Caley Thistle boss John Robertson says any Championship club would be grateful for government investment – but Inverness have planned in case it does not come.
Reports in the national media yesterday indicated a looming financial crisis in the second tier, with the impact of running a football club with stifled revenue streams starting to bite.
The Scottish Government has put forward plans for a £55 million rescue package for sport, with £10 million in grants going to all levels of football below the Scottish Premiership.
There has also been funding from philanthropist James Anderson, which has been donated through the SPFL Trust.
Robertson, along with the Caley Thistle board and chief executive Scot Gardiner, have constantly discussed the financial position of the club during the year. The Caley Jags manager insists they had to plan for not receiving any sort of external aid, to try keep the club on decent footing.
“We’re in the same position as any other club,” said Robertson. “Would we welcome some investment from the government? Absolutely. But we’ve always looked at it that the amount of industries out there that required money, we may not get it.
“If we don’t, we have a scenario financially that we had to look at and we’ve done that. Scot and I worked closely together and are very aware of where the club is financially. If we can get through this – there’s still a lot of hard work to go to get us to the end of the season.
“But if we do that and with the plans in place for the club going forward, we’ll be in a very good position. Like everybody else, we’d welcome any aid coming to us from the government. We’re very much in the entertainment business, like the theatres.
“The difference between us and the theatres is we’re having to put on a show at the moment. That costs money. It would be fantastic if we get something, as I’m sure it would be for every other club in the Championship.”
Robertson added there were plans in place at the club that should excite supporters and make it a more sustainable entity going forward.
He said: “The club has got exciting plans going forward that could see it grow and achieve greater things on and off the pitch. It’s the diligence and hard work of the chairman, board and Scot Gardiner that we’re in that position. We can see light at the end of the tunnel – the train may have stopped at the moment but we can see the light.
“If we get there, all the hard work that’s been done in the background will see the club in a really strong financial footing position going forward.”
The club’s own financial problems have been well-documented, with Inverness reaching out earlier this year to help fund the continuation of their academy.
They also had to source investment last year, as a loss of £892,000 was revealed for the year ending May 31 2019.
Robertson added: “Going forward, the mantra of the chairman and Scot Gardiner is simple. We have to get ourselves down to a sustainable level, to make us attractive for people to come and invest in the club, but while doing that remaining extremely competitive.
“Had it not been for Covid this year, we would have come close to breaking even, if not making a small profit. The pandemic has put paid to that but we’re making strides. That’s what the fans have to understand – we’re not in a position anymore where we can lose £800,000 or £900,000 per year. We have to get down to a sustainable level.”
