Cove Rangers chairman Keith Moorhouse believes the time is right for the club to move to a full-time model.
The Balmoral Stadium club confirmed on Thursday that they are moving to a full-time operation for the 2023-24 season.
Paul Hartley’s side are preparing for life in League One after finishing bottom of the Championship.
The club have said that the first season will be “one of transition” as a number of players who are still on part-time contracts may not be in a position to immediately switch to full-time football.
A club statement read: “In what is an historic move for Cove Rangers FC, the club can announce that it will be moving to a full-time basis for the 2023-24 season.
“It became clear in the last campaign that being part-time in the Championship made the step-up even more demanding, and given our aim of returning to the second tier, the board of directors feel this is the right way ahead for the club.
“There was significant investment in the squad last season, which in the end failed to pay dividends, and the board believes full-time football can be funded in a more sensible and structured way, which will make the move both more affordable and practical.”
Cove chairman Keith Moorhouse said: “Moving the club to a full-time basis has always been part of our original five-year plan, and I am proud that we are at a stage where we can now make that happen.
“The forthcoming season will be a transitional period, and we are preparing to operate within a hybrid structure.
“We believe that making this change now will allow the club to be in a better position to compete, and be successful in the longer term.”
Cove boss Hartley is looking forward to working with his players on a daily basis, rather than just two nights a week, in most cases after the players have already put in a full working day.
He said: “Going full-time is a game-changer for Cove Rangers. When you think of where we have come from in recent years, it’s massive. We are making history for the football club here.
“It will make attracting players so much easier; we lost out on a few last season because we were part-time, so that should no longer be an issue for us.
“From my point of view, it will give us more hours with the squad, we can spend time setting things up, preparing for games, and doing analysis; it will no longer be a case of rushing that through on Tuesday or Thursday nights. We can do double sessions, the players will have more scope for rest and recovery, and it will enhance their fitness levels.
“I am delighted the club has decided to go down this route, and it’s another hugely exciting chapter in our history.”
Earlier this week, Cove announced that 13 players had left the club.
Cieran Dunne, Kyle Gourlay, Robbie Leitch, Leighton McIntosh, Scott Ross, Gime Toure and Miko Virtanen are all out of contract and will move on, with Ross already having signed for Peterhead.
Loanees David Bangala, Declan Glass, Jackson Longridge, Michael O’Halloran, Brody Paterson and Tony Weston have returned to their parent clubs.
New deals have been offered to out of contract pair Balint Demus and Luis Longstaff with Scott Fox, Fraser Fyvie, Shay Logan, Mitch Megginson, Jason Naismith, Morgyn Neill, Mark Reynolds, Connor Scully, Iain Vigurs and Blair Yule still under contract.
Cove were promoted from the Highland League in 2019 and were crowned League Two champions the following year.
They won the League One title in 2022 but are returning to the third tier after finishing bottom of the Championship on goal difference following a 2-1 defeat by Greenock Morton on the final day of the season earlier this month.
Conversation