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Boardroom Banter - Sept 2003

Teaser Paragraph:
Welcome to this Issue of Boardroom Banter. The Club's attempt to keep you, the fans, informed about what is going on at Caledonian Stadium.
MONTHLY OPEN LETTER TO FANS Issue 12 - September 2003
Since our last posting we have experienced both the highs and lows of football as you oft times do.
We were defeated by Queens Park in the CIS Cup, reached the final of the Bells Cup and are currently sitting joint top in the First Division on points
Whilst we were all disappointed with the performance against Queens Park we can assure you that nobody took the defeat more to heart than our players and management team.
Our early exit from this Cup is a financial blow to the Club but must be kept in perspective. There are many positive things taking place within the Club at present and we must learn to accept that we will get some negatives and reversals as we move forward.
We should not loose sight of the fact that in footballing terms we are still in our infancy, though we have, in our short history, set very high standards and are now there to be shot at by the Clubs in the lower divisions that we have passed by during our rise through the Divisions.
Club Shop
We have been delighted with the use being made of the Club Shop and are currently awaiting delivery of many more stock items which we hope will be onsite for the home game against St Mirren.
If there are items that we do not stock that you would like to see on offer please let the operators in the shop know and we will endeavour to supply them.
As you will have noticed in the local press we took some criticism for what was a minor oversight re the planning issue. This has now been dealt with and planning had been applied for prior to the “mischief making story” in the press.
We thank you for your support in this matter as the vast majority of comments on the website and our supporters in general were very positive.
Youth and Community
Since Danny MacDonald rejoined the team some 10 weeks ago our progress on this front has been excellent and we will ask Danny to appraise the Supporters of where we are and our ultimate goals next month as we await the outcome of some very important funding issues in the coming weeks.
The ICT Youth and Community Golf Day was held a Culcabock Golf Club on 5th September and was an excellent day all round.
The cash raised on the day was way beyond what was expected and will be put to very good use by Danny and his team.
We thank all the organising committee for their endeavours on behalf of the Club.
During the month we have also seen the strengthening of Danny’s team with Miss Fiona MacWilliam joining the Club from our near neighbours in Dingwall and we welcome her on board. We are sure she will be a great asset to the Club as we drive our Youth and Community Programme forward.
Points from the Website
The team photo and individual photos will be passed to Scott as soon as they are available, hopefully within the next week.
10 Things to Do - MessageBoard Thread
We found this to be a very interesting posting and worthy of comment numbering is as per ICTChris's posting.
Build a new stand opposite the main stand, with a family section. Comment - Not beyond the realms of possibility if the Club were to stay at our present location. Discussions on this subject are still ongoing even though they are not in the public domain. Rebuild the terracing behind the goals to make it steeper and right up against the pitch, with proper crush barriers. Comment - Any rebuilding of the terracing unfortunately would take a lot of money and whilst we may wish to do so it is not feasible at present. Buy a city centre premises to double up as a pub/club and shop. Comment - The city centre pub/club/shop was looked into some years ago and a business plan drawn up but unfortunately at that time the funding was not available. On this theme we would point out that we do have a pub/club – the ICT Social Club albeit not in the City Centre but this could be one to revisit if the correct location and premises came on the market and funding were to become available but this is the ICT Social Club a point perhaps overlooked by some, and should be treated as such. Launch a brand new range of quality merchandise sold at reasonable prices and bought in quantities which ensure we dont' run out constantly. Comment - New merchandise as stated previously is now in hand. Employ stewards who actually know how to clear a car park (and abolish the car parking charge). Comment - The car parking situation at the ground is currently under review as are many other things. With regard to the charges we feel that £1 is not extortionate and is certainly a lot cheaper than many other grounds we could mention. Ensure that ICT employ qualified youth coaches under the supervision