Leading energy challenger brand increases investment on St Mirren’s top-flight return

St Mirren Football Club will - for the first time in our history - have a second back-of-shirt sponsor for our return to the Premiership with the club delighted to announce leading energy company Utilita Energy featuring on all first team home and away playing kits.

Jem Maidment, Director of Marketing and Communications, said: “It is an exciting season ahead for St Mirren and we are thrilled to increase our investment in the Buddies.

“This will be our third season partnering the club – underlining our long-term commitment to fans and the community within Paisley. Engaging with the community is something we pride ourselves on here at Utilita and just like ourselves, that community has seen the club rise substantially over the last few years, culminating in the Scottish Championship title last season.”

Utilita’s commitment to Scottish football has grown since it sponsored the Scottish League Cup in 2015/16. It was also a partner of TRNSMT, in Glasgow Green, earlier this month, as well as main sponsor of the Daily Record Our Heroes awards in May.

Utilita has grown significantly: more than trebling its number of customers across the UK since 2015 from 200,000 to more than 660,000 households.

It is a Which? Top company for customer satisfaction and a Uswitch award winner in 2018. Utilita was also the first company to install a smart meter in the UK – ten years ago this summer.

Commercial Manager, Campbell Kennedy added: “I have been in dialogue with Utilita for a few months and am delighted that they have agreed to strengthen our partnership by agreeing to be our new Back of Shirt secondary sponsor for the coming season.

“Utilita’s story is a fantastic one. The company continues to grow and is an established UK Top 10 energy supplier. We are excited to continue working with Utilita to raise its brand awareness and attract new customers within the Renfrewshire area.”

St Mirren Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Hayden Coulson from Middlesbrough.

The 20 year-old left back, who can also play as a winger, joins Alan Stubbs’ side on a season-long loan from the English Championship side.

Coulson was a member of Middlesbrough’s double-winning Under-18 side in 2014/15 and has earned international recognition with England’s U16s, U17s and U19s.

Speaking to stmirren.com, Coulson said: "I've appreciated everyone's welcomes. The academy manager at Middlesbrough said that St Mirren wanted to take me on loan. It's my first loan so I was desperate to grab the opportunity. I'm very excited to get started and hopefully I can prove something." 

Saints manager Alan Stubbs said: "First of all, we are thankful to Middlesbrough for giving us someone they think very highly of.

"He's been with England all the way up the ranks and even though this is his first loan he is someone who has a lot of potential.

"Fundamentally he is a left-back but he gives us the option of playing him as a wing-back as well. We're delighted we've managed to capture the signing as there were a few teams in for him.

"He seems a good, level-headed young lad and I'm sure with the attributes he has he is going to be a really good addition to the squad."

Bookings are now being taken for the action-packed Summer Football Camps, that will run throughout the Summer school holidays (from Monday 9th July until Friday 10th August) at the club’s exclusive airdome at The Simple Digital Arena and Lochbarr Services, Lochwinnoch.

Players aged 3-12 years old will be put through their paces by experienced and qualified community and academy coaches. Daily themes will cover all skills and attributes of the modern-day footballer (dribbling, passing and control, heading, finishing and flicks and tricks), all within a safe and fun, learning environment.

Participants are required to bring with them suitable indoor clothing and footwear (no metal studs or blades), shin guards and goalkeeper gloves (if appropriate) in addition to a light healthy snack and plenty of water/non-fizzy drinks.

Places are limited, and bookings can be made by downloading and completing the application form and returning to Ross Paterson at The Simple Digital Arena.

Please note that payment must be made in full at the time of booking to confirm places.

For further information about the Summer Football Programme and St Mirren in the Community, please contact Ross Paterson at ross.paterson@stmirren.com

To download the application form please click HERE

Due to the weather conditions several weeks ago, the St Mirren Airdome is still unavailable.

There are currently issues with the lighting and with St Mirren in the Community summer camps running it has limited our time to repair these issues. 

The summer camps WILL NOT be affected by this, and they will continue to go ahead as planned.

St Mirren Football Club apologises for any inconvenience this may have caused.

St Mirren Football Club regrets to announce that tomorrow's match against Bolton Wanderers has been cancelled. 

We would like to stress that this is completely out with our control and we are desperately disappointed that this has occurred. 

We would like to apologise for the inconvenience this will cause.

Full refunds will be available from the St Mirren Ticket Office from Monday.

Jack Baird is looking forward to the challenges of life in the Scottish Premiership.

