SMiSA News

SMiSA Banner up at The Dome

banner at domeDoesn't our Banner at the Dome look great ? You can help your Supporters Trust help fund Youth Development for only £2.00 a month. Please do it today.
 
http://www.smisa.net/join-the-trust

SMiSA Meeting with Youth Development

SMiSA had a very productive meeting last night with David Longwell from St Mirren Youth Development. it was most worthwhile for both sides and we are looking forward to some exciting ventures throughout the new season.

A Letter From the Trust Secretary, John White

Fellow Buds

For two or so years now SMiSA, The St.Mirren Supporters Trust, has been on the face of it relatively quiet and has not been in a position to pursue its aims and purpose as vigorously as we would all have liked. Although situations out with our control such as the inability to purchase unissued shares in St.Mirren thus restricting our investment in the club and the focus of all connected with the club on the unsuccessful bid for community ownership, SMiSA has still continued with ongoing Youth Development sponsorship, organised various events for the fans and general financial support for the club, such as providing the bulk of the funding for the dome.

Having since reorganised the committee and with the willingness of some individual members to get involved has provided us with a new impetus to get our targets back on track.

The changing face of football finances and the seemingly out of control ownership issues of football clubs generally provided the realisation that sitting on a large sum of money that was going nowhere coupled with the needs or the desire of the consortium to sell their majority shareholding to a single owner would diminish our long held belief of any independent supporter representation on the board of St.Mirren, where ultimately the potential future of our club could end up in the hands of any individual who may have no concern or moral obligation to St.Mirren, it’s fans or the community it represents, but perhaps they may only be interested in the club as a personal trophy or even just the value of the assets of the club !

You may consider this unlikely based on the current circumstances at St.Mirren but some fans of other Scottish clubs also thought the same when their clubs handed over the majority shareholding to seemingly credible individuals such as Brooks Mileson, Craig Whyte, Angelo Massone, or Vladimir Romanov.

It is becoming more prevalent for the stability and long term future of clubs for the decision makers and the custodians of the club to be made up of people who have a lifelong affiliation with it.

That’ll be you !

To ensure St.Mirren remains in the hands of its supporters for the next 137 years as it has done for the past 137, it needs the fans of today to be willing to contribute to the development of the club and be a part of a consolidated voice of the vast majority and for the club to grow and thrive from that base of enthusiasm and involvement.

The St.Mirren Supporters Trust intend for this group representation to be realised in a number of ways……
  • To increase the trust membership to include every fan who has an association with St.Mirren.
  • To increase the trust shareholding in St.Mirren through ongoing private share purchase.
  • To gain backing and involvement from all local political and business partners within Renfrewshire.
  • To use the experience and government backed involvement of Supporters Direct.

If you are part of any of the above groups we would love to hear from you but most of all we need you to join the Trust and become a member of SMiSA

For as little as £2 per month you will be playing your part in helping to ensure all fans have a strong collective representation in St.Mirren, allow ongoing sponsorship and positive results of the Youth Development facility at Ralston and ensure the continuation of supporter related events.

Our website has recently been upgraded, where you can now sign up on line or if you prefer you can contact us by any of the following means below

Website………. www.smisa.net

Email…………… [email protected]

Post…………….. The St.Mirren Supporters Trust, 10 Deanston Avenue, Barrhead, G78 2BP

Call or text….. 0759 616 5194

Twitter………… @1877societyltd

Facebook……. www.facebook.com/1877societyltd

SMiSA, The St.Mirren Supporters Trust is a registered I.P.S. which includes legal and binding rules such as one person one vote.

Thank you

John White
Secretary on behalf of SMiSA

coys

SMiSA Player of the Year Night 2014

On Saturday, May 10th SMiSA - The St Mirren Supporters Trust held its annual Player of the Year Event at the University of the West of Scotland Student Union in Storie Street, Paisley for the 2013-14 season.
 
From all at the trust we would like to thank all of the good buddies who attended the event, and to the fans groups and websites who presented awards on the night as well as the staff from UWS for hosting the event.  The trust's award for Player of the Year went to John McGinn, with the Young Player award shared jointly by Sean Kelly & Jason Naismith.
 
The trust also made a special recognition award to St Mirren's longstanding tannoy announcer & DJ, Phil Clark, who we also thank for being the Master of Ceremonies on the night.
 
All proceeds raised on the night will go towards player sponsorship in next year's St Mirren programme.
 
