ST Mirren Football Club, the symbiosis between a club and its community

The three P's of St. Mirren FC: Paisley, People, Performance
If you wanted, you could add a fourth: pride. Yes, because St. Mirren FC was one of the founders of the Scottish Football League and it is one of the oldest football clubs in Scotland. It was 1875 when a group of young men from Paisley, a town located in the central-western part of the Scottish Lowlands, decided to found a cricket and rugby club that a couple of years later became a club for the sport that was becoming so popular throughout the country. From its inception, St. Mirren has been closely linked to its city, starting with its name, which initially was Saint Mirin, in honour of an Irish monk and patron saint of Paisley. He had built a chapel, which later became a monastery, and then an abbey (where the Scottish hero William Wallace also received his education) near a waterfall of the White Cart River, around which the present city was built. From St Mirin, it soon changed to St Mirren, taking its name from a town street.

Paisley-St.Mirren, a team and a community
Since the beginning of its history, members and local business people have always actively contributed to the club's livelihood. It is believed that the reference to the town's patron saint in the club's name was a request from a certain Mr Pollock, a yarn merchant from Underwood Road, who offered to contribute ten shillings as long as the club's name had a close town reference. From then to now, the link with Paisley and its community has never diminished; in fact, it has strengthened, and now St.Mirren is what is known as a fan-owned club where the fans have 50 per cent of the shares, while another 25 per cent belongs to a social enterprise and charity company, Kibble. Kibble is one of Scotland's oldest charities, established even before St.Mirren. Its origins date back to 1840, the year of death of Miss Elizabeth Kibble, heiress to a large textile fortune, who left a part of her wealth to 'found and endow Paisley with an institution to rehabilitate young people in distress'. This mission continues to this day, shared by club and supporters alike, and has given rise to a rich series of initiatives such as the 'Street Stuff Project', which provides free sporting and social activities aimed at young people and children who might otherwise not be able to afford it. The issues addressed are numerous, such as child poverty, mental health, physical well-being, sustainability, and the world of work.

People-St.Mirren, people as the great wealth of a community
Wearing the shirt of a club always goes beyond the sporting fact: it is a sense of belonging to a story, to a community, to its people. People are always at the centre of a project, so St.Mirren organises training sessions involving fans, stakeholders and those working within the club to promote equality and diversity. Continuous meetings between staff members create a healthy, constructive and creative working environment. There is also a campaign called 'Behind the Saints' where people who work within the club and are crucial to its success talk about their work, growth and contribution. This is the strength of St. Mirren, which stems from the belief that the community is the backbone of the club and the fans its skeleton and that each year leads to the development of projects that help strengthen an already powerful bond.

Performance-St.Mirren, when results come from planning
And then it comes down to the pitch, the game and the results. To do this, St.Mirren has invested in the stadium and training areas to create an environment where the players' qualities can be honed and to develop an environment where every facility works at its best. These goals are achieved by trying to have a uniform culture at all levels, from the first team to the youth team, by identifying delegated figures to act as intermediaries between the various sectors. Performance also means sharing, and in this direction also goes the decision to have the women's team play in the same stadium as the men's, allowing for continuous comparison and contact between the two realities. The goal is to ensure that more women have the opportunity to interact with the club, whether by working within it, getting closer to football or generally feeling supported by the club.

The values that always make the difference
In a sports club, results are always significant, but so are the values that define the club's philosophy and strategy. These are the same values Macron strongly believes in and which make any partnership with a club like St.Mirren, which aims to be the best community-focused football club in Scotland, special. Paisley. People, Performance: the clear mission is to make a difference through joint effort, sharing, high standards of good management, social responsibility, and environmental respect. This is what makes one a hero of oneself, on and off the pitch, and St.Mirren has chosen to be all of these.