Boardroom Banter - Oct 2003
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What a marvellous weekend we have just experienced with our 1st ever National Cup Trophy in our 10th anniversary year.
Though it was a very tight game and Airdrie United equipped themselves well the boys did us all proud with a 2-0 victory so a big thank you goes to the Management Team, Players and of course our marvellous travelling support which, contrary to reports on Friday, we were extremely pleased with but more on that later.
Congratulations also go to John Robertson and Mark Brown for their wonderful achievement in winning the 1st Division Manager and Player of the month respectively for September, no mean feat, which reflects extremely well on the Club.
As a Board we were rather taken aback by the headlines in Fridays Inverness Courier . To put the record straight on the ticket sales for the Cup Final, at no time did we consider the ticket sale level as a disaster. Given the volume of our home support taking circa 2,900 fans to an away game in Perth on a Sunday is an excellent turn out and we thank all who made the effort.
With regard to the "Caley Thistle bosses to tout tickets etc" we are mindful that we do have a central belt following who may or may not have been able to get tickets from friends/relatives in Inverness and we did notice one or two comments on the website regarding ticket sales at the ground. It was in response to this and only this that we asked permission to sell tickets at the travelling club shop on match day and we certainly had no intention of "touting tickets" as was suggested. Once again this has proven to be non story with a completely over the top and dramatic headline. As an update on the above and given the level of ticket sales on Sunday (circa 200 at the ground) we now feel completely vindicated in our decision to take the tickets to the game. Had we not gone down this route there would have been many disappointed ICTFC fans outside the ground unable to get in, which would have been a disaster for the fans and a major P.R. disaster for us.
Club Shop
We would like to thank the volunteers who organised and managed the Club Shop on Sunday in Perth.
This was an excellent idea put forward by them and gratefully accepted by the Board following consultation with St Johnstone. This sort of assistance and attitude is to be commended and we again thank all who contributed.
The Club Shop has been such a success since it opened some weeks ago that we are now looking into the possibility of making it a permanent feature within the confines of the stadium building for next season.
We have many new lines in stock catering for all age groups and any constructive ideas on stock supplies are very welcome but do remember that when we are ordering items we require to buy 50, 100 and in some cases 200 of each item to make it financially viable and we do have to take this into consideration when orders are placed.
Stadium Development
To spite what has appeared in the press, discussions between the ICTFC Trust, Asda and the Council are still ongoing and we are certain full details will be made available when the timing is right.
Obviously it would be not be possible to get new structures in place prior to the start of next season but it is hoped that our planning application for temporary seating will be submitted shortly
Reserve Team Update - John Docherty
Our connection with the Highland League and the opportunity to play the spare team when injuries etc permit has proven to be an excellent format for our younger players.
It has provided a platform whereby they can now get the opportunity of playing together as a team on a regular basis using our first team formations as a template that allows the boys to slip into the first team as and when required, as they have had the tactical experience at a competitive level. At all the grounds we have visited so far we have experienced a high level of competitive play and their hospitality to the players is to be commended.
The majority of the teams in the league have agreed to play us and as stated previously the opportunity for our players to go through this sharp learning curve can only bring them that step closer to first football team. To date we have played 10 games and won 8 with our latest reversal being at home on Saturday to Keith. The game itself was open and very entertaining for the small crowd that turned up and though we went down 3-1 we competed well and David McRae scored a spectacular goal.
At the end of the day its not the results of these matches that count but the fact we are being afforded the opportunity to get competitive matches for our boys and it also allows us the coaching staff to view the up and coming talent from the Highland League at first hand.
We are very much looking forward to playing Partick Thistle in the under 18 Scottish Cup and we will let you know the date and venue when this has been confirmed and it will give you the chance to come along and see how the young boys are progressing.
Within our current under 18 squad we have only 2 players who will be over age for next season, and given that the majority of the players are involved with our reserve set up it is a young but experienced side we will be fielding and it does augur well for next season as we will be able to put together a similar formation as this year.
Commercial
We are currently reviewing all our hospitality packages etc for next season and will get details out into the public domain as soon as possible. Sales of our end of season raffle are going well and it looks like it could be our best sales ever.
We held a very successful boxing night in conjunction with Inverness Boxing Club at the Ramada Jarvis Inverness. An excellent meal was provided by the Hotel and all the boxing bouts were of an excellent standard, thanks go to all the sponsors for the evening and all the volunteers who came along to assist with special thanks to Kayleigh our ring girl for the evening - she was very brave.
We are currently looking into arranging a night for the ladies, something we feel is long overdue. It will be along the lines of the previous functions with a change of venue and activities for the evening.
It is hoped to have a dinner followed by a speaker and a fashion show and we are currently putting together a team of interested female volunteers to assist in this project.
2003 AGM
We are looking forward to the Clubs AGM on Wednesday 29th October at the Stadium when we will be announcing a trading profit at the Club of £129K which leaves us in a good financial position as we move forward having taken care of circa £150K of long term outstanding debt within the season as well.
In conclusion we once again thank you for your support at Perth on Sunday and are hoping for a good turn out on Saturday for our home game against Falkirk.
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