Hi there,

As you'll hopefully be aware since leaving Supporters Direct Scotland I've been involved in gathering the views and opinions of football fans for a project to help create a fans' charter. The charter will hopefully go some way to improving the experience of going to matches and improving the relationships between clubs, fans, stewards and police and the project is supported by the SFA, SPL, SFL, Police, Scottish Government and Supporters Direct.
 
In order to get more views I've published an online survey which I hope you will be willing to complete and pass on to members of your organisation as well as friends and family who would be interested in giving their views.

Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7J8L6XG
 
The project is run independently of the Scottish FA but they have allowed me to use their website and an email address therefore some other information can be found on their website and you can contact me on [email protected].

Website: http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=2986&newsID=10205&newsCategoryID=1
 
Thanks for taking the time to read this and if you would like more info on the project please get in touch.
 
Kind Regards,
James Proctor
Project Manager
Fans' Charter

Twitter: @jamesproc

PS If you use Twitter you can follow the conversation using #fanscharter

With all the current uncertainty surrounding our club it is down to the supporters to stand up and support the club. Supporting St Mirren has always been a series of challenges and only history will show how we have coped and dealt with the current black cloud over the club.

We can only rely on ourselves and our fellow supporters to do this. No finger pointing, no stepping back leaving it to others, we all have to act as ONE and Support Our Saints.

This is time for action.

Please now:

• Buy a Season Ticket or bring a friend to the first home game and beyond
• Buy Club Merchandise, buy that strip.
• Start buying the programme again or take out the subscription.
• Get a Car Park Space if you can.

We all must generate cash going in the football club and now is the time when we need to Support Our Saints on and off the park.

SMiSA’S VIEW ON CLUB OWNERSHIP

In all of our 135 years, we believe that St. Mirren has never had a majority shareholder. Other clubs with majority shareholders, for example, Rangers, Hearts and Aberdeen, suggest that one majority shareholder is not a healthy arrangement.

The diversity of shareholding has surely been a major strength in St. Mirren avoiding the financial excesses seen elsewhere.

The questions are…

Do St. Mirren fans wish their club to continue as a community based operation under the management of a group of local people?...

Or do they wish it to be taken into the hands of either a single person?...

Or perhaps an organisation created to utilise the assets of our club to develop community facilities?

The last option is no doubt a very admirable objective but not the primary function of our football club. Of course, St. Mirren fans do have the comfort of the firm unconditional undertaking given by the current board that under no circumstances will the consortium sell their shares to an individual who could not prove to them that the club would continue to be run in the best interests of SMFC and its fans.

To celebrate the fact that SMiSA are 10 years old this year, the free St. Mirren newspaper 'The Saint' have done a two-page article on the association in their Summer 2012 edition.  All at the trust would like to thank Jack Paterson & everyone at The St. Mirren Development Association for giving the trust the space in the paper as well as their ongoing commitment to the club and supporters.

The article includes a piece from SMiSA Chairman, Alastair Colquhoun on Club Ownership and photographs from the site as well as a copy of the trust's application & standing order form.  It also features a full timeline for the trust, which we are happy to annouce is now on this website here, and will be kept updated with all future SMiSA projects and achievements.

A copy of the paper can be picked up from the St Mirren Park Main Reception and Ticket Office, or alternatively can be downloaded from the Official St Mirren Website.

At the recent meetings at St Mirren Park for both shareholders of the limited company, and season ticket holders and fans of the club, it was outlined by club chairman Stewart Gilmour that the club may find itself in a very difficult financial situation imminently; due to the decisions pending on the Newco Rangers situation and the potential loss of revenue that the club may face as a result.

In light of this, SMiSA is initiating plans to assist the club by various means of fundraising and also making a facility available for any supporter who wishes to contribute and assist in St Mirren's well-being to ensure the club survives and prospers.  This will be done under the banner of  'Support Our Saints'.

As a first step, anyone who wishes to join SMiSA and have money directed to assist the club during this time of need is invited to do so using the form available from the 'Join SMiSA' page on this site, with the additional amount desired directed to 'SMiSA Projects'.  All of this money, in addition to any raised via upcoming events and/or one-off donations will be recorded as going towards the 'Support Our Saints' campaign, with a register of receipts & names of those contributing kept.

