St Johnstone CEO, Fran Smith, has revealed that the Perth club have secured a long-term kit sponsor despite the fact that their Premiership status is under threat.
And bringing a national company on board, regardless of whether 2025/26 will see top-flight or second tier football played at McDiarmid Park, is evidence of that change of emphasis.
“We’ve been trying to pick the shirts for next season already,” said Smith in an in-house interview. “Then trying to negotiate deals with companies.
“The league position obviously didn’t help at that time.
“We’ve negotiated some really good deals for our shirt sponsorship. They’ll be announced very soon.
“It’s exciting because it’s a national coming in to sponsor Saints and it will be on a two to three-year deal. That’s what we’ve agreed.
“Rather than living year to year we’re now looking to sign people up for two to three years. It’s about long-term planning.”
The pitch
Meanwhile, Smith pledged that improving the state of the McDiarmid playing surface is a club priority over the next few months.
And he implored supporters not to direct their annoyance at the staff tasked with looking after it.
“We understand that people are frustrated at how the pitch looks,” said Smith.
“We’ve had reports done recently and our pitch comes out at a three-star pitch, only eight percentage points off being a four-star pitch, even with the grass coverage that it has got.
“It is frustrating.
“The groundsman, the grounds team and everyone at the club is working hard on improving the look of it.
“So, we’re using heat lamps where we can, and we have invested in a new spreader which is going to come to do more grass seed.
“We ask supporters to be mindful that these people are just trying to do their job.
“They are individuals who are employed and have taken stick and abuse at times, but we have to be mindful that they are human beings.
“We know it doesn’t look good – we acknowledge that as a club. We’ll give them the tools and support that we can.”
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