We have now completed the installation of the new readers in the South, West and North Stands with the whole stadium being completed prior to the Celtic game.

The readers are easy to use – if you are a season ticket holder just place your season ticket against the reader as per the first picture below. When the screen goes green you will be able to enter.

If you have a match day ticket then put the barcode side of the ticket under the reader – again this will go green and allow you entry.

If for any reason there was an issue when trying to gain entry then the screen will tell you the issue I.e. blocked, already entered, invalid – if you receive any error messages please relay this to the Turnstile Supervisors who will aim to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

Following a few unsavoury incidents during our recent match at Ibrox we have received some emails from our supporters and SMISA asking us to consider the security arrangements around any future fixtures at our own stadium where visiting fans will be housed in both the North & South Stands.

In our original announcement regarding the segregation arrangements at those matches we hopefully explained clearly the reasoning and rationale behind the decision. Although there is an obvious financial benefit to the club the security and safety of our own fans will always be our number one priority and we conducted a full due diligence review with our advisors prior to confirming the segregation arrangements.

The clear advice from our safety group, comprising stewards, local police and our own safety officers was that the arrangements offered no concerns over and above those normally associated with hosting high profile matches. There are no concerns over supporter safety and as such we have no further plans to review the segregation arrangements over and above anything which is recommended during our regular pre-match safety briefings.

In actual fact the safety advice we have received is that containing visiting fans within their own specific sections of the stadium, rather than for example sharing the West Stand with home fans, makes policing the match easier than it would have been previously.

Similarly we hope that the increased capacity afforded to the visiting teams on these occasions will reduce the risk of away fans purchasing tickets for the home end of the stadium, something that we have experienced in the past and which causes obvious issues.

Your safety and enjoyment when visiting the Simple Digital Arena is of paramount importance to us and you can rest assured we will do whatever is necessary to make sure you can enjoy your football in a safe environment, taking any additional measures that are recommended by our safety advisors in the run up to these matches.

We anticipate the game against Celtic on Friday 14th September could be the first ever match to reach maximum capacity at the stadium since our move in 2009 so we would recommend buying your tickets as early as possible to avoid any disappointment.

Tickets go on general sale next Thursday, August 30th so we would recommend any season ticket holders from the Family Stand make use of the opportunity to have first choice of the remaining seats before that general sale period begins.

We are all adapting to life back in the top division, both on and off the field, and as ever we appreciate your patience and support as we do so.

#COYS

St Mirren and Livingston lock horns again tomorrow afternoon as they look to continue their rivalry from last season's Championship campaign.

It was a different scenario last season as both sides were battling for the top spot in the Championship which Saints ultimately pulled away and won with the Almondvale Club taking the rocky route through the play-offs where in the final play-off match they impressively knocked Premiership Partick Thistle off their top tier perch and claimed it for themselves.

Both sides have had a mixed start to the new season as Livi went down 3-1 to Celtic at Celtic Park on the opening day of the league season, but they bounced back the following week to pick up a point from a goalless draw against Kilmarnock. St Mirren on the other hand opened up the new campaign with a 2-1 win against Dundee in Paisley before going down 2-0 to the other half of the Old Firm at Ibrox Stadium the following week. Both sides made an exit from the BetFred Cup last weekend as Saints went down at Aberdeen and Livi lost out to Motherwell at the Tony Macaroni Arena.

Both clubs have seen some changes over the last week. The Almondvale club parted company with player-manager Kenny Miller and have since appointed former Falkirk gaffer, Gary Holt as his replacement. On the playing side they signed Togo international Steve Lawson who will be in the squad for tomorrow's Premiership fixture. Saints also have a new addition to their squad for tomorrow's match with Rangers defender Lee Hodson moving to Paisley earlier this week on a season-long loan deal.

