St Mirren Football Club has today launched a new strategy as we aim to be the best community centred development football club in Scotland.

St Mirren Football Club has today launched a new strategy as we aim to be the best community centred development football club in Scotland.

Ahead of our cinch Premiership season getting underway this weekend, the club would like to provide an update to supporters.

Season Tickets

We have reached record full season ticket sales at The SMiSA Stadium for 2023/24 with the support of Kibble and SMiSA's community season tickets helping us to our highest full season ticket sales since we moved into the stadium in 2009.

The second batch of physical cards are due to be received by the club this week. We are hopeful that these will be posted out to supporters that requested physical cards within the next week. If your card doesn't arrive in time for the first home match against Dundee on Saturday 12th August, you can either download our digital app (details below) or visit the St Mirren Ticket Office where our team will print off a paper ticket. 

We would like to thank all supporters for their backing. There's still time to be a part of the journey and be a part of #OurFamily with season tickets still available ONLINE and at the St Mirren Ticket Office.

Digital app 

St Mirren 2023/24 digital season tickets are LIVE for supporters to add to their Apple and Android devices. These replace the e-tickets and physical cards from previous years unless you have opted for the physical card option when purchasing your season ticket. 

Please click HERE for full instructions on how to download your new digital season ticket. If you require any assistance, please contact the St Mirren Ticket Office or email tickets@stmirren.com and they can help. 

Kits

Our 2023/24 #Connected home and #TogetherAsOne away kits have been very well received and sold in similar numbers to last season's kits. 

Home and away kits are still available to purchase now at the St Mirren Club Shop and online at stmirrendirect.co.uk.  

Community 

Help a Buddie

The Help a Buddie initiative will be relaunched this season after a successful first season. Launched in last June, Help a Buddie is an initiative where St Mirren supporters can purchase and donate a match ticket for those less fortunate. 

The club received welcome contributions from many fans, which allowed groups to come to your club such as ACCORD Hospice, Ukrainian families, The Disability Resource Centre, Barnardo's Paisley Threads and Spinners Gate Resource Centre who would not normally be able get to The SMiSA Stadium.

More details on the relaunch will be available soon. 

Schools programme

Following the success of our schools programme last season, in which schools within Paisley and Renfrewshire were donated match tickets for home matches, we are pleased to say it will be returning in 2023/24. 

A number of first-team players visited schools throughout Renfrewshire last season, taking part in coaching sessions and Q&As before handing over tickets to selected matches. This remains an integral aim of ours to engage with our local community. 

Tony Fitzpatrick Family Stand Matchday Entertainment

Our hugely popular matchday entertainment in the Tony Fitzpatrick Family Stand and around The SMiSA Stadium will return bigger and better this season after the club agreed to up its funding.

Colin Bright and the SLOs do a terrific job in providing lots of FREE pre-match fun to supporters in and around the Tony Fitzpatrick Family Stand and we are excited for its return this season. 

Facilities

Executive Boxes

Final approval is imminent on the building warrants for work to get underway for new executive boxes within the Main Stand of The SMiSA Stadium. The new executive boxes will offer a bespoke hospitality package for clients and will be an important way of generating new income at the club.

The boxes will be located on the top floor of the Main Stand and we expect work to begin on these asap. 

SMiSA Donations

SMiSA have very kindly donated ice baths as well as other medical & gym equipment for the St Mirren Training Ground.

These additions will be used by our first-team and academy and will help our players with rehabilitation and injury prevention. 

We thank SMiSA and its members for their continued support in improving our training environment. 

Scoreboard and digital advertising

Software developments over the last few years as well as general wear and tear have rendered the current scoreboard obsolete. As such, the club has taken the decision to invest in a new scoreboard at The SMiSA Stadium. 

A new scoreboard will offer more commercial opportunities and help us enhance the matchday experience. As well as the scoreboard, we will also be taking delivery of new LED pitchside advertising boards as well as two new digital advertising screens that will be placed outside the Main Stand.

The club had been hopeful of delivery of these in time for our first cinch Premiership home match against Dundee, however, logistical delays mean that delivery is anticipated at the end of August/beginning of September. 

1877 Club

A new committee has been formed to take leadership of the 1877 Club and they will be working more closely with the club.

The club will be opened to members as normal for our first home league match against Dundee on Saturday 12th August. 

St Mirren Airdome 

The planned decommission of the airdome site will begin shortly. The airdome has been out of use after an act of vandalism rendered it beyond repair last season.

We are exploring a number of options for a new facility on a new site. Planning at is at an early stage and will keep supporters updated on the progress. 

St Mirren Training Ground Upgrades | Kibble Skills Team

With a focus on the continual improvement on the training environment and with continued help and support from Kibble Skills Team, the following upgrades have taken place at Ralston: 

• First-team changing room has had a partial floor rebuild and new flooring added.
• Extension to the gym has been created.
• Physio room extended, re-floored and decorated. 
• Portacabin changing rooms re-floored, new ceiling and decorated. 
• Academy offices have had the roof sealed, with the water tank plant room having a completely new facing. 

