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    Boardroom Banter - Issue 04

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    banter.jpg {xtypo_dropcap}W{/xtypo_dropcap}elcome to the April 2009 issue of Boardroom Banter, the monthly* report direct from club officials to you the fans. In this month's issue we have some follow up to questions that arose from previous issues as well as answers to some new questions posed by fans for this issue.

    As we move to the latter stages of the season, we encourage fans to keep the questions coming. There have been a lot of great questions asked in the first four issues and we hope the next four (and beyond) will keep this momentum going. 

    *Before going any further, we would like to apologise that the 'monthly' report did not actually appear last month. This was due to a 'perfect storm' of bad timing all round. Submission to the club from CTO (Scotty) was slightly late and then key personnel at the club involved with providing the answers to the questions were not available as it has been a busy time with SPL meetings etc. Added to that, the club representative who collates all the information (Kenny) was then off to the USA for Big Les' stag-do and you can see that pinning it down was not easy. We will endeavour to avoid these 'storms' in the future !!!!

    {slide=Item 01: Follow up from previous issues}

    {tab=5% Levy} birdog: In issue 2 the club gave the quoted reply to a question concerning the 5% levy by the OF on the tickets they sell to their fans.

    QUOTE: “The reasoning behind the acceptance of the 5% levy was fully explained on the evening of the AGM. For those that were not in attendance the explanation is as follows. We as a Club could sell the away end tickets at no surcharge but in doing so accept full responsibility for the behavior and actions of the travelling support. For the Old Firm matches this is something that we as a Club are not willing to do and whilst we do not agree with the implementation of a surcharge and have made our protestations on this at the highest level it is something that we unfortunately must accept as the risks of doing otherwise are not acceptable to us as a Club. We are not a lone voice on this subject as many of the other SPL Clubs objected strongly to it but as we stated the consequences of not accepting it far out way the benefits. Should this % levy continue to be imposed in the future then we will review our position as and when it is discussed.”

    Could the club clarify if they passed the minimum amount of 5% of ground capacity to an OF club for them to sell, would the OF club be responsible for all of their fans in the stadium?

    If so could ICT then sell the balance of the South stand tickets via the stadium or online retailers thereby removing some income from a rival club and keeping it in the ICT account whilst retaining the benefit of the away team being responsible for the behaviour of their support.

    Club Response: We have covered this issue previously and fully explained the reasoning behind our reluctant support for the 5% levy. However to clarify this point there is not a 5% ground capacity minimum and responsibility for fans at SPL games is fully explained on the Club Website----go to “Club”, “Codes of Practice” + “SPL Rules”.

    {tab=Club Shop} ajsict92: Does the club have any plans to get a bigger club shop? Possibly in the town.

    Club Response: Following our very brief connection with the Zoo outlet in the Eastgate Centre it is not our intention at this time to open up a larger shop in the City Centre but we are looking at relocation of the existing unit to within the confines of the Stadium and having a complete revamp of the retail unit as it exists. Regarding this initiative we are currently in discussion with the Supporters Trust re some form of joint fundraising to assist with this project.

    {tab=Strips}Renegade: ICT have said that they favour a predominantly white away shirt for next season. Why?

    Club Response: Again as we have stated previously we ask everybody involved on the Footballing and Commercial side of the Club what their preferences are and they have stated that wanted to go down the route of a predominately white strip.

    {tab=Link Ups}Kirishima: Nowadays, many clubs have affiliated teams. (similar to cities being twinned) Is ICT interested in doing this, for example in the Far East, or N.America etc to maximise marketing potential? (Manchester City are affiliated with Shanghai Shenuha for example)

    Renegade: In the previous issue, it was said that the ICT/Sheffield United link still exists, what kind of things go on between the two clubs?

    Club Response: As we have mentioned previously we do still have close contacts with Sheffield Utd. Our ex Chairman and Major Shareholder (David Sutherland) is a personal friend of the Sheffield Utd Chairman and the opportunity for our Managers to utilize this contact is still in existence if and when it is required. We have no affiliation with any Clubs outside the UK but it is something both the Manager and Director of Football will look into. We do have contacts through our Youth and Community department with teams in Australia and it is hoped that we will soon be having some young Australian players over on trial at Youth level.

    {/tabs}{/slide}

    {slide=Item 02: Broadcasting}Comment/question from Supporters: Renegade: In an earlier edition of BB, the club said that broadcasting of the live game, highlights etc was not financially possible at this point. Well I had a look at all the official sites of every SPL team and it seems that the most offer some sort of highlights/live commentary package of some kind. The typical bigger teams (Old Firm, Aberdeen, Hearts etc.) offer a package but the most impressive package came from Falkirk. They offer live commentary, highlights and even live video coverage of every home SPL game for overseas supporters. I couldn’t believe the last bit when I saw it. The Falkirk package (for overseas fans) was £4.99 a month or £53.99 a year and I'm guessing that the financial income for ICT and Falkirk is fairly similar. Most of the other club's packages were roughly the same price. Would ICT consider setting this up, even for a fee of around that price? I for one would be willing to pay. If this is not possible, and as ICT hold the rights to all their games (I believe), could they offer highlights through something like an official ICTFC YouTube page? Even something small like every goal would be very good.