The sides met five times last season with Livi winning the first outing 1-0 in a tight BetFred Cup group match in Paisley. Saints got their revenge in a 3-1 win four weeks later at Almondvale and repeated the scoreline in November in Paisley. As Saints were marching towards the Championship title they were brought down to Earth a bit in February going down 4-1 at Livingston. The last meeting turned out to be a goalless draw in Paisley but the point was all that Saints needed to push them over the winning line to claim the Championship title.

This fixture often favoured the away side but that trend was bucked somewhat last season. Both sides come into the match on the back of cup defeats but they will both see this fixture as an early opportunity to set a mark for the season ahead.

Our match day programme, published in partnership with Curtis Sport, will be available from the Club Shop ahead of Saturday’s game.

This issue, for the Ladbrokes Premiership fixture against Livingston, is a 48 pager with a £3 cover price.

This latest edition includes the following:

Front Cover – Matty Willock.
The Boss - St Mirren manager Alan Stubbs looks ahead to the match against Livi and delivers his pre-match message for the fans.
Last Time Out – A look back at the Premiership match away to Rangers on 12th August.
The Opposition – Brian Corry runs the rule over the Livi Lions.
Matchday Announcements - Bulletin Board of info, dates and events in the world of St Mirren.
St Mirren Greats – David Cochran looks back on the St Mirren career of Willie Telfer.
Matchday Gallery - Pictures from the post match presentations in the corporate suite after the last home match against Dundee.
Action Shot & Q&A (Centre Pages) – Goalkeeper Craig Samson. Craig also shoots back answers for our quick-fire questionnaire.
Kit Sponsors 2018/19 – Check in to see who is sponsoring your favourite player's shirt for the season.
Premiership Round-Up - A rundown on the first two weeks of the Ladbrokes Premiership season.
Street Stuff – The Street Stuff team confirm the prize winners from the summer and look ahead to upcoming sessions.
Paisley Panda's Fun Corner – Some puzzles to keep the youngsters entertained during the half-time break.
Football, Bloody Hell – Alan Gallacher gives his thoughts on this season's Ladbrokes Championship campaign.
Marketing Matters – Campbell Kennedy updates on the latest events and happenings at the club's Commercial Department.
Fans Corner - Ticket prices, travel clubs update, match info and dates for fans to keep in their diary. And Fan's Music Pick!
St Mirren Fixtures & Results 2018/19 – A handy reference page of all the fixtures and results for this season.
Team Lines – The two squads and match officials for Saturday’s match.

To buy this issue or to place your programme subscription for the 2018/19 season click HERE.

If you live outside the UK & Ireland, St Mirren TV is your way to watch Paisley’s Premiership club live in action each and every home match day.

This service, which is delivered by media students from the University of the West of Scotland, will cover all of St Mirren’s home games.

As usual the St Mirren TV team will be presenting all the action from The Simple Digital Arena when Livingston are the visitors for Saturday afternoon's Ladbrokes Premiership fixture.

If you want to tune in here is the info you will need:

St Mirren vs Livingston
Ladbrokes Premiership
Venue: The Simple Digital Arena, Paisley
Date: Saturday 25th August 2018
Kick-off: 3:00pm BST

To access this match day service:

1 Day Pass – €6.99 EUR
Season Pass – €69.99 EUR

To view Terms & Conditions and get started with St Mirren TV please click HERE.

For technical support with St Mirren TV please e-mail tvsupport@stmirren.com

Come along to The Simple Digital Arena tomorrow afternoon and join in with the Matchday Experience which kicks-off at 1:45pm in and around the Family Stand.

Building on the successful initiatives that have seen St Mirren win the accolade of Most Family Friendly Ground in the Scottish Supporters Association Fan Awards, the Club's SLO and Paisley Panda with support from SMiSA and the SMFC Fans' Council present a range of activities to improve the matchday experience for families and all younger Buddies.

Although all the activities will be taking place behind the Family Stand they are available to all fans regardless of what stand you are sitting in for the match.

Some of the activities lined up for tomorrow are as follows:

* Human Foosball

* Live music by band 'Alright Sunshine' and Josh Turley.

