** NEW DATE ** Fans Meeting: Tuesday 28 May ** NEW DATE**

[ICT Supporters Trust]

Given the increasing volume of concerns voiced by fans following today's statement about the club's training facilities being moved to Kelty, coming on top of relegation and other events within the club, the Supporters Trust has brought forward the date of the Fans Meeting, and it will now take place at 7pm on Tuesday 28 May at the Caley Club.

All fans are welcome to attend the meeting, where members of the Supporters Trust Board will lead a discussion on the serious issues facing the club, update on recent activity by the Trust and hear your views on steps the Trust can take at this time.

An image will be added below, which will contain details of the meeting, including QR codes where you can register to attend the meeting (we had a lot of interest in the original date, so it will be very helpful if you can register your interest if you plan to attend), join the Supporters Trust, or make a donation to our Stronger Together initiative.

You can also use this link to join the Trust, and anyone joining now will have their membership apply until the end of July 2025:

https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/join-us

You can use this link to make a subscription or donation to Stronger Together, and we would highlight again that the Trust Board will only use this to purchase shares in the club when it is has sought and received commitments from the club Board:

https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/stronger-together

We hope to see as many of you as possible at the meeting at 7pm on Tuesday 28 May.

[ICT Supporters Trust]

1 hour ago, ICT Supporters Trust said:

Given the increasing volume of concerns voiced by fans following today's statement about the club's training facilities being moved to Kelty, coming on top of relegation and other events within the club, the Supporters Trust has brought forward the date of the Fans Meeting, and it will now take place at 7pm on Tuesday 28 May at the Caley Club.

All fans are welcome to attend the meeting, where members of the Supporters Trust Board will lead a discussion on the serious issues facing the club, update on recent activity by the Trust and hear your views on steps the Trust can take at this time.

An image will be added below, which will contain details of the meeting, including QR codes where you can register to attend the meeting (we had a lot of interest in the original date, so it will be very helpful if you can register your interest if you plan to attend), join the Supporters Trust, or make a donation to our Stronger Together initiative.

You can also use this link to join the Trust, and anyone joining now will have their membership apply until the end of July 2025:

https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/join-us

You can use this link to make a subscription or donation to Stronger Together, and we would highlight again that the Trust Board will only use this to purchase shares in the club when it is has sought and received commitments from the club Board:

https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/stronger-together

We hope to see as many of you as possible at the meeting at 7pm on Tuesday 28 May.

As promised in our earlier message, we have attached the flyer with the QR codes here: please register your interest if you are planning to attend, even if you registered for the previous date of 4 June.

We would also like to welcome the significant number of new members who have joined us this week. We are very grateful for your support, and please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with us.

Edited May 24 by ICT Supporters Trust

[+DoofersDad]

Will the Caley Club be big enough to accommodate all who want to attend?

If not, I believe there is a function room at Kelty FC which could be used. 

[Jodie Carnie]

Is there any chance of a video live steam of the meeting for those who can't attend. Must be something available zoom, Facebook live even.  

[ICT Supporters Trust]

8 minutes ago, Jodie Carnie said:

Is there any chance of a video live steam of the meeting for those who can't attend. Must be something available zoom, Facebook live even.  

We have had requests for this, but given the layout of the room and the time available to get anything in place, we have concluded that it is not a practical option.

We do hope to put a summary of the discussion on our social channels and on CTO following the meeting.

[caley100]

Having Scott Young attending Trust meetings has been very well appreciated, I wonder as a vet he is capable in fixing a wounded animal?

I hope he comes along tomorrow night, He's a good bloke.

[Yngwie]

5 minutes ago, caley100 said:

Having Scott Young attending Trust meetings has been very well appreciated, I wonder as a vet he is capable in fixing a wounded animal?

I hope he comes along tomorrow night, He's a good bloke.

Normally when the patient is suffering this much, there is only one outcome!

[ICT Supporters Trust]

13 minutes ago, caley100 said:

Having Scott Young attending Trust meetings has been very well appreciated, I wonder as a vet he is capable in fixing a wounded animal?

I hope he comes along tomorrow night, He's a good bloke.

We deliberately did not invite members of the Board to attend tomorrow's meeting, as we feel this should be a forum for fans to discuss the position the club is in, rather than for the meeting to be a Q&A with a representative of the Board.

However, the meeting is open to all fans (please register though!), so Scott Young is welcome to attend.

 

[ICT Supporters Trust]

Just a reminder about the Fans Meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) at 7 pm in the Caley Club.