    Club Response: We will look at this again and if we can find some way of providing this type of service and it was to prove financially beneficial as well as providing a service to our fan base then we would consider it.{/slide}

    {slide=Item 03: FlyBe}Comment/question from Supporters: Dewsburydude: A new query. Is there anything the board can do to influence the sponsors Flybe, to make the flights to and from Inverness on match day/day after at more fan friendly times. I have been looking at taking myself and family up to some home games but it would mean an overnight stay, and more expense. The flight from Manchester leaving at 08:55 is fine but there is nothing back until 17.05 on Sunday evening meaning not getting home until after 11pm. Bit late for kids going to school next day. I am sure that many more fans from down here in England would make the effort to travel up to games if there was a return flight on Saturday evening. I would definitely attend more games, myself and with family, at TCS rather than only going to away games. Don’t suppose there could be a discounted admission price for fans that fly to games by Flybe?

    Club Response: Unfortunately we cannot influence the flying schedules of our sponsor Flybe, as much as we would like to make travel to and from games as easy as possible for our fans based south of the border.{/slide}

    {slide=Item 04: Events}Comment/question from Supporters: Murdock: The Elton John concert showed the potential of the stadium to host non-footballing events. Are there any plans to capitalise on this revenue stream with similar concerts in the off season this year?

    Club Response: We have considered this as a revenue stream for the Club hence the reason we set up our events Team. They have been investigating a similar event to the Elton John Concert and had hoped to have something this year but due to limited timescales and the financial situation, where Concerts and Gigs are being canceled due to lack of ticket sales we decided to park this one up for this year but are actively pursuing an event or events week end for next year if we can attract the correct caliber of artists, which we are positive we can, as we are currently in discussions with various promoters throughout the UK..{/slide}

    {slide=Item 05: Season Tickets}Comment/question from Supporters: Tug: have the club given any consideration to a "loyalty bonus" where by a season ticket holder could get a discount for early renewal or could perhaps get free cup games the following season if they renew?

    Club Response: As soon as we know the future regarding our league status for next season it is our intention to review our ticketing policies and will update date you as soon as possible.{/slide}

    {slide=Item 06: Stadium}Comment/question from Supporters: RossP: Has the club ditched plans to build a gym/bar complex at the back of the North Stand, which was muted a year or so ago? Seemed fairly well thought out and quite far into the planning stage when first mentioned by the club... but nothing since.

    Club Response: With all things at the Club we must balance our expenditure versus the potential income stream from any proposed venture where capital outlay is concerned. Unfortunately this idea will be remaining in the pending tray certainly in the short term as we do not considered it to be a viable proposition in the current financial climate.{/slide}

    {slide=Item 07: The Cup}Comment/question from Supporters: caleyrule: If ICT beat Falkirk in the next round of the cup and get to Hampden for the semis and also the case if we got into the final at hampden would ICT be willing to put on buses for fans to get to Hampden (or even charge a small fee per person to get as many ICT fans to Hampden as possible).

    Club Response: Unfortunately events have overtaken this question.{/slide}

    {slide=Item 08: Miscellaneous}

    {tab=New Manager} Birdog: Terry Butcher would not have been by first choice as a replacement for Craig Brewster. Early indications however, are that the Butcher/Malpas combination will prove to be a very wise choice, and I just wonder how the appointment came to be made. Did TB contact the club, or did the club contact TB? If the club did decide to sound out TB on the managerial vacancy, who's idea was it?"

    Club Response: As you will be aware as a Club we had numerous applications for the Managerial posts and in the end the Board thought the most beneficial appointment was the Terry and Maurice combination.

    {tab=Popescu}Renegade: It has recently come out on CTO that Romanian legend Popescu offered ICT the chance to visit his football academy and potentially sign the best players at it. Why was this offer refused?

    Club Response: When we signed Marius we had various links with numerous sources in Romania some of which were followed up and some were not.

    {/tabs} {/slide}


    There were some other questions submitted within Board Room Banter but as per our agreement with Scotty and Donald we will not be replying to any issues that name individuals nor will we be commenting on any ongoing issues regarding the Marius situation. We look forward to your continued support as we enter a crucial period for the Club. Under the stewardship of Terry and Maurice and with your backing we are positive the players will rise to the occasion as we enter the final stretch of this season.


    Editor's Note: Despite the extended period between this issue of BB and the last one, we once again want to thank Kenny, Graeme and other ICT staff for taking the time to provide these answers. We look forward to the next set of questions as they are sure to be very interesting during this time where our SPL future is very much in the balance.

    Please keep the questions coming, whether they are new questions, or whether they are follow-ups to questions asked in this or previous articles.

    Questions can be submitted on the CaleyThistleOnline Forum at this LINK or via email to the address bb@caleythistleonline.com

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