St Johnstone CEO, Fran Smith, has pledged that McDiarmid Park will be a protected part of the name of a rebranded stadium.
Smith, with owner Adam Webb’s backing, has started the ball rolling to bring in extra income for the Perth club by selling naming rights for the 10,000 capacity ground on the outskirts of the city.
It’s the biggest untapped commercial opportunity open to Saints to back head coach, Simo Valakari, in the summer transfer market and the initial response from the business community has been positive.
And, with fan opinion split on the subject after news broke over the weekend that Smith had fired the starting gun with a post on networking platform LinkedIn, the chief executive has given a guarantee that the surname of the man whose land the stadium was built on, Bruce McDiarmid, will be retained should a sponsor be brought on board.
“I’ve come in here to change the commercial path the club was on,” Smith told Courier Sport.
“We’re working on a five-year strategy that will go to the board of directors to sign off.
“Part of that is about maximising the brand value.
“We’ve got the refresh of the club badge coming up, which will be launched in April.
“That has helped with our new front of shirt sponsorship, which is happening. It will be an increase of over £60,000 a year.
“But the biggest one for me is the stadium naming rights.
“The reason for that is it’s one of the easiest ways to make commercial money.
“I understand that there will be people upset by it because of the history involved.
“But McDiarmid Park will always be McDiarmid Park no matter what happens.
“We’re looking for a partner to either be in front of McDiarmid Park or behind McDiarmid Park.
“It will never be something like ‘The Tony Macaroni Stadium’. It will always incorporate McDiarmid Park.
“It could be something like ‘Kellogg’s Stadium at McDiarmid Park’ or ‘Kellogg’s McDiarmid Park’.
“At the end of the day, fans will call it what they want to call it.
“But from a corporate sponsorship point of view, they’ll have their name on the stadium and all the exposure that brings.
“We need to grow the footprint of the club.”
Business platform
By posting the naming rights opportunity on LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional social network, Smith was using a technique with proven success for him and St Johnstone.
“The goal is to generate interest in the business world,” he explained. “It’s about investigating a potential revenue stream.
“LinkedIn is a platform for driving business.
“I’ve got business and sponsorship from there in the past. That’s how introductions happen.
“It has sparked interest.
“I’ve had five or six inquiries already and three proper conversations – during one of which I’ve been asked what the terms are.
“It’s for next season but we need to start the conversation now because June isn’t far away.”
As long as Webb is the owner of St Johnstone and Smith is the CEO, the club will have open lines of communication from the terraces to the boardroom, albeit with client confidentialities respected.
“Come and talk to us,” said Smith with regards to fans who are concerned about a potential stadium name change.
“Fans can get hold of me whenever they want to.
“They can email in, of course.
“And I go into the Muirton Suite prior to the match now. Myself and another director, Daniel Lamb, spend around 15 to 20 minutes there.
“People can come and talk to me then – the same at half-time when I’m in the stand rather than the boardroom. I was in the kiosk at half-time for the Hearts game.
“I want to be available for people to have a conversation. That’s the way Adam sees it as well.
“But it’s open conversation to an extent, of course.
“If we’re going out for a naming partner, I’m not going to tell supporters the businesses we have battling for it.
“We’ve got to be mindful we’re in a competitive field.
“No club in Scotland goes out to their supporters to seek permission to do commercial deals.
“But sometimes we just have to move forward on brand exposure – there’s stadium naming rights, the astroturf naming rights, the training ground, the scoreboard, we’re investing in LED boards on the side of the pitch.
“Everything we do is about maximising revenue to support the product supporters see on the pitch.
“Adam has spoken about his vision from the beginning of his tenure.
“He wants to create as many revenue opportunities as we can to bring the money in to improve the team.
“Adam has given a clear brief on what he wants from me.
“We’re going in the right direction.”
International outlook
The world is St Johnstone’s oyster when it comes to this latest sponsorship venture.
“We’re looking at international partnerships rather than just local,” said Smith.
“To gain an international partner you need to offer something bigger.
“The biggest thing we can offer is McDiarmid Park naming rights.
“It will depend on what type of company we get involved and how long the deal is.
“But it could be anything from £100,000 to £250,000. It would certainly be a six-figure fee.”
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