The full list of award recipients from the night are as follows:
 
SMiSA St Mirren Supporters Trust Player of the Year Award

John McGinn
(Presented by Fraser & John Watt)
 

 
SMiSA St Mirren Supporters Trust Young Player of the Year

Sean Kelly & Jason Naismith
(joint winners - presented by John White)
 
 
 
Chivas Travel Club

Kenny McLean
(presented by Ross & Andy Irvine)
 
 
 
Cockles Wilson Bull Inn Supporters Club Player of the Year

John McGinn
(presented by Rachel & Jayden Walker)
 
 
 
Cockles Wilson Bull Inn Supporters Club Young Player of the Year

Jason Naismith
(presented by Rachel & Jayden Walker)
 
 
 
The Robert Stillie Memorial Trophy Player of the Year

John McGinn
(presented by Allan Robertson & Howard Mercer)
 
 
 
UWS Paisley Students Union Player of the Year

Marian Kello
(presented by Holly McCormack & Siobhan Fordyce)
 
 
 
The Black & White Army.com Website Player of the Year
(presented by Fraser Anderson, Dave MacDonald & Gary Hunter)
 
1st Place - John McGinn
2nd Place - Steven Thompson
3rd Place - Kenny McLean
 
 
 
SMiSA St Mirren Supporters Trust Recognition Award

Phil Clark
(Presented by Alastair Colquhoun)
 
Photos from the event can be seen here, gratefully provided by Trust Sponsor, Allan Picken.
 
Again from all at the trust, we would like to thank all those good buddies who attended this year's event, and hope to see you all again for the 2014-15 event next year!
 
 

SMiSA Statement on Existing Share Purchase & Paisley Daily Express Advert

Today SMiSA has released a statement, and placed an advert in the Paisley Daily Express newspaper relating to the purchase of existing shares in St Mirren Football Club Ltd. Below are the details of both the advert, and the statement:
 

 
Advert:
 
S.M.I.S.A. – St. Mirren Supporters Trust – has funds available to acquire shares from existing shareholders in St. Mirren F.C. Ltd. Details of the Trust can be found on its website at www.smisa.net all enquires welcomed on line or email [email protected] or txt or call 0759 616 5194 and someone will contact you to discuss.
 
Alternatively if any shareholder wishes to retain their shares but would consider granting their proxy vote to the Supporters Trust please also use the above contact details.
 

 
Statement:
 
S.M.I.S.A. – St. Mirren Supporters Trust – is a non profit making concern incorporated on 26 June, 2003 as an industrial and provident Society registered under The Financial Services Authority.
 
The trust has fulfilled a number of roles in its 10 years of existence principally: -
  • Communicating with the club on fan issues. 
  • Fund raising for the football club. 
  • organisation of events bringing fans and players together.  
  • Building a shareholding in St. Mirren F.C. Ltd. funded by members subscriptions.
The trust has contributed well in excess of £100K to the club by way of purchase of shares, loans and donations over 12 years. These funds have been raised in the main from members monthly subscriptions. The membership comprises Saints Supporters who have chosen to do a bit extra for the club over and above their expenditure on attending matches and purchasing club merchandise. The most recent contribution was the sum of £50K to enable the construction of the air dome to proceed.
 
In the past, the trust has acquired shares directly from the football club but this avenue is no longer available and the trust members have voted to use their funds to buy shares from other shareholders.
 
Trust members are disappointed that their funds will not go for the benefit of the club as originally intended but they consider it vital at this time to look to maximise their shareholding in the club.
 
The current attempt by 5 shareholders to establish and sell a majority shareholding thereby creating a new single owner of the club will eliminate any influence on the affairs of our community football club by the remaining minority shareholders who own some 48% of the shares in the club but are not represented on the board. It is the aim of the trust to ensure that St. Mirren remains truly a community football club and avoids the fate which has befallen so many other clubs with single owners.
 
The trust is aware that there are several hundred shareholders in the club many of whom may have acquired the shares through inheritance for example and have no allegiance or indeed interest in St. Mirren. The trust is giving them the opportunity to dispose of these shares safe in the knowledge that they are passing into the hands of a long established properly constituted trust which is required to hold the shares in perpetuity and is prevented from disposing of them by its trust deed.
 
The trust currently holds 3877 shares in St. Mirren Football Club Ltd.

SMiSA Player of the Year Event - Saturday May 10th

The St Mirren Supporters Trust is hosting a Player of the Year event on behalf of a number of the other supporters clubs and this will be held at the University of the West of Scotland Students Union, Storie Street, Paisley on Saturday 10th May 2014 after the Hearts game.. Doors open at 3.00pm and tickets are available from the club shop at St Mirren Park and cost £2.00 each. Any unsold tickets will be available to purchase at the door.
 