This continual improvement of facilities is vital for the progression of the club and we thank Kibble and their Skills Team for their support. 

Environmental Impact

We are currently working on a carbon reduction plan as we aim to become more sustainable and environmentally conscious. 

We have already developed our own waste and recycling initiative #BuddieBinIt - becoming one of the first senior clubs to create a waste and recycling scheme for our stadium and we encourage all fans to support our efforts.

To read more about our commitment to the environment, please click HERE.

Volunteers

We would like to thank our wonderful, dedicated group of volunteers who have been working hard over the past couple of weeks to get the stadium in condition for the new season. 

The club recently held a 'volunteers night' at The SMiSA Stadium with manager Stephen Robinson, Diarmuid O'Carroll and a selection of players coming along to thank volunteers for all their hard word.

St Mirren Football Club has carefully considered proposals made for a newly created Conference League that would sit in the Fifth Tier of the Scottish Football pyramid. 

All 42 SPFL clubs were invited to express an interest in enrolling a B Team into a newly created league, due to start in season 2024/25. However, we have decided that the club does not feel it can support these proposals and will not accept the invitation to be involved. 

The club has spent a considerable amount of time assessing the advantages and practicalities of being involved in such a league as well as engaging with a number of stakeholders including a fans survey via SMiSA and its members. In the survey, 83% of respondents told SMiSA they would not be in favour of the Conference League proposal. As a fan-owned club, we feel it’s vital that we listen to the views of our supporters. Given the significant resource that would be required, including a mandatory financial contribution and staffing a B Team, we do not feel this current proposal works for us as a club.

While we would always look to support proposals that we feel aim to improve the development of young Scottish players, we are unconvinced at this time that a Fifth Tier Conference League system is the best way to achieve this.

The club would support calls for a review of the current loan system to allow for more strategic partnerships within SPFL clubs and give more of our younger players the opportunity to play across various levels within Scotland. 

Meantime, we aim to re-establish a development side to bridge the gap between our U18s and first-team and continue to utilise the loan market to optimise the player pathway into our first team. 

Having achieved his personal objectives of a successful transition to fan ownership, and a return to the top six, Director and former Chairman Gordon Scott has decided to step down from the club Board.

Gordon has made a massive contribution to the recent progress of the club and served for 14 of the past 20 years on the Board. He personally oversaw the building of the stadium at Greenhill Road, had a key role in the creation of the training centre at Ralston, and as Chairman, negotiated and facilitated the successful transition to fan ownership. Gordon leaves a lasting legacy of progress having dedicated countless hours in leading and managing the club through the various challenges we’ve faced during his time on the Board.

I am deeply indebted to Gordon for his support and advice over the past couple of years and he leaves with our grateful thanks. His experience and knowledge has been invaluable and he will always be welcome at the stadium on match days.

The SMiSA Board will now work with the remaining SMiSA nominated Directors to appoint a replacement.

There will be a full interview with Gordon on St Mirren TV in the coming days. 

SMISA members and fans will be aware that an election process is underway to fill vacancies on the SMISA Board. One of the candidates referred to a grant application, initiated by Kibble, for funding under the auspices of the Scottish Government Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF). Given the nature of the wording within that candidate statement, the Club Board wish to clarify the details regarding this matter, including the diligence undertaken in September/October 2022.

During the September 2022 Board meeting the Directors became aware of, and discussed, a proposal to build a Wellbeing Centre in Ferguslie Park and a funding application to the RCGF. All St Mirren Football Club Directors were in attendance. A Stage 1 Application had been submitted for RCGF funding and it was successful in moving to Stage 2 of the process. The application cited Kibble, The St Mirren Charitable Foundation and Renfrewshire Council as leading the application, the Club nor the Charitable Foundation had been engaged prior to the submission as this was very early stages of the process. It should be noted that historic discussions and meetings around the development of the Ferguslie Master Plan, including the potential development of a Wellbeing Centre, had taken place with Club Board members, Renfrewshire Council senior officials and other stakeholders.

From the discussions that took place at the St Mirren Football Club Board meeting on 29 September 2022 it became clear that the matter would require further conversation with the Charitable Foundation and that the Club should maintain interest in this matter to establish if the project offered any tangible benefit going forward. It was agreed that timely and appropriate discussions must take place regarding any potential projects in future to ensure that all stakeholders, directly involved or otherwise, were aware of the approach that was being taken.

Regarding the suggestion that St Mirren Football Club was expected to offer its land for the proposed Wellbeing Centre, this was not the case. The application was unspecific as to the precise location of the proposed building, but a crucial element of the plan was that the Wellbeing Centre would be built on one of several long-term derelict sites in the Ferguslie area, not on land owned by St Mirren.

Given the need to align other stakeholders, a meeting with the Charitable Foundation took place, and subsequently the Charitable Foundation Board agreed to support the Stage 2 application for RCGF funding, given the complementary nature of the establishment of a Wellbeing Centre in the area.

