Moving St Johnstone away from McDiarmid Park is “pie in the sky” at present, according to new owner, Adam Webb.
There may come a day when the majority shareholder seeks to engage Perth and Kinross Council in exploring the possibility of finding a new home.
But, for the time being, working with the local authority to make best use of Saints’ 22-acre edge-of-town site is the biggest development priority.
“If this club didn’t have any real estate it would have sold for a lesser price,” Webb explained.
“People were kicking the tyres and saying: ‘I don’t want to pay that much for a Scottish Premiership club’.
“For me, the real estate is a fantastic asset as we go forward.
“There are a huge range of possibilities.
“If the city (Perth and Kinross Council) were to approve a glorious mixed use development then we could sell all the real estate and build a training ground and stadium elsewhere, as well as have potentially money left over that would benefit the club for decades to come.
“That’s one possibility.
“But it’s what I would describe as ‘pie in the sky’ at this point.
“Governmental approval is the hardest part of that whole puzzle.
“In the meantime, I think we should make use of the real estate to help the club.
“We are already brain-storming on those ideas. We want win-win solutions for the city and the club.
“It’s criminal for some of that real estate not to be utilised.”
Starting the process
Webb, who has already committed to upgrading McDiarmid’s dilapidated car park, doesn’t intend wasting time as far as new opportunities are concerned.
“We will be advancing proposals when it’s appropriate,” he said.
“It’s an amazing facility for playing, training and parking but there’s additional prime acreage that should be utilised for the benefit of the community, the local economy and the club.
“It’s a major goal to start that process in the next few months.
“Geoff (Brown) is going to take all the proceeds from this sale and put it into a community recreational hub where the community trust can do all of the great work that it does.
“What an incredible thing for the whole city, the whole area.
“We are going to be part of that but we need government to assist and to be a full partner.
“We will do everything we have to do on our end and I hope they will on their end.”
Diverse business interests
Webb is a partner in a legal firm, and built a reputation as one of America’s leading litigators.
“I’m on the board of an electric boat company,” said Webb. “We’ve been making boats for 45 years.
“I have real estate that I own.
“And I’m on the board of a medical company that has a network of infusion centres around the country.
“These are interests that are not my core competency but they are very useful for me to understand the greater business world.”
He added: “I’ve represented outdoor advertising companies for 27 years.
“Around town here there are digital signs that have gone up recently. That’s the kind of thing McDiarmid Park should also benefit from.
“I’ve owned numerous signs like that and involved with clients.
“Some of my background will be useful. Some is just jumping off-point to learn of other businesses.”
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