County Fans Asked To Give More

Last updated : 18 April 2012 By Ed_Scottishfitba

ross countyRoss County have made it to the SPL but still want the full backing of their fans to ensure they have a ground that meets the criteria for playing in the top flight. The club has asked their fans to dig deep in their pockets again and make a £20 donation towards a target of £400,000 to help with the cost of making their Victoria Park ground all seated and the installation of under-soil heating for the pitch.
 
A club statement said: "We are determined to play our first home fixture in our debut season in the SPL at Victoria Park, and the upgrade works required bring are costing circa £1.4million. The Club's Board hope to raise some of the finance from additional borrowing, alongside support from some backers in the business world, however we are appealing to fans to celebrate the team's success and help build for the future by contributing £20 to the cause."
 
The £400,000 figure has not been plucked out of the air but is based  on the number of fans who travelled to back the club in the Scottish Cup Final in 2010 against Dundee United. It is estimated that 20,000 fans made the journey to Hampden and it is hoped that £400,000 is not an overly ambitious target. The club are hoping that their scheme entitled 'We are on our way up, and we need your help' will allow funds to be channelled to help build the Dingwall squad for life in the top tier. The statement went on: "Every pound raised will offset the borrowing the club has to make on the stadium development project and will allow us to release vital funds to the Manager Derek Adams for his playing squad."
 
Adams, in backing the board's call for support, said: "We have a fantastic support that follows us week in and week out, through tough times as well as the successful ones. There are also a lot of people out there who are Staggies at heart as the support at the Cup Final showed. There are hugely exciting times ahead at Ross County, but also real challenges on and off the field. The board are realistic about how they are going about meeting those challenges and want to ensure our progress is achieved in a sustainable way. We need to comply with the requirement as set out by the SPL, and this is expensive, but it is vital I have the right budget to gather a squad of players to compete at this higher level. I therefore hope that our supporters will back us in this fundraising initiative."