* Face painting - with new St Mirren badge design.

* Balloon modelling.

* Paisley Panda giving out free sweets courtesy of Black and White Army.

* Meet Paisley Panda!

So come along early and get involved in the fun activities before getting ready to back the Buddies in the Ladbrokes Premiership match against Livingston. #BackTheBuds

We are giving fans the opportunity to vote for the man of the match and also put two lucky fans in with the chance of winning a £10 voucher for the Club Shop.

Every home game we’ll throw open the voting on the 60 minute mark for 20 minutes where votes can be cast on Facebook and Twitter. All you have to do is use the hashtag #SMFCMOM followed by the name of the player you are voting for, eg ‘#SMFCMOM SMITH’.

With 10 minutes of the game remaining all the votes will be counted then the Stadium Announcer will confirm the winning player over the tannoy system.

From all the fans who nominate the winning player one will be picked at random from the Facebook account and another from the Twitter account and they will each be awarded a £10 voucher for the Club Shop. The winners will be notified through the account they posted from.

So get yourself ready on the hour mark of Saturday’s game against The Livi Lions and get voting with #SMFCMOM.

St Mirren in the Community are delighted to confirm that the SMFC Fans Council Panda Club will be open to young Buddies on Saturday afternoon for the Ladbrokes Premiership fixture against Livingston at The Simple Digital Arena.

The Panda Club will open at 1:00pm on Saturday. Parents please note that you should pick up your kids after the final whistle from the community office at 5:00pm.

Participants can look forward to pre-match football activities delivered by qualified St Mirren FC coaches inside the Airdome.

The Panda Club is open to boys and girls aged 5 to 12 years olds and costs £3 per child for the coaching session, the match ticket is provided FREE OF CHARGE.

For further information about the SMFC Fans Council Panda Club or to book your place at the next Panda Club match day please contact Ross Paterson by email at ross.paterson@stmirren.com. 

SMFC Fans Council Panda Club details for Saturday’s game are as follows:

St Mirren vs Livingston
Saturday 25th August 2018
1:00pm – 5:00pm

To find out more about the Panda Club click here

Paisley Panda will host the ever-popular match day competition ‘Bung a Baw’ at Saturday’s match against Livingston.

To take part in ‘Bung a Baw’ fans need to purchase a small foam ball which is numbered and they will then have a chance to throw their ball towards our club mascot Paisley Panda in front of the Family Stand. Each person will have 60 seconds to do this and the winner will be the person who has thrown the ball closest to the feet of the Panda. The winner will be confirmed over the PA system.

The competition is sponsored by The Linwood Farm Restaurant who are supplying a family meal voucher as the prize for the contest winner.

Each ball will cost £1 to buy. The balls will be available from sellers inside the Family Stand in the 30 minutes leading up to kick-off and then again in the first 5 minutes of half-time before the competition starts (subject to availability). Each ball is numbered and participants will also get a ticket with the corresponding number which they will use to claim the prize if they win.

‘Bung a Baw’ continues to be very popular so Paisley Panda advises that you get in early tomorrow to purchase your ball to take part.

As well as taking care of ‘Bung a Baw’, Paisley Panda will be giving away sweets to the kids in and around the stadium courtesy of the Black and White Army website.

Paisley Panda has also teamed up with the St Mirren Club Shop so you will be able to buy hats and scarves for the game from the 'Bung a Baw' stands.

Paisley Panda is pleased to confirm that ‘First Scorer’ will be back for the game on Saturday against Livingston.

‘First Scorer’ lets fans predict in advance of the game who they think will score St Mirren's first goal in Saturday’s match against The Livi Lions.

From all of those who guessed correctly, a winner will be picked at random and they will win a box of a dozen doughnuts which will be delivered to their seat right after the goal is scored!

To enter all you have to do ahead of the game is post your prediction of the first St Mirren scorer on Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #Saints1stgoal. The lucky winner will then be contacted to confirm which stand they will be in with the row and seat number so that the prize can be delivered to them.