'AN INSULT TO HIGHLAND FOOTBALL!' Fury of Inverness Caley Thistle fans as relegated club moves its training base 136 miles south to Fife!

Inverness Caledonian Thistle fans have voiced their anger after the relegated club announced plans to move their training base 136 miles south to Fife.

Demoted to League One after defeat to Hamilton in the play-offs, the Highland outfit have struck a deal to train at the home of Kelty Hearts.

Announcing the move as part of a ‘planned strategic restructure’, Inverness say the switch will make the club more appealing to players in the central belt.

Duncan Ferguson’s side already train in Nairn, a 30-minute drive from the Caledonian Stadium.

Confirming plans to shift training to Kelty’s ground from June, a club statement read: ‘The last few years have seen the geographic challenges in getting players to move to the Highlands become ever harder for a number of reasons.

‘Caledonian Stadium will always be our home, but other factors in Scottish football have changed and where we train should not be an impediment to the quality of the players we can attract to Caley Thistle, or to our potential to progress.

‘The commercial success of the city of Inverness - which will always be our home - both as a tourist destination and a place to live has led to very high prices for the accommodation we require to house players. In addition to these high costs, which our competitors do not carry, the extremely limited housing stock in Inverness continues to be both a challenge and a huge factor working against us.

‘Increased playing budgets in and around the central belt has meant that, on many occasions, even when we have offered players more favourable terms than our competitors - sometimes even agreed deals - we have then been told that the player has changed his mind due to challenges relocating their families.

‘It makes it particularly challenging for us to sign senior players, a category which, through no fault of our budget or of previous ICT Managers, we have struggled to attract in the last few seasons.

‘Similarly, our location means that we miss out on the opportunity of signing promising players from the larger clubs in Scotland, on loan or otherwise.’

Senior figures at the club cite the example of Barrow AFC announcing a similar arrangement with FA United of Manchester 12 months ago. Arbroath - also relegated from the Championship - train players in Edinburgh.

However, the decision to shell out money to share a training facility with fellow League One side Kelty drew criticism and disbelief from supporters online.

One said the move was ‘an insult to Highland football and highlights the huge disconnect between club and city’.

Another said of the decision: ‘Quite incredible. No pride in the Highlands or Inverness. Just embarrassing.’

Inverness announced a loss of over £800,000 in the last accounts published two years ago.

Last night freelance journalist and supporter Charles Bannerman told Mail Sport: ‘One of the club’s greatest needs is to regain the hearts and minds of the people of Inverness.

‘Not only Inverness people but also local businesses. Their stock among the local business community has fallen away, which is a worry.

‘In 30 years of following this club, I’ve never known supporter morale to be as low as this.

‘This statement at 12.30 today saw it take another hike down the way.

‘One of a number of concerns is the alienation from the city. They are Inverness Caledonian Thistle and this decision alienates the club from the city at a time when they need to win the hearts and minds of supporters and business back after relegation. They’ve actually reversed that process.’