Boardroom shake-up at Nairn County
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THREE top figures at Nairn County this week announced their plans to resign from the Highland League club at the end of this month.
Chairman Peter Mackintosh and directors of football Peter A Mackintosh and Michael Mackintosh will stand down from their roles and main club sponsor Narden will also end its 20-year association with the Station Parkers.
Outgoing chairman Peter Mackintosh said: “I confess to be immensely proud of what has been achieved in respect of the turnaround in the club’s overall financial fortunes, coupled with the unprecedented level of capital investments to both Station Park and the former social club, now operating leased as the Playhouse Sports Bar and Entertainment Facility within the town centre.
“Such has been the investment undertaken that the club’s properties now have an insured value exceeding £1.5m.
“I would also like to highlight the value of the major infrastructural improvements undertaken at Station Park where now the accommodation provided and the quality of the playing surface are both acknowledged as being amongst the best within Scottish footballing circles.“Another factor we must not overlook is the progress that has been made through the team’s year-on-year overall performance within a highly competitive and challenging Highland Football League.”
The departing chief, who thanked Narden for its backing which amounts to more than £1m over its time as sponsor, praised managers Ronnie Sharp and Les Fridge for their style of play, adding that the 12 years in which Fridge has been in charge has been “acknowledged as the most successful period of the club’s entire 102-year history”.
He added: “I must also pay due deference to the work of Gillian McWilliam for the time and effort devoted by her to manage the Club’s new U20s team in addition to the existing under-15 and under-17 teams.
“Gillian, along and her youth coaches, has achieved through the club’s youth development policy, financial recognition from the SFA for a second year. Incidentally, the club is one of only three in the whole of the Northern area of Scotland to operate under-15s and under-17s teams.”
Mackintosh also thanked the regular unpaid volunteers who help keep Station Park in excellent shape.
He added that a further £200,000 will need to be spent, with a “list of projects which now require to be addressed urgently within a planned timescale to ensure full compliance with the club’s safety certificate without which the club will simply not be able to operate as a football club under the jurisdiction of the SFA.”
Since the shock news was released on Tuesday, Nairn fans have voiced their concern on social media.Their main worries are the short timescale before Narden pulls out of the club, just six weeks before the new season starts.It's understood many supporters fear that player contract issues will not be tackled at a time of when clubs shape their squads for next season.