of Danny MacDonald to coach youngsters and utilise the Highland Youth Academy (which is ours as well as County's). Comment - We do have a pool of extremely well qualified coaches under Danny’s guidance and look to add to this in the future. Establish an U-18 team in the best league available. Comment - Our reserve team in essence is our under 19 team plus 1st team fringe players or players coming back from injury but the majority are under 18 (see JR comments below). Guarantee John Robertson money for players wages and transfers within a set and understood boundary. Comment - This is exactly what is in place and both the Management Team and the Board are happy with the situation. Set up a link between ourselves and a European club (probably a Scandanavian club, given the climate) to exchange ideas, coaches and young players. Comment - Due to Danny’s contacts with coaches worldwide this suggestion, again, is within reach as we are currently investigating links with teams in Europe, America and Canada (this will no doubt please Scott). Change the strip to red and blue stripes. Comment - We are currently in discussion with Errea re a new home strip for next season. Points 11 to 16 on the next posting would possibly be on our wish list if we had the funding available, unfortunately we do not.   Tarmac the car park Set up loads of free busses running from Smithton/Culloden/Holm Mills/ kimylies/etc. all running to the stadium for the match Make some TV ads. Rebuild the main stand so the top corners have seating, and lower the roof Rebuild the bridge end, making it much larger, and so it has it's own turnstiles and serveries Stick up some electronic scoreboards In conclusion we thank you for your continued support and look forward to an exciting day on October 26th and hopefully another history making day for ICTFC.
The Board
Guest
By Guest in Boardroom Banter ·

Boardroom Banter - Aug 2003

Teaser Paragraph:
Welcome to this Issue of Boardroom Banter. The Club's attempt to keep you, the fans, informed about what is going on at Caledonian Stadium.
MONTHLY OPEN LETTER TO FANS Issue 11 - August 2003
As stated in the previous issue we have been concentrating our efforts during the close season on our commercial activities in an attempt to raise funds for our Youth and Community Development Programme and also in celebration of our 10th year.
Our inaugural dinner at the Lochardil Hotel on the 25th was an excellent evening enjoyed by all in attendance and culminated in raising circa £8.5k which is much appreciated by everyone at the club and we thank all those who contributed to the success of this event.
Our next event a Golf Day will be on the 5th of September at Culcabock Golf Club Inverness and this event is already sold out and looks like being a tremendous success also.
Youth and Community
The new funds raised at the above events will be used, we hope, to attract matched funding from other Public Sector Bodies to enable us, with the excellent assistance of Danny Macdonald, to raise the Clubs profile in the Inverness and surrounding areas amongst our younger potential supporters and of course future players.
We have already held a very successful Summer Hotshots which was attended by circa 200 children of varying ages, everyday for 4 days. We have also held an open night at the stadium for all our youth and childrens teams which was attended by over 140 parents, very encouraging indeed.
Our Youth and Community programme is very much to the fore at the Club now and we look forward in a few years time to seeing the fruit of our Management Teams labours come to bear with the next batch of Tokelys and Munros and Golabeks coming through our system.
Commercial
Hopefully at Tuesdays home game you will see the opening of the new Club Shop at the front of the Stadium, if not it will certainly be up and running by our next home game.
The shop will sell all the merchandise that is currently available through The Courier.
Our season ticket sales are at this stage slightly ahead of last season but we are still hopeful of a late rush when we get into a run of home games.
New Signings
To spite what has appeared on Teletext, in the Press and on some occasions the website – we have not just loosened the purse strings – John Robertson requested a meeting with the Board on Monday 28th of July to discuss his ideas and thoughts on who he wishes to bring to the club and on the evening of the 28th was informed that funds would be made available. We trust this now clears this matter up and we can assure you as we have John that if the right players at the right price come available then offers will be made.
Being realistic we are not going to get every player we want when we want them as sometimes other Clubs will be, or may think they are, in a better position to outbid any deal that we can realistically put on the table.
