St Mirren have today completed their five-year journey to become a fan-owned club.

The St Mirren Independent Supporters Association (SMISA) have bought out the remaining shareholding of chairman Gordon Scott to become majority (51%) owners of the Buddies.

The deal helps to safeguard the future of the club – formed in 1877 – by placing it in the hands of its supporters, the people who care for it the most.

The move into fan ownership comes in conjunction with charity and social enterprise Kibble who last year bought a 27 percent stake to become part-owners of the club.

That model – where the club is owned by its fans and run in partnership with a charity – is believed to be unique in top-flight European football and has allowed SMISA to complete the transition to fan ownership in five years rather than the original 10-year plan set out in 2016.

And the dream of fan ownership has only been realised thanks to the financial backing from SMISA’s near-1200 strong membership over the past five years and the support and growth of SMISA in general from its formation almost 20 years ago.

Now that the shares have been purchased, the members’ contributions will instead go towards supporting different areas of the club including the youth academy and the charitable foundation.

SMISA will now have four representatives on the St Mirren board, with Scott and Alan Wardrop joining existing SMISA-appointed club directors John Needham and David Riley.

And, although the club is now owned by its fans, the day-to-day operations will continue to be run by CEO Tony Fitzpatrick and the St Mirren staff.

Scott, who made fan ownership possible by teaming up with SMISA to buy out the previous owners back in 2016, was pleased to see the deal come to fruition on a special day at the SMISA stadium.

He said: "I am immensely proud of the part I have played in delivering fan ownership.

"We had always said that we had ten years to deliver a sustainable model but when the opportunity arose to deliver this now in partnership with Kibble it was too good an opportunity to miss.

"We have taken giant strides over the last five seasons both on the pitch and off it and with the deal now complete I am convinced that this model will allow us to continue that progress."

SMISA chair George Adam added: "This is a really proud day not just for St Mirren fans but for the people of Paisley and beyond.

"To have our club now owned by the supporters means we will never have to worry again about it being run by people without St Mirren’s best interests at heart.

"It’s a real testimony to the fans who were presented with a vision back in 2015 and have now been able to make it a reality. I’ve never been prouder to be a Buddie."

Kibble chief executive and St Mirren vice-chairman Jim Gillespie said: "This is a historic day for St Mirren’s fans.

"They are now in charge of the destiny of the club they love, and Kibble are delighted to be working with SMISA and to have played our part in making this possible.

"When we agreed to become shareholders and partners last year, it was because we were excited about the chance to work hand-in-hand with SMISA to help take the club forward while improving the lives of young people in the Renfrewshire area.

"We believe we are starting to see the fruits of that relationship and look forward to contributing towards many more successful years at St Mirren."

Supporters Direct Scotland chief executive Alan Russell added: “At SD Scotland we are delighted to see SMISA reach this milestone and are proud to have supported them on their journey towards fan ownership.

"They have shown what can be achieved by working in close partnership with other shareholders and other community organisations and have had one hand on the steering wheel as St Mirren FC have established themselves in the Premiership once again.

"Their experience as minority shareholders over the last few years will be invaluable as they take ownership of the club - and they join the family of fan-owned clubs who are a beacon to the whole supporters trust movement in Scotland and beyond. Congratulations!"

Anyone wishing to join SMISA can do so from as little as £5 a month at smisa.net/signup

To the fans who are trying to renew their St Mirren season ticket - thank you for your continued patience as we work through the challenges and enquiries received. We are extremely grateful for the support and enthusiasm shown so far and do understand the frustration.

Please be rest assured, our team are doing their very best to resolve each enquiry and confirm your renewal. If you have emailed info@stmirren.com, help@stmirren.com or called and left a message with our voicemail or team member, we will be in touch as soon as we can.

We hope the following answers to some collective questions we have received, will offer some consolation while we continue to answer individual queries.

For Those Who Did Register, But Are Having Challenges Renewing

For those experiencing challenges with the renewal process, despite being registered before the 28^th June, please be rest assured your chosen seat is reserved. You can also be added into the ballot for the match against Dunfermline taking place on Tuesday 13^th at 19.45pm.

To be entered into the ballot opportunity, please send your name and registration order number to info@stmirren.com by 5pm today (Wednesday 7^th July).

Our team are doing their very best to resolve each query and confirm your renewal. We will be in touch with you as soon as we can.

Reserve Your Seat by Sunday If You Did Not Register Last Month

Previous season ticket holders, who did not register last month, will have the opportunity to reserve their favoured seat.  

To reserve your seat, please email info@stmirren.com by midnight on Sunday 11^th July . The details required are –

• Full Name
• Phone Number
• Home Address
• Date of birth
• Ticket type
• Seat section, row and number

Unfortunately, those who have not registered before 28^th June will not be entered into the ballot for the match on Tuesday 13^th July. However, once registered, you will be applicable for future ballot opportunities.

We cannot wait to welcome you back to the stadium and are very humbled by the continued support from the greatest crowd of fans.

St Mirren can confirm that 500 fans will be able to attend our Premier Sports Cup match against Dunfermline at the SMiSA Stadium on Tuesday 13th July.

The club confirmed last week that a ballot will take place with all season ticket holders who purchase their renewal season ticket between now and 4pm on Wednesday 7 July eligible to enter.

