An exciting opportunity has arisen within St Mirren Football Club. We are looking for a new Head of Academy Coaching and Player Development to join our ambitious team.

Reporting to Academy Director, Allan McManus, this role will see you support and assist in the development of all coaches and players within the Academy at St Mirren Football Club. You will help shape our new Academy strategy for the coming years as we look to develop our young talent and give them the best possible opportunity to have a career in football.

We are passionate about player and coaching development, and we want you to come and help us develop that next crop of talent. You will be given the platform to work in a vibrant, intelligent and challenging sporting environment with the potential to become the best at what you do.

Our Academy has become well-renowned for producing talent with the likes of Ethan Erhahon, John McGinn, Kenny McLean, Lewis Morgan, Kyle Magennis, Stephen Mallan and more coming through our ranks over the last number of years and we want to continue cultivating the next crop of talent to the highest standard in an ever-changing sporting environment.

You will be a highly reliable and enthusiastic individual who is able to motivate and enthuse others. You will have a flexible approach to work and be able to work evenings, weekends and match days as required. This is a challenging, but ultimately rewarding position. 

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

If you’re interested in this exciting & challenging role, and wish to play a huge part in taking the Academy to the next phase of its journey please send an up-to-date copy of your CV and cover letter to: keith.lasley@stmirren.com by Friday 20th January 2023. 

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

St Mirren Football Club Chairman, John Needham has released the following statement after the news that Director Alan Wardrop will stand down from the Board of Directors. 

It’s with mixed emotions that I announce that Alan Wardrop has intimated that he wishes to step down as a Director on 19 November after over six years service on our Board. Pleasingly, whilst he will no longer be part of the Board, he has indicated willingness to continue his involvement in our St Mirren Charitable Foundation and running the 1877 Club.

"Alan has been a dedicated and hard-working member of our Board throughout his tenure firstly as an independent Director then co-opted as a SMISA nominated Director during the past 15 months. I have enjoyed working with him and witnessed his significant personal commitment first hand.

"On behalf of the Board I want to record our thanks for everything he has done, and continues to do, for the Club. As part of the St Mirren family, Alan has been a loyal fan all of his life and leaves with our best wishes for the future."

The stadium and ticket office is closed today.

It will re-open tomorrow as normal.

The SMiSA Stadium will host the Scotland U21s at the end of September when they take on Northern Ireland in friendly action.

Tickets are now on-sale for the friendly match at the St Mirren Ticket Office and online. Please note that tickets for this match will not be available at the St Mirren Ticket Office this Sunday (18th Sep)

Scotland U21 vs Northern Ireland U21
Venue: The SMiSA Stadium, Paisley
Date: Sunday 25th September 2022
Kick-off: 2pm

The ticket prices as follows:

*SSC Members free tickets can only be claimed in person at the St Mirren Ticket Office upon production of SSC Membership card.
**Over-65/Under-16
***Wheelchair users will be charged at £3 with carer free of charge. 

On behalf of myself and my fellow Directors, I thank you for your fantastic support through what has been a season of change on and off the pitch.

It is hard to believe that the SMiSA Stadium was without fans at the start of the season. Everyone at the Club is grateful that you got behind the team during a time of so much uncertainty, resulting in record season ticket sales – including over 1,000 on the opening day - in the faith that you would get back into the stadium to support the team. Thankfully, that day came relatively early in the season, and it has been a joy to witness busy stands once again.

Overall, we enjoyed a number of successes on the field including reaching a Scottish Cup Quarter-Final and amassing one of our highest points totals in recent years. That said I hope this will be merely a platform to achieve even greater success next season.

Some important information is outlined below regarding season ticket renewals, including some great new offers:

#OurTickets - Season Tickets will be on sale from Monday 23rd May and we are providing a three week loyalty period for current season ticket holders to allow you to retain your seat at early bird pricing. Letters and emails will be with you by Monday 23rd May with instructions on how to renew your tickets. The fastest and easiest way will be online but there will also be support from the ticket office for those that require it.

#OurFans - To ensure as many fans as possible can continue to come to our matches, and to encourage the next generation of supporters, we are delighted to share some new season ticket offers that will offer support with attendance throughout the season.

#OurFamily - Our family ticket now includes two adults and three children under the age of 17, as opposed to under the age of 13, offering excellent value for money for a family day out. This ticket works out around £30 per family per game which is a massive saving on walk-up prices, costing up to £95 per visit.