Both the board and the management team are in agreement that we will not go down to the “Boom and Bust” road as we are all in it for the long term and we intend to continue with this prudent approach.
Having been in the position of a massive debt situation previously with all the crippling bank costs that go with it we have no intention of reverting to a position where we try to live above our means. We have been to the edge of the precipice before and have no intention of returning to it. We trust that our shareholders and fans alike will back us on this matter as it is the long term survival of the club that is utmost in our thoughts and actions.
Points from the Website
There have been one or two comments this month on the Website that are worthy of mention.
Tulloch Investment of £500k.
The money invested, £480k in shares and a £20k loan was to ensure the long term viability of the club. The money has not gone to the Trust but to the Club The money is not for stadium development as we the Club no longer own the stadium but have a long term lease from the Trust Any future stadium development will be carried out by the Trust in liaison with the club and any suggestions of impropriety on behalf of the Board or the Trust with regard to any tender awards for the work, should it be required, are scurrilous. In future if comments like this are to be made they should be backed up by fact. As stated previously the money from Tullochs has been invested in the Club and apart from the £20k is not recoverable no more than any other investors cash would be recoverable unless the shares were to be sold or the Company as a whole purchased. It is pleasing to note that the majority of posts on this subject did have the correct version of events. We trust this now clears this matter up once and for all. But for the avoidance of doubt both the Club and the Board owe a great deal to this cash injection - SURVIVAL IN OUR PRESENT FORM. comments on the earnings of certain players.
We have a pay structure in place that has been in place since Steve Paterson was manager and this has not and will not be breached. In conclusion though it was disappointing to lose to Ross County on Tuesday night in the Inverness Cup it was an excellent performance by the young boys given that our opponents had a fair number of last seasons automatic first team picks on display and this again bodes well for the future of the club and is a testament to our excellent youth policies both past and present.
We are looking forward to our trip to Perth today,hopeful of a good result and to our next two games against Ross County where a good turnout from our support would be much appreciated.
Guest
By Guest in Boardroom Banter ·

Boardroom Banter - Jul 2003

Teaser Paragraph:
Welcome to this Issue of Boardroom Banter. The Club's attempt to keep you, the fans, informed about what is going on at Caledonian Stadium.
MONTHLY OPEN LETTER TO FANS Issue 10 - July 2003
During the close season we have been concentrating our efforts on the commercial activities at the Club and as stated previously have put together a team of volunteers to assist in the celebrations for our 10th year.
25th July Opening dinner at the Lochardil Hotel (a few seats still available – contact Debbie if you wish to attend)
17th October Boxing night and dinner at Ramada Jarvis (Caledonian Hotel). This will consist of a match between North of Scotland and North of England or Northern Ireland, guest speaker with a boxing background and a 4-course meal with auctions/raffles etc on the night (not on sale yet).
5th September Golf day at Culcabock Golf Club, Inverness (places still available).
End of season gala dinner venue to be decided – this event we envisage being a celebration of the 10 years and we hope to have the team of the decade in attendance (details of voting will be announced soon).
There will of course be other activities and it is hoped that we can put on some events for the younger members of our support as this is a celebration for all (anybody with any good ideas please forward them to Debbie and they will be given due consideration).
Apart from the new signings who are all fitting in well we have seen the appointment of Danny MacDonald as our Youth and Community Development Manager.
We as a Board had various discussions with Danny prior to his appointment and were very impressed by his thought process and more so his enthusiasm for the task ahead. We have asked Danny to put his thoughts and visions for the Club and what follows is a brief summary for your information:
Firstly, I would like to register my sincere thanks to the Board for their confidence in my abilities and the opportunity to further my career and ambitions for the Club.
I am absolutely delighted to have been asked back to the club and I am relishing the new challenge ahead.
Below are some of my aims and objectives for the future of the club:
Attempt to improve the provision of facilities for all ages and skill levels in the community.
Instigate new partnerships with appropriate organisations that will work jointly to help the Club enhance, develop and raise the profile and working contribution within the community.
