A row is brewing between Albion Rovers and a Community Interest Company (CIC) set up by David Caldwell.
Caldwell claims that having worked to set-up the Albion Rovers under-19 side while he was working as director of football, he has continued his efforts with the side.
According to Companies House, the CIC was set up last month. The youth football group currently holds about 120 players.
“Before I left I put in place a 19s team,” Caldwell told the Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser.
“Tony McMinn did a good job of building up that community, and when he left for East Fife with Darren Young that community was kind of left.
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“I inherited that in the director of football role and wanted to find a pathway.
“The ideal pathway was to find an intermediate between the development squad, or the reserves as they are now, and the community. The under-19s was that.
“I’ve been working with the community for about six to eight months now, and we have set up a Community Interest Company because that is the only way they are going to put a structure in place to attract funding.
“If they are looking to run it as a community hub, which is what they are trying to achieve, you basically need a CIC, or a Trust, wrapped around it. It’s a not-for-profit organisation.
“The community and the board are two separate things, it’s almost like handing a baton to the club.
“I set the company up but it’s a not-for-profit organisation so anyone can be on the board.
“It’s really to look at a future pathway for Albion Rovers. A lot of clubs worldwide have something that looks like this.
“It’s something that I do believe would help the club.
“There are volunteers and there are 120 players involved, and they want to increase it to about 500.
“This isn’t a new thing, it’s been in place for a few years, we’ve just put a wrap around it.”
However, the board at Cliftonhill have distanced themselves from the group.
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It is understood the Rovers’ hierarchy will be aiming to stop the CIC using the name Albion Rovers.
A statement read: “For the sake of clarity, the club would like to emphasise that the recently registered company Albion Rovers Community Interest Company, has no connection to Albion Rovers FC.
“The directors of the new company have used our name, Albion Rovers, without either our prior knowledge or permission.”
