St Mirren Football Club can today announce a double sponsorship deal with private equity firm Skyview Capital who are based in Beverly Hills, California announced as the club’s new Principal Sponsor and Spanish kit manufacturer, Joma becoming the club’s official technical kit partner.

Jim Hall, General Counsel for Skyview Capital said: “We have followed St Mirren with keen interest over the last year in particular. We have observed the trials and tribulations as the club fought off rival suitors and navigated its way to fan ownership.

“We have been impressed with the running of the club, including the fact it had no debt, has sole ownership of a relatively new stadium, is cash flow positive, has a dedicated team wearing multiple hats – all in support of maintaining a community club, It is that sense of community that most attracted us to St Mirren. We are impressed and it is the primary reason why we believe sponsorship support of a club like St Mirren is highly justified.

“We are truly excited at the prospect of our alliance with St Mirren and the opportunity to contribute to what we believe is a sound business enterprise. Aligned with our passion for sport, we look forward to supporting Gordon Scott and Campbell Kennedy, and the broader St Mirren community, in the coming year.”

Jon Haile, Football Brand manager for Joma Sport UK said: “St Mirren Football Club is a great fit for our own values, so we are delighted to have agreed a new three year official technical kit partnership with them. Both Joma and St Mirren FC have a strong heritage in the game and we are excited about working with such a forward thinking club that has a very talented football management team in place.

“We’ve worked closely with the club to design a totally unique home strip which combine the technical performance elements required by modern day players along with the stylish designs that Joma are renowned for.”

Joma will supply the team’s kit and training wear from the 2017/18 season, while Skyview Capital will have their firm’s logo featured on the front of all first team shirts and replicas.

St Mirren join the likes of Villarreal, Espanyol, Sampdoria and Swansea to have their kit supplied by the Spanish company.

The new deal will allow the club to sell strips online and through the official club shop that will be expanded for the new season to meet demand.

St Mirren Commercial Manager, Campbell Kennedy added: “We are delighted to be able to announce these two new partnerships which are fantastic for the club. Joma is a very reputable brand in the world of sportswear, while the deal with Skyview Capital could open more doors beyond sponsorship. It’s a really positive deal for the club and we are excited to get to work with our new partners.”

To read from our new principal sponsors Skyview Capital click here. 

The St Mirren Fans Council have organised an 'Easter Foodbank Collection' for the home game against Dumbarton on Saturday 8th April.

From 2:00pm on the day of the Dumbarton match volunteers will be on hand at the stadium to accept all donations as we look to support our local foodbank.

The response to previous food collections has been amazing as kind hearted Buddies support this initiative.

Whilst any donation is appreciated and never turned away, Elizabeth from the Renfrewshire Foodbank intimated that they were particularly short on the following items:

Food

Tinned Potatoes
Tinned Tomatoes
Jam
Tinned Custard/Rice
UHT Milk
Tinned Fruit
1L cartons of Juice
Small Jars of coffee

Toiletries

Soap
Toothpaste
Deodorant
Shaving Gel/Foam

In general donations should be of non-perishable food items.

Together we can help feed people in need and build a stronger community in Renfrewshire.

Donations are welcome from Dumbarton fans as well St Mirren fans.

The gate prices have been confirmed for St Mirren's match away to Morton at Cappielow Park on Tuesday 11th April.

The details for the match are as follows:

Morton v St Mirren
Ladbrokes Championship
Venue: Cappielow Park, Greenock
Date: Tuesday, 11th April 2017
Kick-off: 7:45pm

This match will be pay-at-the-gate.

Gate Prices

 * Proof of status must be shown
** Children Under 12 gain free entry if accompanied by an adult

Additional Information

This match will be pay-at-the gate with cash turnstiles in the Wee Dublin End of Cappielow Park.

Any wheelchair spaces need to be booked in advance direct with The St Mirren Ticket Office as the spaces are limited – the cost is £15 for the wheelchair user and carer.

St Mirren Ticket Office Phone No: (0141) 840-6130.
St Mirren Ticket Office E-Mail: tickets@stmirren.com

The club are offering special ticket pricing for the Family Stand for this Saturday's home game against Ayr United and a 'bring a bud' offer for Season Ticket holders for the match against Dumbarton a week later.

For the game against Ayr United on 1st April adults can purchase a ticket for £10 for the Family Stand as well as get up to two free tickets for under 12s. There will be no online option for the uptake of this offer, tickets will need to be purchased either direct at the St Mirren Ticket Office or on the phone. The offer will also be available on the day of the match (subject to availability).