Find interested business partners, associations, local authorities, local councils, local enterprise companies and potential interested sponsors who will aid the department to operate to its fullest potential.
By hopefully generating enthusiasm and a willingness to meet, discuss, plan and deliver valid projects that will benefit all involved, it is hoped we can access valuable and essential financial contributions which will allow the department to operate at a higher level than first thought.
It is hoped that all interested parties within the immediate and local surroundings initially will be actively involved with the Club. This means the intention to strive and to deliver practical coaching sessions, presentations, lectures, provision and access to further education, dealings with social issues, opportunities to progress within a professional sporting environment, ability to utilise the Club’s facilities to the maximum and basically have Inverness Caledonian Thistle “IN THE PUBLIC EYE!” for all the right reasons. By doing this I feel we can maximise our profile, awareness and generally “market our Club brand” on the back of the fantastic first team successes we have seen to date. It is hoped we can achieve this initially by being involved in numerous and various projects being delivered to all, in an equal opportunity philosophy like school visits, after school activities, holiday courses, festivals, road shows, soccer centres, development centres, stadium tours and coach education, the list is genuinely endless.
We must become the leaders and pioneers once again throughout the North of Scotland and beyond, it is possible believe me!
This is one aspect of the Club Community Development that I am currently addressing; this need has been identified and prioritised by the Board.
Every meeting that I have attended with external bodies has resulted in being nothing short of extremely supportive with great excitement and a feeling of needing to be guided by the Club, a challenge we are very much looking forward to.
I want ICT to work with the best, in the best facilities, producing the best and for it still to be done in a civil and family manner, open and accessible to all interested parties of all ages and physical abilities.
I am now fully committed to my new role and would like to thank the board and the supporters for their welcome and support.
Danny MacDonald.
As you can see from the above we have a very vibrant and enthusiastic young man on board – welcome home Danny.
We continue to pursue the possibility of a beer tent and having contacted the licensing authority it would appear that we are okay with regard to a drinks licence and we continue to look into the planning issues.
Season ticket sales are also progressing well with some 50 new buyers compared to last years figures but we still have a bit to go to match the previous uptake.
On the transfer front there have been no new signings other than those previously mentioned in the local press and it is very pleasing to note the ease with which the new boys have fitted in at the Club.
As mentioned sometime ago we will try and arrange a chat night with the Management Team prior to the start of the season or as early as possible.
As the new season approaches we look forward to a new era at the Club.
Guest
By Guest in Boardroom Banter ·

Boardroom Banter - Jun 2003

Teaser Paragraph:
Welcome to this Issue of Boardroom Banter. The Club's attempt to keep you, the fans, informed about what is going on at Caledonian Stadium.
MONTHLY OPEN LETTER TO FANS Issue 9 - June 2003
Having just completed a most memorable season it is now time to move on and concentrate on the task ahead.
We were delighted to secure a new sponsor Inverness Medical and look forward to a long and successful relationship for both parties.
Obviously as a Board we were disappointed to loose both Barry Robson and Dennis Wyness but unfortunately it is a fact of football life that clubs of our size and location will continue to attract interest from teams in the SPL. It is testament to our success last season that our players did put themselves in the shop window and we wish not only Barry and Dennis well in their new careers but also the players that were released at the end of the season as they have all played their part in the short history of the Club.
With the Management Team away on a short break at present things have been reasonably quiet on the transfer/replacement front but, as mentioned through Scott last month, we are looking at 2 more SPL players plus 2 younger fringe players to compliment the signing of David Bingham who we are sure will be a great asset to the Club as we move forward.
The majority of the time at present has been spent investigating our commercial activities and ensuring that we attract as many new customers and fans to the Stadium next season.
To assist in this we have set up a sub-committee of willing volunteers to look at a varied list of celebratory events during Season 03/04 which is our ninth season and it will be 10 years on the 12th of January since I.C.T. were accepted into the League which is a milestone worthy of note.