To enter you must email info@stmirren.com by no later than 5pm on Wednesday 7 July with your name, order number and how many tickets are on your account.

A random draw will then take place with those successful contacted by Friday afternoon to confirm.

A ballot process will also take place for our home match against Partick Thistle on Sunday 25th July. More details regarding this will be made available in due course.

We’d like to thank everyone who has taken the time to renew their season ticket so far and would remind anyone who hasn’t yet renewed that the easiest and quickest way to do so is online. Thank you once again for your magnificent support. We can’t wait to see you back at the SMiSA Stadium. #InYouWeTrust

Proudly introducing St Mirren's brand new kits for season 2021/22.

Eamonn Brophy, Jak Alnwick, Ethan Erhahon star in the announcement pictures, along with Karen McCabe from St Mirren’s Women’s Team and Lewis Gillespie from the St Mirren Youth Academy.

Working alongside our official kit partners Joma for a fifth season in a row, our home and away jerseys were chosen by members of SMiSA and feature our brand new principal sponsor Digby Brown Solicitors.

Pre-order details in conjunction with our official commercial partners, Pitch Pro Retail, will be available soon on stmirren.com and across our social media platforms.

Images by Graeme Hewitson.

Pictured below (from left to right): Lewis Gillespie (St Mirren Youth Academy), Jak Alnwick, Eamonn Brophy, Ethan Erhahon and Karen McCabe (St Mirren Women’s team captain)

Ahead of tomorrow's Scottish Cup semi-final, the club would like to remind supporters to please continue to follow the Scottish Government's Covid-19 guidance.

All of Scotland is currently at Covid-19 Protection Level 3. To find out more about the current guidance please follow this link.

Our final home league match of the season will take place on Sunday 16th May when we play host to Dundee United at the SMiSA Stadium. 

As we do every year we will be remembering all the St Mirren supporters that have sadly passed away throughout season 2020/21. 

If you would like the name of someone who has passed away this season to be included on the big screen during the applause or on the website then please email scoreboard@stmirren.com by Friday 14th May.

Our thoughts to all the families who have lost loved ones throughout the season. 

St Mirren Football Club will stop activity on all our social media platforms from 15:00 on Friday 30th April until 23:59 on Monday 3rd May.

Scottish football has united to support a boycott of social media in response to continuing racist and discriminatory abuse online aimed at players, staff, supporters and others associated with the game.

We will join clubs across the country as well as the Scottish FA, Scottish Professional Football League, Scottish Women’s Football and PFA Scotland in switching-off all social media activity until 23:59 on Monday 3rd May.

Information on our Scottish Premiership match against Hamilton Academical on Saturday will be available on our club website as well as live match coverage on St Mirren TV.

St Mirren Football Club was saddened to hear of the passing of lifelong Saints supporter and season ticket holder Harry McLachlan who sadly passed away last month.

Harry, who had Down's syndrome, defied the odds by living to the age of 73 years old which made him one of the oldest people living in the UK with Down's. He was very well known in Paisley and followed his beloved St Mirren through thick and thin.

Harry was also a keen Boccia player and represented Great Britain at the Special Olympics and was an avid singer often belting out "Oh When The Saints."

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Harry.

As part of our #12DaysOfChristmas social media campaign we have given away a range of prizes including a box of pies courtesy of our friends at Pie Sports, a year's subscription to St Mirren TV and a half-season ticket for 2020/21. 

Now we have our biggest giveaway yet with our bundle prize. You could win the following items:

- A 2020/21 away shirt
- Signed limited edition Be In That Number posters featuring Jon Obika, Jak Alnwick, Richard Tait, Cammy MacPherson and Ethan Erhahon.
- A St Mirren scarf
- A St Mirren branded copy of FIFA 21
- A signed football
- A six-month subscription to St Mirren TV
- A phone wallpaper unique to you
- A personalised video message from the manager and a player of your choosing

To be in with a chance of winning we want you to share your best festive St Mirren stories, matches, memories, pictures etc. with us on social media. We'll pick our favourite with the winner being announced on Christmas Day.

Our Saints In That Number initiative will reward the most deserving community-conscious individuals with a St Mirren FC 20/21 season ticket. Although the games remain behind closed doors, we hope the small gesture lifts spirits. The tickets are a gift from the club, our partner Kibble, the specialist child and youth care charity and several local businesses including Claymore Contracts Ltd, Scotjet Ltd, CY Turf along with Airdrie Mechanical Services.

We asked you all to help us find the people making Paisley a better place with their selfless acts – and we were delighted to receive heart-warming nominations. It is an honour to announce the first 5 winners.

The First 5 Saints

Congratulations Nikki Berry’s dad, your daughter would like to let everyone know about your selfless acts throughout lockdown.

Thank you Karen and Dan Hughes for your hard work at Erskine Hospital as nominated by Scots Mit Cho.

Heart-warming story from Andrena about her kind brother, Wullie Whitehill.

Congratulations to Richard Murray on the birth of your baby girl! Your friend Gareth Williams didn’t hesitate in nominating you.

Thank you, Sharon Ainsworth, for bringing Tracey Vannet’s kindness to our attention.

Our Sponsors

Huge thank you to all the local businesses who jumped at the chance to join our Saints In That Number initiative.