Emotions were running high as Caley Thistle fans turned out in force to voice their strong opposition to the club moving their training base to Fife.
In a meeting brought forward at the request of its members, ICTFC Supporters’ Trust hosted a highly-charged gathering at the city’s Caley Thistle Social Club.
No one from the ICT board attended the meeting.
As expected, the venue was packed, with the club – just relegated to League One – under fire following Friday’s shock decision to relocate their training base to the home of Kelty Hearts, also of League One.
It’s estimated between 150-175 people were in attendance at the meeting.
By the end of the near two-hour meeting, the overwhelming call was for a show of support for the club to consider administration as an option and for fans to protest against the move to Fife.
Club legend and former manager Charlie Christie was among the audience and, as the head of youth development, he couldn’t add much to the debate, but said the fact he was there spoke volumes.
ICT asked to reverse Kelty decision
Starting off, trust spokesman George Moodie pointed out the club statement on the move mentioned the club was “delighted” to announce this development.
The trust, he said, asked the club to reverse their decision and keep the training operations in Inverness.
He said the leadership team were betting big to recoup losses after chasing the battery farm storage dream.
That project, which is hoped to bring in more than £3million for ICT, was rejected by Highland Council and is at the Scottish Government appeal stage.
Club want £75k from trust annually for a place in the boardroom
Views from the floor dominated the club’s chase for money, citing that as the drive towards the Kelty project.
There was also strong feeling that chief executive Scot Gardiner has to go as the main starting point for the club to move forward.
Fife was not the only topic on the agenda.
Using a model of Morton’s fan ownership, the club is asking the trust to contribute £75,000 per annum to secure a place on the board.
Moodie said the club should have been inviting the trust on for free. He says they are “so disconnected” with the fans and have priced them out of it.
The trust has withdrawn its request for a place on the board and the Kelty project must be scrapped for any chance to reignite it, he explained.
Backing for protests gains support
Although the trust won’t endorse a ticket sales boycott, it could support a protest against the club’s board, something a large section of the room said must happen within 48 hours.
Moodie said: “Many of you have stated you won’t be buying season tickets. We won’t endorse any club boycott, it’s an individual choice.
“Let the trust know if you’re not buying a ticket and contribute towards the trust. We will not be held to ransom by the club.”
There were also questions on why boss Duncan Ferguson looks like being allowed to continue despite the relegation.
Earlier this year, the trust launched their Stronger Together initiative, which asks fans to donate to a fund with a view to investing in Caley Thistle and increasing their shareholding in the club.