Both the Sub-Committe and the Board have agreed that the events when formalised, as well as being a celebration will be used to generate a cash pool which we see being utilised to raise the profile of the Club in the community through certain initiatives that have been tabled by both the Committee Members and the Board. In essence the majority of cash raised will be used for “good causes” in Inverness and the surrounding areas but focussing very much on youth and the disabled where possible.
If the events prove to be the success we envisage they will be repeated on a yearly basis.
Following our initial enthusiasm regarding the possibility of a beer tent for next season we have found that we may well have a problem with the licensing and planning authorities though we have had a positive response from the Northern Constabulary. We do however intend to continue at present with an initiative that we think would be an asset to the supporters and Club alike but no final decision either way on the provision of this facility has been taken as yet.
Season ticket, sponsors boards and the hospitality packages are now on sale and are all going well which is very pleasing.
We now await the return of the Management Team from their short break whereupon they will sit down with our Director of Football to discuss their proposals and budgets for next season.
The Board.
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Boardroom Banter - May 2003

Teaser Paragraph:
Welcome to this Issue of Boardroom Banter. The Club's attempt to keep you, the fans, informed about what is going on at Caledonian Stadium.
MONTHLY OPEN LETTER TO FANS Issue 8 - May 2003
The Board take this opportunity to thank all the fans who attended the Scottish Cup Semi Final Game with Dundee. We had an excellent turnout of circa 6,500 fans and apart from one complaint about somebody miscalling one of the Dundee Players the day passed without incident, a testament to our excellent support.
The result against Dundee was unfortunate but we are not downhearted by any means as our most successful season both on and off the park draws to a close. The icing on the cake would obviously have been a Cup Final appearance and the opportunity to play in Europe next season but we are certain these opportunities will arise again.
The cup run this season has come as an unexpected financial bonus to the club and as mentioned last month will go a long way to assist in balancing our accounts for this season.
At the start of the season our annual budget showed a predicted deficit for the season of circa £90k and as in any business certain areas are underspent and certain areas overspent but all things considered, when the annual accounts are produced for season 2002/2003 it will undoubtedly prove to be the best financial performance in the clubs short history.
Unfortunately all the highs of the season are soon forgotten as we sit down to set our budgets for season 2003/2004. We are certain no explanation is required to set out the financial burdens in football throughout the U.K. as we see clubs going into administration and it is out task to ensure that we keep a tight rein on our expenditure curve as we move forward.
It is common knowledge that we are now likely to loose 2 or 3 of our 1st team pool for next season with Dennis going to Hearts and Dundee United/Aberdeen chasing Barry but as we go to print no firm offers have been made on any other players. This is not to say that we will not be approached in the future when the premier season finishes and other managers sit down to look at their formations for next season.
Unfortunately we can do nothing about the approaches and speculation surrounding our players as this is one of the down sides of success as our players are in the "shop window" more often and on a bigger stage than some of our competitors in the 1st division.
It will be interesting to see who moves on from Falkirk, Clyde and St. Johnstone a situation both John and Donald will be monitoring closely as they also sit down with our Director of Football to draw up a strategy for next season and finalise their prospective pool of players for the task ahead. As mentioned last month stewarding for "big games" was discussed and in future far greater thought will be put into segregation of fans for these games.
We can confirm that a new shirt sponsor has been agreed for next season, which is excellent news as we move forward. It is proposed to have a press release in conjunction with our sponsors in the very near future.
It has been noted from the website that the following areas have been causing some concern.
(A) Children's season ticket holder's compensation
We are aware that this situation has been addressed with a very successful evening at Roller Bowl with Debby, Emily, John and some of the playing staff. We trust everybody enjoyed their evening and we apologise for the delay but with cup runs etc things have been rather hectic and we thank you for your patience in this matter.