The event is there for any club or individual to make an award and if you wish to do so please get in touch with us no later than Wednesday 07th May to be included in the presentations. 
 
There will be a raffle at the event and all proceeds will be returned to St.Mirren by way of programme advertising. All fans of all ages are welcome to come along. You can vote on the SMiSA award by emailing [email protected] tell us who you are voting for and why.

Foodbank Collection – St Mirren Park, 19th April 2014

A week on Saturday St Mirren fans will come together at St Mirren Park to back Saints in their opening post-split Premiership match-up with Hibernian which is sure to be quite a battle. But we are also wanting to help in another battle and that is in the growing fight against hunger within our communities.

Over the last few years the hardship that many of us face has grown as families are finding it harder to put food on the table but thankfully the growth of Foodbanks has been helping that battle and at St Mirren FC, as a community club, we want to play our part in that battle and we’re asking our fans to join us.

On Saturday 19th April between 2:00pm and 3:00pm, St Mirren Park will act as a collection point for food donations for the Renfrewshire Foodbank.

Members of the St Mirren Fan’s Council, ‘Street Stuff’ Volunteers and members of the St Mirren FC Community Trust will be looking to collect your donations for Renfrewshire’s Foodbank at St Mirren Park on Saturday 19th April between 2 and 3pm. If you can bring any of the following types of items (foodstuff that won’t spoil) the volunteers will be delighted to collect it!

 

• Milk (UHT or powdered)

• Sugar

• Fruit juice (carton)

• Soup

• Pasta sauces

• Sponge pudding (tinned)

• Tomatoes (tinned)

• Cereals

• Rice pudding (tinned)

• Tea Bags/instant coffee

• Instant mash potato

• Rice/pasta

• Tinned meat/fish

• Tinned fruit

• Jam

• Biscuits or snack bars

The volunteers will make themselves known to you and all Fan’s Council members will have ID badges approved by the club.

The collection points will be as follows:
  • South Stand – Middle between Turnstile 7-8 and 9-10
  • West Stand – Beside the West Stand Ticket office between Turnstiles 11-14 and 15-16
  • Main Stand – Two collection points beside the Ticket Uplift Window for Turnstiles 1-3 and Hospitality Entrance for Turnstiles 4-6
Renfrewshire Foodbank is part of the Trussell Trust Foodbanks. It provides emergency food to local people in crisis. It provides a minimum of 3 days food to those in need. People in Britain face hunger from time to time for a variety of reasons from Debt to Benefit delays to the new Welfare Reform stipulations. Renfrewshire Foodbank seeks to deal with the immediate crisis of food provision and go on from there to listen to the person and establish the root cause of the issue. We then signpost clients to agencies best placed to deal with the root cause. this prevents a dependency culture building up and in turn restores dignity and revives hope to those in need. Trussell Trust Foodbanks like Renfrewshire's work closely with other agencies to this ends. These agencies also hold food vouchers to issue to clients, therefore ensuring that the most in need benefit from the service.
 
(Details from the St Mirren Official Website)

 

Supporters Direct Scotland - National Football Survey

 
Click to undertake the survey - opens new window
 
The Supporters Direct Scotland National Football Survey, in association with the Scottish FA, is the second national football survey carried out, the first being conducted twelve months ago by the Scottish FA.

The survey seeks to bring a greater understanding of supporters’ perceptions of football's role within Scottish society, the match day experience, governance of the game as well as grassroots and youth development, among other topics.

Football fans can access the survey here. The survey launched yesterday and will close on Friday the 25th of April.

Paul Goodwin, Head of Supporters Direct Scotland said "Supporters are critical to the game in Scotland and will be increasingly so in the future. It's essential they are engaged in debates and discussions about the future of the game through surveys on key topics here. They are the lifeblood of the game and any changes to the game should have their best interests in mind".
 
Stewart Regan, Chief Executive of the Scottish FA, said: “The National Football Survey is essential in canvassing the thoughts of football fans in Scotland, regardless of the level of the game they are involved in. This survey poses a range of questions which we're seeking feedback and their views on for the benefit of the game.
 
“Last year’s survey gave the fans’ perspective on league reconstruction and already you can see the benefits of such areas as the pyramid and play-offs, both of which received the overwhelming support of the game’s fans.
 
Remember, we're always looking for your views and opinions on the game's most pressing issues and there's numerous ways you can get involved. Please visit the Fans Parliament page on our website or contact us directly to see how you can get involved and give your views.

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