Any supporters & other supporters groups who wish to make or organise contributions, or run events in order to assist the club are also invited to give us details.  We will help to publicise all such events and will encourage more people to help, attend, contribute & participate, as well as recording how much money was raised in all cases so that the total raised by all Saints fans to help the club is known, as well as how the amount raised has been given to the club.

If you have any proposals or ideas how we as St Mirren supporters can help to raise money for the club, please do not hesitate to contact us either by email at [email protected] or by writing to us at our address:
 

From the outset of the CIC proposals being announced we have been led to believe that one of the strengths in the deal was the debt generated to fund the purchase would be held by the CIC and not St. Mirren FC therefore the club would not be at risk in any way.

We have been aware for some time that the introduction of tougher financial fair play rules being considered by the SPL would, in the event that a Parent Company of an SPL club suffers an insolvency event, such as entering administration, result in sanctions being applied to the SPL club in question.

We raised this with Richard Atkinson at the last public meeting on 19th April 2012 and we were disappointed although no longer surprised to learn he seemed unaware of the pending changes and potential impact this could have.

This ruling amongst other came into effect on Wednesday 30th May. The CIC proposal in our opinion does indeed create potential risk for our club more so as this model is untried and untested. Every situation at every club differs to some degree so comparisons are rarely fully applicable anyway.

It is such uncertain economic times when Scottish football is in state of meltdown that we find our football club (which has been to the edge of the cliff and hauled back from oblivion) debt free. We fully understand the Consortium's desire to stand down having carried out a fantastic shift for St.Mirren but clearly selling to this CIC will be a gamble and as supporters we have to question if the risk is worth it at this time.
 

We have heard from day one that the 10000 Hours proposal is about the fans, their opinions and how this will influence the decision making process at the club. However to date we have seen very little from 10000 Hours to suggest this is anything other than telling the fans what they want to hear.
Given that 10000 Hours could very soon be in control of the club we have today asked Richard Atkinson by way of a demonstration of intent to contact the members (either those who have pledged or those who have submitted a Direct Debit Mandate form) of 10000 Hours and seek direction on establishing a position on the NewCo Rangers issue.

You may be aware that the method stated in 10000 Hours Articles for members to instruct the board is by way of generating ‘Directions’ (Clause 66 in their document if you care to have a look). We understand this exercise is not exactly the way things will operate in practice but we believe in executing this 10000 Hours will at least be a making a start and demonstrating intent by way of consulting with supporters.

We would envisage this need only take the form of a simple yes or no question on the issue - 'Should a NewCo Rangers be permitted entry into the SPL?'

We would then expect 10000 Hours to make public the outcome and maintain that position should they successfully conclude the purchase of the 52% shareholding or at least until further Direction is given from the membership.

We welcome your support in this request. We see no reason why this exercise should not be taken on if 10000 Hours do in fact believe in supporter involvement at St.Mirren. We also look forward to understanding how St. Mirren supporters see this issue.

Following from our statement dated 11th May 2012 announcing our withdrawal of support in principle for 10000 Hours we would like to update St.Mirren supporters on recent developments relating to the current remodelled proposal.

We would like to record Gordon Scott has been good enough to meet with us on a number of occasions and we would like to thank him for making the effort in engaging with the Trust in a manner that had previously been sadly lacking. We are encouraged to learn that the purchase price has been challenged however 10000 Hours remain unable to offer us anything in writing confirming this and no further detail other than the information publicly available on their website has been supplied. Our position therefore has not changed.

Having reviewed what is currently available we have to ask how this model genuinely empowers St.Mirren fans joining the CIC. Board positions are already being filled. How can this be the case in a co-operative? Co-operative principles state that ‘Co-operatives are democratic organisations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting their policies and making decisions Men and women serving as elected representatives are accountable to the membership’. When were the elections?

Are St.Mirren fans being empowered? You could be forgiven for thinking this is merely a method for transferring power from one board at the club to another ……. And using supporters money to fund it.