The following week (Saturday 8th April) when Saints face Dumbarton, Season Ticket holders can bring along a friend for £10 and up to two children free of charge. This offer will also be available on match day. Tickets for this offer can also be bought from the St Mirren Ticket Office ahead of Saturday's game against Ayr United up till 2:00pm.

For more details on these offers you can contact the St Mirren Ticket Office by phone on (0141) 840-6130 or by e-mail:  tickets@stmirren.com.

St Mirren supporters still have time to bid for a place in the Saint for a Day teams with the auction coming to a close in the next few weeks. 

Two teams – one home and one away – made up of St Mirren fans will kick-off our annual fixture that will be played on the pitch at the Paisley 2021 Stadium on Sunday 30th April with a 12pm kick off. 

There will be two teams with 15 players per team (1-11 and four substitutes).  Each shirt will be available to bid on in a blind auction with all proceeds going to the St Mirren Youth Development Programme. Jack Ross and James Fowler have been announced as the managers of the two sides while supporters can bid to become their assistant manager.

Come and be part of this exciting day which will include:-

* The St Mirren Match Day Experience – Playing the game on the pitch at the Paisley 2021 stadium.

* Wearing an official team strip that you will also get to keep after the game.

* Medal presentation to all players from a special guest.

* Food and refreshments post match.

The rules are as follows: 

*Bidding for home shirts 6 to 11 and 12 to 14 and assistant manager positions will close at 3pm on Tuesday, April 18th. 

*Bidding for home shirts 1 to 5 and 15-16 will close at 3pm on Wednesday, April 19th.

*Bidding for away shirts 6 to 11 and 12 to 14 will close at 3pm on Thursday, April 20th.

*Bidding for away shirts 1 to 5 and 15-16 will close at 3pm on Friday, April 21st. 

*You must be 18 years of age or over to both bid and take part in 'Saint for a Day'. 

*By bidding on the auction you are declaring that you (or the person you are bidding for) are fit and well to take part in the event. 

*In the instance of getting two identical bids for the same shirt number in the same team, the email that has the earliest date and time stamp will be accepted as the leading bidder. 

*Payment must be made immediately if you have been the successful bidder.

To have a chance to take part on the day please send your blind auction bid by e-mail to claire.coventry@stmirren.com (Minimum bid is £100).

In the e-mail you must state which team you are bidding to play in (home or away) and which shirt number for that team you are bidding on. Good Luck!!

I had hoped that this update would come with the first piece of silverware of the new era sitting in the trophy cabinet but unfortunately it just wasn't to be.

Saturday’s game could have gone either way and although desperately disappointed in the result I think we can be justifiably proud of the performance of both our team and our support. We had allocated a specific area at Fir Park on Saturday as a singing section but as it turned out the entire St.Mirren support became one 5000 strong singing section.

I have said in the past that there were times during my involvement with the stadium construction when the hairs stood up on the back of your neck because you knew that what you were doing was something special. I felt that way on Saturday as the game drew to a close and the entire St.Mirren support willed the team on. It was actually very emotional and I feel that we are on the verge of convincing a lot of people who have drifted away from football that we have a team worthy of their support.

It goes without saying that the next two Saturday’s are massive for this club and we have tried to do everything possible to encourage our regular fans to continue giving us the support that they have all season and encourage others to join them.

We have reduced adult ticket prices in the family stand to £10 for the game against Ayr Utd and with that you can have 2 free under 12s tickets.  In addition to this we are again giving away free kids tickets to local groups.

For the Dumbarton game we are offering all season ticket holders the opportunity to bring a buddie for £10 and with that purchase they can have 2 free under 12s tickets. You can find the details for these offers here.

For the last 3 home games of the season we will also be housing away fans in the north stand in anticipation of a good home support and hope that the West, South and Main Stands are full and making plenty of noise.

We are also working on a way to bring in the drum without it impacting on other people's enjoyment of the game. We expect to have this in place for Saturday’s game against Ayr Utd and for the rest of this season and beyond if it works out.

When asked in interviews at the start of the season what I would consider success I said that obviously I wanted to get promotion but that for me the most important thing was that I wanted to enjoy my football. We are never going to completely dominate teams for 90 mins but I think that you can see what Jack and James are trying to build and the style of football and passion we want to play with. I am enjoying my football and I am sure you can all relate to how hard that must be given the position we find ourselves in. The feedback I am getting from our support is that most of you feel the same way.