The Club Board, having confirmed that alignment on the proposal had been achieved, was content that the matter had been concluded appropriately from a St Mirren Football Club perspective. As highlighted, a watching brief on the progress of the application was applied to establish it there were any opportunities for the Club arising from the initiative. The Club Board will always be supportive of any regeneration and development of the area surrounding the stadium if it is complementary to the best interests of the Club.

Notification that the application was unsuccessful was received in January 2023, and the matter is now closed.

It is also worth noting by way of background information that the Club own a parcel of land adjacent to the stadium. Any sale or transfer of that asset, or any other element of the St Mirren estate, would require to be subject to a robust process. This would include being professionally valued, recommended by a majority of the Directors and approved by Club Shareholders as part of the legal Shareholder Agreement.

To reiterate the information outlined above regarding the RCGF application, no St Mirren Football Club land was ever part of the application or discussion hence these arrangements were never required.

There have been other parties who have proposed the development of the stadium facilities and these, when they have been suggested, have been treated in a similar manner to the RCGF application by the St Mirren Football Club Board.

Like all fans, the Club Board are looking forward to the next five games that see our Club in the Top Six of the SPFL for the first time, we want everyone to enjoy the games, get right behind the team and are looking forward to a positive end to one of the most successful seasons in our Club's history.

An exciting opportunity has arisen within St Mirren Football Club. We are looking for a physiotherapist to work alongside our first-team and academy to join our ambitious team.

Reporting to Head of Medical, Gerry Docherty and Academy Director, Allan McManus, your role will see you provide the highest standard of evidence-based care, in line with the department's strategic plan.

You will provide effective Physiotherapy to the Under-18s squad and Youth Academy, while assisting the first-team when required as directed by the head of department and contribute to the overall success of the Medical and Football Science department.

The role will be on a full-time permanent basis. To download the job description please click HERE.

If you’re interested in this exciting & challenging role please send an up-to-date copy of your CV and cover letter to: keith.lasley@stmirren.com by Friday 7th April 2023. 

Interviews will be held at a date to be confirmed and only those invited to interview will receive return notification.

An exciting opportunity has arisen within St Mirren Football Club. We are looking for a physiotherapist to work alongside our first-team and academy to join our ambitious team.

Reporting to Head of Medical, Gerry Docherty and Academy Director, Allan McManus, your role will see you provide the highest standard of evidence-based care, in line with the department's strategic plan.

You will provide effective Physiotherapy to the Under-18s squad and Youth Academy, while assisting the first-team when required as directed by the head of department and contribute to the overall success of the Medical and Football Science department.

The role will be on a full-time permanent basis. To download the job description please click HERE.

If you’re interested in this exciting & challenging role please send an up-to-date copy of your CV and cover letter to: keith.lasley@stmirren.com by Friday 7th April 2023. 

Interviews will be held at a date to be confirmed and only those invited to interview will receive return notification.

St Mirren Football Club has marked International Women’s Day 2023 by agreeing to match Kibble’s sponsorship deal with the St Mirren Women’s team. 

Kibble's recently announced sponsorship agreement with St Mirren Women’s team is a multi-year deal, which will enhance the team’s day-to-day operations as the Scottish Women’s League One side seek to reach Scotland’s top-flight in the years ahead. The club has now matched this support as we look to help grow the Women and Girls Academy.

St Mirren Football Club Chairman John Needham said: "We are delighted to announce our support for the women’s team over the next three years.

Our aim is to help create stability which will enable the Women's team to push to the next level. As a board, we recognise the value the Women and Girls Academy brings to our football club. This aligns with our desire to make our club more diverse and inclusive. 

"In the coming months we will continue to develop the partnership, exploring opportunities and areas to grow the women and girls' programme and the club overall."

Janette Swanson, Chairperson of the St Mirren Women’s team, said: "The club committing this funding is excellent news for the Women’s team. Women and girls’ football is at an exciting time as the growth and participation continue to explode.

The investment will bring stability and the basis from which we can grow our pathways and opportunities for female players across our region. It’s also an opportunity to become more integrated into the football family of St Mirren."

St Mirren Football Club chairman John Needham with St Mirren Women's Chairperson Janette Swanson

ST MIRREN FOOTBALL CLUB LTD. (THE) (the “Company”)

Company Registration No. SC005773

Notice of Annual General Meeting

NOTICE is hereby given that the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Company will be held on the 26th day of January 2023 at the SMISA Stadium, St Mirren Park, Greenhill Road, Paisley, Renfrewshire, PA3 1RU at 7:30pm for the following purposes:

Ordinary business

1. To consider the Accounts for the year to 31 May 2022 and the reports of the Directors and Auditors.
2. To transact any other ordinary business of the Company. 

By Order of the Board

Date: 11/01/2023 

………………………….

Secretary

Registered Office: SMISA Stadium St Mirren Park, Greenhill Road, Paisley, Renfrewshire, PA3 1RU

Notes

A Member entitled to attend and vote at the meeting is entitled to appoint a proxy, in the terms set out on the attached, to attend and vote in his place. The proxy (in accordance with the terms of the existing Articles of Association) should be deposited at the Registered Office of the Company not less than 48 hours before the time of the Annual General Meeting.