We have had an incredible response to the meeting so if you plan to attend and have not yet registered, please do so using the QR code in the image below, or by clicking on "I'll be there" on this link:

https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/events-1/ictfc-fans-open-meeting-everyone-welcome-5

There is going to be a very big attendance, so you may wish to arrive early particularly if you need to park close to the Caley Club.

Thank you for all the supportive messages we have received over the weekend, and a warm welcome to the many new members who have joined us recently.

If you are not already a member of the Trust (anyone joining now will have their membership apply until the end of July 2025) you can join using this link:

https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/join-us

Use this link to make a subscription or donation to Stronger Together, and we would highlight again that the Trust Board will only use this to purchase shares in the club when it is has sought and received commitments from the club Board:

https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/stronger-together

[CaleyCiuin]

1 hour ago, caley100 said:

Having Scott Young attending Trust meetings has been very well appreciated, I wonder as a vet he is capable in fixing a wounded animal?

I hope he comes along tomorrow night, He's a good bloke.

Will you still think of him as a ‘good bloke’ if he voted for this new training set up in Kelty?? If he opposed it, Tuesday night at the fans meeting would be a good opportunity for him to clarify his position.

Edited May 27 by CaleyCiuin

[davie]

Unfortunately won't be able to get to this meeting, I'll be in Norway. As someone who has contributed to ICTFC over the years as a match reporter here, member of the media team, chairperson of the supporters trust and mascot supervisor on matchdays for zero financial recompense I'd be anxious to record how betrayed I feel by this latest move. Add my voice.

Edited May 27 by davie

[Scotty]

Obviously won't be there, as the only plane available to me lands at Kelty International Airport too late to make the quick 140-mile trip up the A9. 

However, as a member of the trust, I would like to ask if we can put something to the meeting to see if we can formally ask the club to seek the resignation of our CEO. We have no power to demand it from the club, other than the power of the fan (and media and former players) reaction to this newest statement but surely that should be enough. I have heard a lot of stuff over the weekend, and added to the examples from the past, this man's position should be completely untenable. Everything he does is supposed to be for the good and benefit of ICT, and there does not seem to be anything he has ever done that falls into that category. He said this when he came into the club and that goes contrary to everything that is being said now. 

"My priorities are to build a strong support team to generate the income needed to field a side capable of progressing to the Premiership of the SPFL and – parallel to that work – develop a strategy for the club which will give confidence to the local and regional business community as we look to garner their support for what is, after all, their team"

He has failed 100% in that self-proclaimed target. When you fail time after time, (at club after club), then your position is untenable. If the board believe his reign to be acceptable, then they too need a good shake up, which brings me to my next point. 

If rumours are true, there also appears to be a spot on the board available after the resignation of one board member last week. Rather than have a cronie co-opted to that position, can we publicly put it on record that we want (demand) fan representation on the board via the Trust? This has been mentioned before by the trust, but it is really important now, crucial in fact. I only have the minimum shareholding of £250 but you can most certainly have my proxy (as offered before) if this requires a vote at some emergency EGM that must surely follow soon. I am sure many other disgruntled fans would be in the same boat in supporting this and hopefully some of the larger shareholders too? Can we get some momentum rolling for this?   

[ICT Supporters Trust]

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts Scotty.

Those are pertinent items that we expect to be discussing tomorrow evening, and we are looking for the views of fans as to the steps the Trust could be taking following recent events.

[Robert]

The P&J has issued this about the Trust and the Fans Meeting:

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/inverness-caledonian-thistle/6482566/fans-flock-to-join-caley-thistle-supporters-trust-ahead-of-meeting/

[The Mantis]

21 hours ago, ICT Supporters Trust said:

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts Scotty.

Those are pertinent items that we expect to be discussing tomorrow evening, and we are looking for the views of fans as to the steps the Trust could be taking following recent events.

I have supported ICT since the first match at Firs Park on 9/8/94, and Caley for several years before that, and I have been finding the whole affair pretty distressing.

Haven't commented much on the whole thing other than to call out the CEO several times from the off (and latterly, the manager) and can only echo what Scotty says.
Once more I would say that we were well warned about Gardiner by fans of other clubs, notably Dundee, and I have repeatedly said that he has been a toxic presence at those clubs, and that the concert fiasco would be a sacking offence anywhere else. So I would support any formal moves to remove him. 

Won’t be there in person - I suppose it’s too late to request that the meeting be on Zoom as the Trust meetings at the stadium were? I realise that the logistics will be different at the Caley Club for what is expected to be a far more lively meeting.
Although it belongs on another thread, here’s another who, as things stand, won't be renewing. I regard my season ticket as a donation to the club as I rarely come up for home games these days (only 3 times this season). I’m sitting on the fence about the away matches as I would miss the days out, the travel, the pubs, but especially, the loyal people who make #caleyaway such a great experience.  

