Inverness Caley Thistle confirm they will remain full time despite football club’s relegation to League One
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Inverness Caledonian Thistle will remain a full time football club for next season, it has been confirmed.
The Caley Jags were believed to be considering three options at their board meeting on Monday night: staying full time, moving to a hybrid model or going part time in League One.
All potential routes were being considered as a result of the significant financial losses accrued by the club over recent years, with chairman Ross Morrison saying earlier this year that they would need to restructure financially whatever happened on the pitch.
Caley Thistle have been at least mostly a full time outfit since 1997, when the club were about to enter their second – and until now, last – campaign in Scotland’s third tier.
Now, they have announced they will continue as a full time entity, as they try to return to the Championship at the first time of asking.
“This past weekend has been hugely disappointing for everyone associated with the club, and we were all totally devastated,” chairman Ross Morrison wrote in a club statement on social media.
“Ultimately our results over the entire season, particularly at home, were simply not good enough and we must now reflect on the lessons learned from this season and start to prepare for the challenges ahead in League One.
“The goal of everyone at the Caledonian Stadium is to return to the Championship as soon as possible. At the same time, we must continue to focus on the long-term stability and development of the club both on and off the pitch, to ensure our sustainability.
“We have been working for a number of weeks on a comprehensive restructuring plan for what we believe is the best way forward for ICT, details of which will be announced in the next few days, but following last night’s board meeting, I can confirm that the club will remain full time next season and I thank everyone in advance for showing some patience as we make sure that plan is finalised.
“I believe that while the events of the weekend were distressing for all of us, now is the time to demonstrate unity.
“In football, it is inevitable that failure will visit every club at some time across the years but when it arrives as brutally as it did for us last week, it is important that we take the extra day or two in order to make the correct decisions so that we emerge stronger.
“We cannot thank our fans enough for the fantastic support they have given the team, both at home and away, through-out the season. Your commitment to the club is an inspiration and one of the foundations that will support us going forward.
“Once again, we would like to thank you all for your continued and valued support and hope you will remain with us on the next part of the club’s journey.”
