A fire ripped through Clachnacuddin’s stadium on Christmas Eve causing “catastrophic damage” and throwing Saturday’s home clash with Formartine United into doubt.
The club said it had been “a huge setback” and would require a “major repair and refurbishment project” but promised a swift recovery.
Supporters and members of the local community are understood to have rallied around the club, which will need such support in the coming days.
An electrical fault is understood to have caused the “major and dangerous fire” which burned fiercely and caused extensive smoke damage to the interior of the Mercury House building.
Fortunately, no-one was injured in the blaze, which the club said could have been even more serious had it not been for the swift actions of fire crews.
Officials initially believed there had been a small fire within the building but once on scene were greeted with a fire “of a much more significant scale”.
Chairman Alex Chisholm said he was “absolutely gutted” but was confident all those involved with the club would pull together.
He said: “It is early days at the moment and we have still to fully assess the damage but it is just gutting.
“We have been working so hard to get things to where we want them to be both on and off the pitch and no doubt about it, this will be a setback.”
Mr Chisholm said it appeared the clubs entire kit would have to be replaced = in large part due to smoke damage – while significant repairs would be required to parts of the club’s home.
But he added: “At Clach we are nothing but resilient and there will be no lack of help to put things right.
“The response of the fire service must be celebrated and they have done an excellent job to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading further.
“We do have neighbours who share the building with us so it really is great that they have stopped it from affecting them too.
“Really now it is all about regrouping and getting back to where we want this club to be.”
Four fire crew from Inverness attended the Grant Street stadium at about 9.20am on Christmas Eve.
It took them around an hour to contain and extinguish the blaze.
Local councillor Bet McAllister offered her full support to the club, adding that she was “heartbroken” to learn of the situation.
She said: “I am quite shocked. It is a terrible thing to happen but especially at this time of year.
“I feel for everybody involved and really we are just grateful that nobody was caught up in the building.
“It is encouraging to hear that the community are really rallying around. That is Merkinch for you.
“Everybody will do everything they can to help as they are all great Clachers there.”
Clach are due to face Formartine at home this Saturday before heading on the road for two away fixtures to Deveronvale and Buckie Thistle.
Their next scheduled home match is in mid-January against Fort William with Mr Chisholm is hopeful repairs will have been made by this date to allow normal service to resume.
In a statement, the club said: “We are extremely grateful that nobody was hurt or involved in what could have developed into an extremely dangerous situation.
“The club have been in contact with the SHFL and will continue to keep them updated on what will now become a major repair and refurbishment project.
“The club will now be in contact with the various bodies and organisations who will be involved in this major project.
“This is a huge setback for our club but we will be back on our feet in no time and will continue to ensure that the club continues as a cornerstone of the community and football in Inverness and the Highlands.”