#OurBuddies - Further, we have introduced a concession category for anyone who is unemployed. This will be the same price as all other concession tickets and save you over £150 depending on where you sit. We hope that this will help those affected to afford to continue to come along and support your team. We will also be introducing a scheme to allow you to support your fellow Buddies by buying tickets for them to come to games. More details will follow on this soon.

#OurSupport - We encourage the purchase of season tickets if you regularly attend matches because the savings made on walk-up prices are significant. However, we know season tickets are a big financial commitment and we continue to offer interest free payment plans available for those who may wish to spread the cost of a season ticket. The ticket office will be able to provide you with further information about these offers.

#OurClub - To simplify and streamline our season ticket offering for the 2022-2023 season, we have undertaken a collaborative review across the organisation. Like you, I want us to remain competitive on the pitch and give the manager the best resources we possibly can in our quest for a top six position. After freezing pricing for the past three seasons, we have decided to increase prices to help meet the rising costs that are affecting all businesses and individuals. Rest assured this decision was not made lightly and we have endeavoured to reduce the impact as much as possible. However, we continue to offer great value for money in comparison with other Premiership clubs.

#OurStMirren - A topic of discussion that we know many fans are passionate about is the retention of our three home stands for all fixtures. I established a Working Group to consider our options and present a paper so the Board could make an informed decision on the best way to proceed for the coming season. They delivered a well thought out report and I want place on record my thanks to the fans involved in the process for their dedication and commitment to considering all of the angles. Essentially, we have a list of potential approaches with various pros and cons.

We now want to engage with our supporters for their input on how best to proceed via a survey during the close season before making a decision on how to move forward. I hope you will see this as a real example of fan ownership and community engagement in action.

We will be sending the survey to current Season Ticket holders, SMiSA members and fans who have previously registered for tickets by the end of May and look forward to collaborating with you on the best outcome for the club and the fans. Once we receive your feedback, we will consider it carefully and announce our final decision before the start of the season.

Once again, I want to say thank you for your loyalty and support to our club in these unprecedented times and look forward to the future. #OurStMirren

Keith Lasley has officially joined St Mirren today as he gets underway as the club's new Chief Operating Officer. 

It was announced in April that Keith would join the club following the conclusion of the season after the retirement of Chief Executive Tony Fitzpatrick in March. 

Today marked Keith's first day at St Mirren and he is looking forward to tackling his new role. 

"I'm very excited," he told stmirren.com

"I grew up five minutes down the road so I know the club, I know the potential it has, the fanbase it has and I know there are some very good people working within the club at the moment. For me to come in and be a part of driving it forward is something that is so exciting for me and I can't wait to get started now. 

"I'm in the process of completing my Masters at Manchester Metropolitan University in Sporting Directorship. It's something I think suits my skillset and hopefully I can bring a drive and an energy to this job. I'm sure there will be aspects of the job I'll need to learn as I go but I'm willing to do that and I'm hungry to do that. 

"While there is a lot of good practice and a lot of good things we did at Motherwell over the years, what I'm conscious of is that every club has its own story and it's up to me to immerse myself in this football club. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone in the building, the supporters, the local community and everybody connected to the club."

Watch Keith's first interview as St Mirren Chief Operating Officer in full below! 

A special presentation will be made to Tony Fitzpatrick at half-time of tomorrow’s match against Dundee to thank him for his service to St Mirren following his retirement as Chief Executive.

Tony served St Mirren with distinction during a wonderful career as a player, manager and Chief Executive.

Beginning his Saints journey almost 50 years ago, Tony Fitzpatrick’s name has been synonymous with St Mirren since making his debut way back in 1973.

As a player, Tony made over 450 appearances for the Buddies and remains the second highest appearance maker in club history behind Hugh 'Shuggie' Murray. These two spells as a player saw him captain the club, play in Europe and in our Scottish Cup win in 1987.

He would then hold the position of manager twice – the only man to do so in St Mirren history – as well as five years as Chief Executive before transitioning to his new role as club ambassador.

Tickets for tomorrow's match are available until kick-off (subject to availability) at stmirren.com/matchtickets. 

Salary: £DOE

Closing date: March 11^th 5pm

Job Purpose

St Mirren is recruiting for a Chief Operating Officer (COO). The leadership role will involve managing all Club operations as well as assisting the Board in setting the overall vision and strategy. As the main driver of the organisation, the COO will be expected to oversee all aspects including football operations, commercial activities, finance and marketing.

