caley D... geezabreak with the precise designation of the company! :lol: ) bought the playing surface and immediate surround from Clach in 1997 for ?280K and a few years later sold it on for the same amount to the Common Good Fund to whom ?46K is still owed in rent arrears. The land at the ends (Wine Shed, Social Club, Dressing Rooms, Car Park) still belongs to Clach but is now in the control of the Administrator. This land could be the key to the short to medium term survival of Clach but its disposal or otherwise is the business of the Administrator. Some time ago, Clach floated the proposal of making Grant Street an all weather facility and yes indeed, Inverness City do not have a home for their entire season. However no progress seems to have been made with regard to this.

Thanks for clearing that up Charles, glad to hear that Clach at least floated the idea, even if the council haven't taken it forward. The introduction of a facility such as that would surely benefit both parties and others (i.e. Inverness City..). Surprised at the figure of 590 but just shows how deceptive appearances can be! A definite positive that the club themselves considered it a success.

I heard the game v. Turriff was being played this Friday, unfortunately I am travelling overnight to Cardiff to watch a game of similar quality on the Saturday! It would be interesting to know if many other Inverness football fans would be interested in games being played on Fridays, Sundays or even earlier on a Saturday and would go along to both. The harsh reality is Clach can't compete with ICT/County or maybe even the free entry and similar standard of football offered by Inverness City. Definitely some thinking outside the box as regards marketing/timing of games IF they can survive. Very obvious that major changes are required on the management of the business side of the club.

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  • 2 months later...

I hear Clach could be set to fold within the next few days

To invoke that well used football cliche, they have now, literally, been reduced to taking "one game at a time". On Sunday the Supporters' Trust wrote to the administrator proposing that they might take over the football side while he sold off the company's assets to meet debts which are a swingeing ?280,000.

Gordon MacLure's reply was bleak to say the least, and absolutely central to the situation in which Clach now find themselves this week. He can only allow the football side to continue if there is an ongoing flow of cash to sustain it which is not from the Company's normal revenue sources which he needs to meet debts. In other words there is an acute short term cash flow problem.

He has told the Trust that his major concern is that fundraising proposals, many of which will come to fruiton in March, do not address the need for cash NOW and that he could not guarantee that the players would be paid this Saturday. The Trust has secured the several hundred pounds needed to fund wages and a bus to Formartine on Saturday so that will go ahead and Clach should therefore survive at least over the weekend.

However the Administrator is also concerned that the Trust also needs to find the portion of his fee required for him to administer the ongoing football side - around ?600-700 per week - otherwise he doubts if he will be able to allocate much more time to football as opposed to disposing of the business. In other words allowing the football to continue is causing an increase in the Administrator's fee which football operations have to find.

In response to Mr MacLure's email, the Clach Supporters' Trust has called an emergency meeting for Friday night which will also be attended by James Proctor of Supporters Direct. What effect this will have is unclear but, apart from a vague rumour I heard about some kind of gesture from outside, I am not aware of any further interest in the club, which is why the assets (mainly land) will be sold off over the next couple of months.

So in summary, it looks as if they should survive this weekend and thereafter it is on a week by week basis, at least until revenue streams like their Dinner and the Aberdeen game come on stream in March. But let's definitely NOT conclude that all will then be rosy. Surviving until March, and then to the end of the season merely create a little more breathing space.

Edited by Charles Bannerman
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