While results just now are the most important thing we continue to strive to improve things off the pitch and we will be making an announcement later this week confirming our new kit sponsor and supplier.

Never before has your role as the 12th man been more important and you can all see how the team reacts to that support.

Let's get behind the boys and make sure that we give it our all for the rest of the season.

Gary Irvine has urged St Mirren supporters to keep backing the team ahead of Saturday's Ladbrokes Championship clash with Ayr United.

The right back praised the fans for their support at Saturday's IRN-BRU Cup final and said that their backing over the last few months has helped boost the players' confidence. 

And with ninth place Ayr visiting Paisley on Saturday, Irvine has asked the fans to continue giving the team the same backing as they look to haul themselves from the foot of the table.

The fans were brilliant at the weekend," he told stmirren.com. "The noise they were making was brilliant and the backing they gave us was really good. Even afterwards us as a team we mixed with supporters in one of the lounges. To see the amount there was encouraging and they wished us all the best and thanked us - it was brilliant.

"That's the kind of support that, as players, it does help you, you feed off it. When you feel like you have backing in the stands it gives you extra confidence. 

"They are there watching the games every week. They understand and they appreciate when they see hard work and I think that's what we are giving as a team. I'd probably say that the last few months their backing has been brilliant and the support they have given us has played a big part on the way the team is playing and the confidence it has built.

"It's a thank you to them but it's asking them to keep it going as well. It's a big massive part coming up and we do need them."

Irvine says that the squad have shown strong character and an increased sense of confidence, summed up by Rory Loy's equalising goal in Saturday's final. Tony Andreu gave Dundee United the lead, but the Buddies were back on level terms within a minute when Loy scooped home Irvine's cross. And the defender believes that the team will have to exhibit that mentality in the last seven league matches of this season.

Them scoring that goal was kind of out of nothing. Instead of letting the head down we got the ball from centre and within 30 seconds we were up and got a goal back. That's the kind of character we need to show now for the remainder of the season. 

"The boys have come in and right from Monday morning we've just got our heads up and got on with things. We know what's ahead of us now. The cup final was a good occasion even though the result didn't go our way. But our focus and our mindset is the league and the position we are in and we know that is in front of us right now.

"We knew coming in yesterday it was getting back to work and working hard for the game on Saturday. 

"It's a massive game and I think it's really important that we have a good week now. Credit to the boys, we have come in and we've shown a good attitude. We just need to continue that throughout the week and take it into the weekend. 

"We've managed to claw ourselves back," he continued. "We've been playing really good stuff and we've been getting a lot of plaudits from everywhere. All we can do is keep doing the same things and hopefully picking up results." 

While Saints will also host Dumbarton in another massive league match next week, Irvine says all focus is on this Saturday's match against Ayr as the Buddies look to make it five wins from seven league matches.

I think the mindset of the boys is one game at a time," he confessed. "We don't want to start looking up two and three places above ourselves because that's not the position we're in. The mindset is always just looking at the game that's in hand, getting the three points and going into the next game after that. 

"I think the position we are in now and how tight the league has become at the bottom every game is massive. Every team that we come up against is a huge game for us knowing what the rewards are and hopefully we can catch up with a team."

The Paisley 2021 Stadium will play host to the Scotland U21 squad tonight as Scot Gemmill's side take on Estonia in a friendly. 

St Mirren's Stevie Mallan and Lewis Morgan have both been called up to the squad and will be looking to get their first taste of international football. 

Kick-off is at 7:30pm with cash turnstiles in place in the main stand. Entry is just £5 for adults and £2 for concessions. 

St Mirren in the Community are now taking bookings for the upcoming Spring Football Skills Camp.

The Camps will run over the school Easter holiday at the club’s exclusive Carbrini@ JD Airdome from Monday 3rd April to Friday 7th April and Monday 10th April to Friday 14th April.

The camps run from 9am to 1pm and are open to boys and girls aged 5 to 11 years old.

Participants at the Football Camps 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.

Bookings can be made online at our e-store or by downloading and printing the booking form, completing it in full and returning it to the address provided.

Pictures from Saturday's IRN-BRU Cup Final against Dundee United.

It wasn't to be for Saints despite Rory Loy scoring a first half goal to level after Tony Andreu had given United the lead.

Match gallery pictures by Allan Picken - © Allan Picken Photography and John Millar - © millarpictures