The COO will be accountable to the Board and be expected to participate in the development of future strategies for the Club as well as communicating these strategies to an internal and external audience.

Main Duties

• Managing the overall operations and resources of the Club and making decisions within agreed parameters
• Implementation of short and long-term strategy and delivering agreed short and long-term objectives
• Providing timely reporting and analysis to the Board
• Ensuring alignment and collaboration across the football department to maximise player development and return on investment
• Communicating, on behalf of the Club, with fans, governing bodies, and the public
• Maintaining awareness of the developing football industry and identifying opportunities to develop the business
• Reviewing financial and non-financial data to devise solutions and improvements
• Evaluating Managers and Direct Reports against stretching but achievable goals
• Developing fresh ideas and visions for the running of the Club
• Monitoring how all areas of the Club operate and how they work together to achieve overall goals
• Ensuring adherence to football and legal guidelines and in-house policies to maintain the Club’s legality and business ethics
• Creating a positive culture across the operation that results in tangible improvements in business performance
• Communicating a uniform vision for the company and making sure that it's understood and acted upon
• Analysing all aspects of cost and income to drive efficiency and profitability

Skills and Qualifications

• Experience in football or another major sport preferred but not essential
• Relevant university degree or equivalent qualification
• Strong leadership skills and able to inspire others
• Capability to understand and analyse accounting information and present coherent proposals to improve the Club’s finances
• Excellent attention to detail
• Strategic thinker and the ability to see the big picture
• Highly developed communication skills
• Strong organisational ability
• The ability to be decisive in high-pressure situations
• A high level of business acumen

To Apply

Please email CV and Cover Letter with the subject heading ‘COO Application’ to the General Manager, Lynsey McLean – lynsey.mclean@stmirren.com

St Mirren Football Club can confirm that Jim Goodwin has departed the club to join Aberdeen FC as their new manager.

The board of directors and everyone at St Mirren would like to thank Jim for the role he has played at the club since taking over as manager in June 2019.

St Mirren Chief Executive Tony Fitzpatrick said: "I would like to place on record my thanks to Jim Goodwin for all he has done in his time at St Mirren.

"Jim raised the bar during his time at the club – reaching both the semi-finals of the League and Scottish Cups last season as well as achieving our highest top-flight finish in over 30 years. Jim leaves us challenging for a top six position and in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup.

"I know leaving St Mirren was a difficult decision for Jim and while we are disappointed to lose him, Aberdeen met a release clause within his contract and we respect his decision to move on.

"Jim has been a fantastic ambassador for our club and we wish him every success for the future."

We can also confirm that a deal is in place for Assistant Manager Lee Sharp to join Jim at Aberdeen. We thank Lee for his efforts in his time at St Mirren and wish him well for the future.

An interim coaching team has been put in place with Jamie Langfield working alongside Head of Youth Development Allan McManus, Michael McArdle and Andy Webster to take charge of first-team matters until a new manager is appointed.

The St Mirren board has already begun the formal process of recruiting a new manager and will provide a further update in due course.

St Mirren Football Club can tonight announce that Chief Executive Tony Fitzpatrick will retire from his position on March 31st 2022.

Tony retires after a distinguished career at St Mirren as a player, manager and Chief Executive. He will, however, remain at the club in an ambassador role.

Tony commented: "It has been a real privilege to be involved at this wonderful club. When I returned to St Mirren in 2016 it was always my plan to stay here until retirement age and build upon the work done by my predecessor Brian Caldwell and the former board.

"It’s been a rollercoaster ride from narrowly avoiding relegation to the third tier of Scottish football to our current position in the cinch Premiership.

"The last two years in particular have been an incredibly difficult time for us all, but we have made great strides at the club. Last season we reached the semi-finals of both the League and Scottish Cups for the first time since 1981/82 as well as achieving our highest top-flight league position since 1989.

"Fan ownership was achieved five years ahead of schedule with SMiSA taking over the majority shareholding on the club in July.

"We have also seen a number of academy players make their debuts for St Mirren with some moving on to big opportunities across the world and managed to attain Elite level status for the academy over the last year.

"I would like to thank the players and staff at the club over the past number of years who have worked tirelessly to try and give you a club to be proud of. I would also like to pay a special tribute to the supporters who are the lifeblood of St Mirren. The journey we have been on over the last six years has been truly incredible and could not have been achieved without your support.

"While I look forward to what retirement has in store, I will still be around the SMiSA Stadium to support the team. Come on Ye Saints!"