Kibble's new 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 move is hoped to encourage greater participation and access to the game for women and girls across the local community.
Kate Cooper, St Mirren Women’s Head Coach, said: "It is an extremely exciting time for women and girls’ football in Scotland, with its growing coverage, participation and reach into our communities, so we‘re really proud to be announcing this new deal.
It is fantastic for our club to have Kibble’s long-term support and this sponsorship deal creates a win-win for us all as we look forward to the continual growth and development of our partnership.
"I know there will be common areas we can help each other on, so I have no doubt this initial deal will be the beginning of a much wider positive impact we can help make to our local communities."
Kibble became part-owners of St Mirren Football Club in March 2020 alongside the St Mirren Independent Supporters Trust (SMiSA). The partnership is believed to be the first of its kind in the UK, creating the only fan-owned top flight club which is also run in partnership with one of the country’s biggest charities.
The pairing has allowed Kibble to expand their young workforce development programme and improve the future prospects of young people by creating new training and employment options to help them gain important skills and qualifications. From becoming ball attendants at matches to renovating the club’s hospitality entrances as well as receiving support to maintain independent living, young people are learning the various skills and experience required for employment across the club and the wider world of work.
The charity’s sponsorship of the Women’s team marks the next step in the dynamic partnership and Mark Macmillan, Director of Corporate Services at Kibble, said: "We recognise the valuable role played by St Mirren Women and Girls’ Academy in motivating a younger generation of players and we want to support the work they do.
"Through our sponsorship, we aim to support the team’s aspirations and encourage more girls to join the youth team and hopefully progress through to the Women’s team for many years to come.
We want to help St Mirren to continue to provide first-class youth development and further increase opportunities for young people to enjoy sport and fitness, experiencing the benefits of regular exercise while learning about skills in teamwork, patience and problem-solving."
Together with St Mirren, Kibble continue to strive towards their ambition of addressing local deprivation and exclusion through youth employment, community engagement, initiatives, and activities.
