Caley Thistle manager John Hughes reckons the installation of an artificial pitch such as the one at Kilmarnock would pave the way for his idea of football utopia at the club.
Killie installed the surface at the start of the season, with Hughes impressed when Inverness defeated the Ayrshire side 2-1 at Rugby Park last month.
Hughes reckons making the Caledonian Stadium a seven-day facility which allowed teams of all ages to train and play on the surface would be a huge advantage to the club’s youth development programme.
The Caley Jags manager feels there is an increasing shift towards artificial surfaces in Scotland, and is keen to see his club follow suit.
Chairman Kenny Cameron has previously said the club would consider an artificial surface, but the cost could prove a stumbling block, with Killie’s FieldTurf pitch funded by local businessman Billy Bowie.
Ahead of the Premiership match at home to Killie on Saturday, Hughes said: “I was never a big advocate of Astroturf. I still wanted to play my football on grass. But, being a realist, I know what we’re doing in Scotland and what has to be done here.
“We were down at Kilmarnock last month and it’s the next grade up in terms of what it does for the community. I think that’s possibly the next step we have to take.
“As long as there’s water on the surface, I think it would be conductive to our style of play. It would help the community if we got the academy on it.
“There wouldn’t be a better sight than driving over the Kessock Bridge and seeing the floodlights on, seeing the pitch split into three parts and our under-14s, under-15s and under-16s all getting coached, kitted out in Inverness strips.
“That’s football utopia for me, when one team goes off and the next goes on.
“It would be absolutely fantastic.
“We would play our under-20s games and first-team games out there. I think it’s certainly the way we’re going to go. Especially in the climate we’ve got. It’s seeing the best for Scottish football.
“I was very impressed with what I saw at Kilmarnock. It’s the way forward.”
Club funding for youth development from the SFA comes on a graded system, with Hughes unhappy wealthier clubs benefit from being awarded the highest grade of support.
Hughes added: “We’ve not got the money of Celtic, who train at a fantastic facility. Because they can meet the criteria, they get the funding.
“I think it should be the other way about. We should be getting most of the money to help us come up.”