(B) Stadium Development
Though press speculation etc appears to have dropped off we can assure you that the trust are continuing dialogue with all parties involved to move things along. When things go quiet it should not be automatically assumed that they are not progressing as often the converse in the case.
© Close Season
It is the intention to continue with the reports for the web during the close season. As we do anticipate a rather active couple of months.
(D) The March
Congratulations to all the participants who took part on the charity walk to Falkirk for the Moray Firth Charity Trust, a most worthy cause.
(E) Commercial
Season tickets - prices frozen,£10 discount if purchased by end of June on sale on or around 10th June.
Proposed family area - family season ticket available for 2 adults and 2 children for £30 per game.
Hospitality packages - details on these will be available next month but it is proposed that we have a three tier system for sales.
A. Package - £80 3 course meal (big games) B. Package - £70 3 course meal C. Package - £49 Hot buffet
Beer tent - we are currently looking at the viability of this option for next season.
The Directors met with Lex Gold and Ian Blair from the S.P.L. on Monday, 12th May to discuss amongst other issues Stadium criteria but we are unable to communicate any good news on this front as it would appear to be the status quo that will prevail unless there are any Governmental changes instituted post the formation of the new Parliament when it is proposed that Stadium Safety criteria will be reviewed,one of the key areas regarding the 10,000 seat rule.
Finally we wish to say a big thank you to all the players, management team, stadium staff and most importantly you the fans for your support and we are already looking forward to next season.
The Board.
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By Guest in Boardroom Banter ·

Boardroom Banter - Apr 2003

Teaser Paragraph:
Welcome to this Issue of Boardroom Banter. The Club's attempt to keep you, the fans, informed about what is going on at Caledonian Stadium.
MONTHLY OPEN LETTER TO FANS Issue 7 - April 2003
Firstly we would like to thank all the fans who turned up for the historic match against Celtic. The result was way beyond our wildest dreams and the revenue from this game and the Semi Final goes a long way to ensuring that the ship has been well and truly steadied in terms of the Clubs financial stability.
It was noted from the website that there were some complaints re the abuse, encountered by some of our fans by a mindless minority whilst crossing the away car parking area. We as a Club do not condone this despicable behaviour and can only apologise to those concerned and hope that it did not detract too much from what was a wonderful occasion for both the fans and the Club.
With regards to the stewarding which was also the subject of some complaints on the website, your comments have been noted and will be brought to the attention of our Security Officer prior to next months Board Meeting and we will update you at that time on our conclusions.
Can we ask that in future you address your complaints in writing to the Chairman and or the Board as it is not always guaranteed that we will pick them up of the website.
One further point on the website it is hoped that we can arrange to get Scott to hold a discussion with John Robertson/Donald Park prior to the Semi Final at Hampden to give you an insight to what they are about and their visions for the future of the Club.
As mentioned previously we are extremely grateful for the income received for both the Quarter Final and Semi Final of the Scottish Cup and this added to what is looking like our most successful ever year commercially has put us in a reasonable position financially for this season.
We will be endeavouring to hold onto our key Players where possible at the end of the season but as we have stated on many occasions we have been entrusted to look after the long-term future of the club and as such must ensure that any deals that are done do not adversely effect this position.
We do not foresee any movement on this front until the transfer window opens again but can confirm that John and Donald have been in talks with our Players and are continually assessing the situation for both this season and next season.
Unfortunately our attendance numbers dropped again last Saturday against Q.O.S. but hope that they pick up again for our last two home games of the season against Clyde and St. Johnstone both very important games for us as we strive to achieve our highest ever league position since the clubs formation.
We can confirm that the shirt sponsor for next season has still not been decided. Sharp have yet to come back to us following a meeting some weeks ago to confirm their continuation of the existing deal. But in the interim we have been holding discussions with other prospective sponsors.
