Fife Flyers: Stephen Thompson on right people now at helm to tackle club’s minefield of ‘crazy’ spending

The first season under new ownership was always going to be challenging, but the financial chaos behind the scenes was always going to erupt. It was a matter of when, not if.

The goodwill and buzz from a brand new, physical, in your face team may have lit up the match nights, but behind the scenes budgets were out of control as decisions were taken several thousands miles away, with local input and advice largely ignored.

Stephen Thompson arrived as chief operating officer in January, and it was only when he got behind his desk that he discovered the full extent of the problems. The best part of two decades at Dundee United FC - ten as chairman - almost paled in comparison to the mess he found after lifting the corner of the carpet in Flyers’ office.

“I’m loving being back in sport again,” he admitted, even if he could never have imagined such an exhausting first few weeks in ice hockey.

Head coach Jamie Russell was the only person on the premises when he arrived on day one - and it was the coach’s post-game interview which alluded to the pressures his players had to deal with that shone the first light on the problems behind the scenes. Stories of players and suppliers going unpaid are just a fraction of the issues that engulfed the team.

The club has shredded through goodwill with fans and the league, and endured horrendous, self-inflicted reputational damage as a result of some decisions taken.

“There are still things coming out we didn’t know about,” said Mr Thompson. “The spending has been crazy. I’d never have coped with the last four or five weeks without my previous experience in sport. It has been a minefield.”

The club’s chief has no intention of airing any dirty laundry in public, aware of the concerning reputational damage already inflicted this year, and he welcomed the key changes made to the leadership team, but warned “we will go through more turbulence in weeks ahead” as the club sorts out an unholy mess and rebuilds relationships.

The Tel Aviv-based Tom Avery is out as co-owner - he was the key decision maker - and New York based attorney Felix Kozak has stepped up, with new North American investors injecting capital to deal with the immediate financial challenges. He has also brought in people across the pond with financial expertise and a solid knowledge of ice hockey, while, on the doorstep, John Brown has joined as head of commercial and, with the COO, is working on a long overdue restructuring of Flyers’ off ice teams.

“Mismanaged finances are the bottom line, and that will take time to sort out. It is a mess,” said Mr Thompson. “We put out our statement after uncovering what has really been going on behind the scenes. The people involved now are the right people - they know what needs to be done,.”

The ‘ to do’ list is lengthy, but the priorities are to finish the end of the season, hopefully with some more wins, and get the club back on to stable foundations.

“We are not long in the door and we want to do a lot on the corporate and hospitality side as well as with season tickets - but we first need to sort out the problems first that have been dumped on us. The main priority is getting to the end of the season, and gradually get everyone back together again.” That hospitality work has already started with more guests enjoying match nights in the Fife Lounge - but there is so much more the new management team wants to do.

Address the current mess, and what can emerge, Mr Thompson believes, is a club that is robust and competitive.

He took in a few games ahead of signing up to his new role and admitted: “What struck me is the huge potential of the club. The fan base is there, the rink is old but it has a great atmosphere - but it will take time.

“And we need to get the fans back on board. They have not been treated well and that is not good enough. Without fans you don’t have a club - end of story. So, I want them to believe me when I say I want this to work. This is their team.

“We will make no promises to anyone but we will be honest. Hopefully the changes we have made are the right ones - and people will see that as we head into next season, but there is a lot of hard work, ahead, and we need fans behind us.”