[tm4tj]

Apologies but I have come down with a nasty bug since Friday and won't be able to attend in person. Unfortunately I cant attribute that to the CEO or Chairman, but if they were both to leave I'm sure I would feel much better.

Register my disgust at how they are treating loyal fans, local businesses, sponsors, youth players, the City of Inverness and the Highlands.

We are now a complete and utter laughing stock.

[Dan Clark]

Fingers crossed tonights meeting goes well.  Morrison and Gardiner have to go especially Gardiner. I think whatever pressure it takes to get rid of Gardiner needs to be placed on the club so they have no choice but to show him the door. How he can pull the wool over the boards eyes for so long is beyond me. 

[WYNESS101]

What happened at the meeting?

[dougiedanger]

1 hour ago, WYNESS101 said:

What happened at the meeting?

[ICTPaisley]

It seems the fans are as slow as the board on releasing information. Someone spill the beans please!

[Jack Waddington]

https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/sport/caley-jags-fans-would-prefer-administration-over-kelty-move-351904/

https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/sport/we-will-get-our-club-back-351905/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

[quizzer]

A rather tense, emotive meeting with some very articulate and considered contributions.

To summarise, the vast majority of the room appeared to strongly favour administration as their preferred outcome by the time the meeting concluded.  I know I know, sounds mad but it seemed the best option to get our club back, and we fully accepted the implications.  

There was some debate/conflict of opinions as to whether the future of the youth academy was secured or not, with someone very close indeed to the club saying they hadn't seen the evidence to back up the claim of it's secure future made by another contributor.

A fair bit of pressure on the ST to come up with an action plan/already have one in place, but I think everyone understood by the end that this wasn't something that they could have put in place - as a small group - already.  

Some really helpful input by a few individuals, and a lot of passion and strong feelings in the room.  No miracle solution, but a massive majority of people in favour of boycott/administration.

[+DoofersDad]

That's a fair summary, Quizzer.

The Trust will put a summary on here in due course but can everyone please bear in mind that the Trust Board are few in number, some are in full time jobs and there are a hell of a lot of things they are doing and will need to be doing during this crisis.  So please be patient.  They are doing a great job on our behalf and a big "Thank You" is due to them all, particularly George Moodie who chaired the meeting so well tonight.  I am sure we will be hearing quite a bit from them in days to come - and that might well include some pleas for help!

The vast majority of the Season Ticket holders in the room indicated that they would not be renewing this year until certain actions are taken.  It is important to note that the Trust is not endorsing a boycott but it is taking the view that this should be a decision for individuals.  Taking this neutral stance is important given the Trust's status as Community Benefit Society.  The Trust's role here is to discuss the implications of any boycott with the club and to impress upon the club that it is the actions of the club which are the cause of the boycott and subsequent loss of revenue.

Edited May 28 by DoofersDad

[Leaky Blinder]

The opening statement set the tone nicely .. "Welcome to the Kelty Club, apologies Caley Club" 

Not exhaustive but some key points from recall 

One key observation from the floor was that the accounts when released on friday should reveal whether the club have effectively been operating whilst insolvent since the last set of accounts. This is highly likely given the situation in financial terms has not been stabilised through throwing dice, aka anticipated income streams. Once the level of debt is established we then move towards the likelihood of administration, shedding certain individuals, contracts etc and only then would current major shareholders step in to re capitalise the club. Another other key point was the withholding of ST money etc is a personal choice and not a recommendation the trust can make, however it has been asked we update the trust if our intention is not to purchase a ST this season to allow them to guage the numbers. The trust update also highlighted that the request for a fan rep on the board had been discussed at the last board meeting and pre requisites included significant funds ( equivalent to 50% of the Morton scheme used as a benchmark although this is an established scheme which I think was calculated out at 75k per annum) should be made available to the club via the Stronger Together initiative before representation could be approved. The trust stated they had therefore withdrawn their request but will grow the fund until an opportune moment presents itself in future. 

A protest march was also proposed ( not the 12 July please as Gardiner would mistake it for something else) 

Finally it is clear the trust are doing their damdest but would welcome any extra pairs of hands  or ears etc  as they are swamped so I'm going to message them tomorrow. We need to step up now as time is of the essence. 

A lot of heat from the floor, literally and metaphorically as we were pretty crammed but it was heartening to see passion and anger on display as it shows a lot of people won't give up without a fight, even if we may not all agree exactly on the way forward. 

 

[IBM]

Thanks for the feedback I was not at the meeting but am firmly behind all that were there and will not be renewing my season ticket.