We as a Board would like to publicly thank all the volunteers who assisted in the organisation of the Celtic game both in the run up to, during and after the match. Without their help it would have made our task even more difficult. One off events of the size and complexity of the Celtic game are never easy to organise or police and we are grateful for the patience shown by our regular fan base whilst we catered for what was our largest crowd ever at the Stadium. Apart from the one or two incidents touched on earlier and the fact that there were only 4 arrests, all drink related offences, we feel that the evening can be viewed as a great success both on and off the park and we look forward to seeing you all at Hampden on the evening of the 20th when we hope to witness an even more historic event.
Details of ticket sales for the Semi Final are as follows:-
Fri 11th April : Season ticket holders, shareholders, centenary club members and supporters clubs 10am – 8pm.
Sat 12th April onwards : Sales to General Public during office hours.
There is a possibility that the Stadium will be open on Sunday, 13th April but this will be confirmed in the local press on Friday.
The Board.
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Boardroom Banter - Mar 2003

Teaser Paragraph:
Welcome to this Issue of Boardroom Banter. The Club's attempt to keep you, the fans, informed about what is going on at Caledonian Stadium.
MONTHLY OPEN LETTER TO FANS Issue 6 - March 2003
Firstly let us apologise for what will be a rather brief report this month as the majority of Fridays meeting was taken up with the preparation for and organisation for the impending visit from Celtic.
We thank Scott MacKenzie for attending our meeting on Friday which we hope was very informative for both parties.
It was very interesting for those on the Board who are not regular Internet users to get the chance to hear first hand how the Caley Thistle site operates and to hear how popular a forum it is with our fans.
We trust, having read some of the comments on the website following Scott’s posting that you also found the input from the Board to his question and answer session worthwhile and we are sure you will be looking forward to the sessions to be set up with our Management Team which will give you the opportunity to put forward your own questions direct to them.
On the football front we are pleased that after the blip against our neighbours Ross County, a result that was seriously disappointing to all concerned and hurt both the Players and Management Team as much as the Fans, we are at present back on track.
Being realistic, we did expect a dip in form at sometime as we all know you cannot have a change of Management at any football club and not at some time experience some form of backlash and loss of form.
We as a Board, and we know the playing staff echo our sentiments think that both John and Donald had a difficult task from day one and they have equipped themselves well with changes to the training regimes, team formations, youth development and community involvement.
Obviously youth development for any club is a must in the present financial climate and they have come up with some very interesting ideas to protect the future career prospects of our younger fringe players should they fail to make the grade as full time football players. We will expand on these ideas at a later date as they are put into practice.
Moving on to the stadium criteria situation, various approaches have been made to the SPL both by the club and shareholders alike but to date we see no evidence of change in the short term.
We will be writing to the SPL prior to 31st March deadline outlining our proposals re temporary seating in the event we were to win the 1st Division, a situation we have certainly not given up hope of achieving and will not until it is mathematically impossible to do so.
Without wishing to pre-empt the outcome, we are taking a realistic view on the situation and await their reply with slight trepidation. Our main priority as a Board is to ensure the continued financial stability of the Club whilst maintaining a high level of entertainment on the park for you the fans. To this end we cannot be drawn into a situation that could possibly see us spending upwards of £200K to achieve SPL acceptance via the temporary seating route only to find that we failed to end the season in No 1 position in the League. There is also the added confusion over whether or not the criteria may change regarding under soil heating a situation we trust will be clarified post the SPLs receipt of our application.
We will keep you a breast of the above developments as they unfold.
As stated last month the Stadium re development/relocation continues to tick along in the background.
On the subject of our financial stability we know that we have been extremely lucky this season to have drawn Celtic in two cup competitions, a situation we are sure is the envy of many clubs in our Division.
In conclusion we wish the team continuing success in the League and look forward with great expectation to the 23rd, which we are sure will be a historic day for the club, players and fans alike and know the team will receive tremendous support from all quarters.
The Board.
Guest
By Guest in Boardroom Banter ·

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