The centre-half made his Saints debut in 2014 in a Premiership match against Hamilton Academical.

But the vast majority of the 22 year-old's playing experience has come in the Championship. 

With promotion back to the Premiership secured, Baird says he can't wait to test himself against the best the country has to offer and feels better equipped for the challenge than when he came into the team as a teenager.

Speaking to stmirren.com, Baird said: "I got a taste of it in the time I did play in the Premiership but it wasn't really enough.

I want to try and play as much as I can this season.

"I know it will be hard as the gaffer will bring in new players in my position, but I'm going to try my best to get in the team.

"I've had three full seasons in the Championship so I've grown up a wee bit. It's built up my character and I feel I am more ready for it when I made my debut. 

"There's a lot of different places we will go. Different teams, hard places to go, stadiums I haven't played in before. There are lots of different things to look forward to this season.

"Coming up against bigger players, bigger teams, in massive stadiums with massive crowds will be big for me.

"I just want to get in the team and try to stay in the team. It's that simple for me. That's as far as I have looked at it."

Alan Stubbs joined the club last month and Baird admits he's excited at the prospect of learning from the new gaffer.

It's been good because a lot of managers I have played under haven't played at centre half.

"I've learned loads in the two weeks he has been in and hopefully by the end of the season I will have learned a lot more.

"The gaffer has played at the top level, if I can be half as good as him I will be delighted."

SMISA has announced that they have arranged a question-and-answer night with new manager Alan Stubbs on Tuesday 31 July.

Alan will be on hand to take your questions ahead of the new season starting.

The event takes place in the hospitality lounge at the Simple Digital Arena. As it is a licensed event it is only open for those 18 and over.

Entry is free but there will be a capacity so register here to guarantee your place. Doors open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start.

You can guarantee your place by registering via the Eventbrite link here.

St Mirren have been out in La Manga the past week for their pre-season training camp, as they get ready for the season ahead.

We caught up with new midfielder, Jim Kellermann, after the squad reported for training in the south east of Spain with new manager, Alan Stubbs.

Kellermann said: "It's been good. It's been hard work obviously, but the lads have been great and training has been good.

"It's been very hot, but it's been very good - we needed it as a squad and we've really worked hard together. It's been a positive time over here."

"It's how you set yourself to start the year. We know it's all going to be tough over here, but these things are hugely important going into the season, and it's been a very, very good week.

The Englishman joined from National League side Aldershot Town in May, but the 23 year-old knows that putting in the work now will only benefit the team long term.

He continued: "We've been worked very hard and we needed that - we're going into a tough division. But the training has been very good, the ball has been out plenty and you can see the way the manager wants us to play and it's not too different from previously, from what I've heard from the other lads. So it's all been good.

"At the end of the week I was knackered, but I'm feeling stronger every day, as is everyone else."

This was also a chance for Kellermann and fellow new signings McGinn, Heaton, Cooke and King to bond and gel with their new team mates as The Buddies take the step up from Championship to Premiership football this season. 

He added: "Obviously the room situations that we're in allows you to talk to players you wouldn't usually. All the lads have been great though and have made me feel very welcome, as they have with the other new boys.

"You can see why they did so well last year, because they're a tight knit group."

A week on Friday (13th July), St Mirren kick-off the competitive season as they head to Ayrshire for their first away day of the new season to face Kilmarnock at Rugby Park in a BetFred Cup Group match.

The latest info we have on Travel Clubs heading to Rugby Park for the match is as follows:

North End Travel Club

The bus to Kilmarnock on 13th July will leave The Sneddon at 6:15pm.

Bus tickets are on sale in The Brewer's Tap - members £4, non-members £6.

Would any member not going please try and let the North End Travel Club know as soon as possible.

Chivas Travel Club

The bus for Kilmarnock will leave The Court Bar at 6:45pm.

Bus tickets now on sale from the pub.

Any new members wishing to join the bus this season should contact the pub and leave their name and a contact number.

Cockles Wilson Supporters Bus

No info yet.

Tile Bar Supporters Bus

No info yet.

The club are delighted to announce that intu Braehead Shopping Centre have extended their sponsorship with the club to the end of season 2018/19.

As well as perimeter advertising, the intu Braehead logo will also feature on the back of the away shirt for season 2018/19.

Commercial Manager, Campbell Kennedy said, "I would like to thank intu Braehead for their fantastic support of the club which goes back to 2005 and a special mention to Regional Centre Director, Peter Beagley."