Fans demanding greater voice on how Caley Thistle is run
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FANS want a greater voice on how Inverness Caledonian Thistle is run as a supporters group looking for a place on the club board has seen a surge in its membership since being relegated.
The Inverness Caledonian Thistle Supporters Trust (ICTST) reported a 25 per cent rise in its membership since their club were in the play-offs and got relegated to League One.
It says fans have become disillusioned with the way that the club is being run and says it is time for change at the top.
It believes if they have a democratically elected fan represented on the board, supporters can have a greater say in how Inverness Caledonian Thistle is run.
ICTST spokesman George Moodie says they have seen a significant surge in membership since Inverness finished in the relegation play-off zone.
They defeated Montrose 1-0 on aggregate in the play-off semi final but were relegated after losing the Championship play-off final to Hamilton Academical 5-3 on aggregate last week.
He says its surge in membership shows fans are fed up with how the club is run and says it is time for change.
He said: “We have grown our membership by 25 per cent in the last fortnight.
“In the last three months we have grown by 75 per cent.“The fans are disillusioned and unhappy with how the club is being run. We have gone from being in a Scottish Cup final to relegation to League One in the space of 12 months.
“Over the course of this season there has been poor communication with a lack of action to change the status quo.
“That is why fans are getting behind us and wanting to create a stronger voice for all Caley Thistle fans.
“The Trust will be looking to increase our numbers further. The more members we have, the stronger our voice can be. Ultimately our aim will be to get a democratically elected representative on the board.
“With the spike over the last few days, its also the whole of the season that our numbers have grown.
“That has come from how poor the season is going but how disillusioned and unhappy fans are with how things are going on the pitch and off the pitch.”
Inverness Caledonian Thistle announced on Tuesday it would remain full time in League One next season and would be making further announcements in the next few days.
The Inverness Courier also asked for interviews with board members at the club but were unsuccessful.
Moodie said while it was good news the club would remain full time, says there are other questions which remain to be answered about its restructure of finances due to take place on June 1.
He also said the future of its club academy needs clarified, which chairman Ross Morrison said at a Trust meeting last month said was something they could not afford in its current form.
Moodie said: “We are awaiting to hear of the other changes that are being announced. But as an immediate reaction, it is really encouraging the club will remain full time.
“We are really keen to hear about the future of the academy, it is important its future is secured as well. In League One, having a full time league squad, will need to be supported and staffed from academy with a greater number of academy players will need to be used. That is why it is still important to have an academy, that has produced excellent footballers over the years.
“We have a lot of exciting young talent in the wings to come. It is vitally important that the academy is preserved.”
Moodie added: “We stand by change is required at the top. If you do the same thing over and over, you get the same results.
“We await to hear what the results of the restructure will look like.”
