SMISA March Update

[stlucifer]

5 hours ago, Soctty said:

With the fans in the process of buying the club, we are a community club. We should be strengthening bonds with the local community. The community season tickets is a great idea which will bring the community closer to the club. The sponsoring of a local youth team is another way form a bond with communities, and linking closely with them. I am in complete support of both these things. If we concentrate solely on St Mirren, we risk losing the community around us, and their support is absolutely vital if we want to achieve big things. 

Saints already have their own youth teams. Would it not be more productive to try to get the community involved more with these kids. Or, working it backwards, they could get the kids involved with some community projects while wearing the Saints logo? It wouldn't have to be all the kids at one time so it wouldn't impact too much on the hard working parents. Smisa could use some of the earmarked cash for supervision

Edited April 3, 2017 by stlucifer

[Soctty]

8 minutes ago, stlucifer said:

Saints already have their own youth teams. Would it not be more productive to try to get the community involved more with these kids. Or, working it backwards, they could get the kids involved with some community projects while wearing the Saints logo? It wouldn't have to be all the kids at one time so it wouldn't impact too much on the hard working parents. Smisa could use some of the earmarked cash for supervision

Sounds like some good ideas. Things for SMiSA to take a look at. A lot of good ideas coming out, which is what people want to see.

[Kombibuddie]

And what about the other youth teams that don't get chosen.. ?? doesn't quite sit well with me, the community means all the community

I have mixed thoughts about this, at first i thought mental but then thought, what a great idea.
As the coach of a youth football team, any sponsorship is appreciated greatly. Unfortunately, my 2 teams will be exempt as they are in East London/Essex or are they [emoji43]
Anyways,

I'd suggest SMISA set a qualifying criteria of the team must be within an SFA quality accredited club.

The club has not received any other grants (there are some right greedy bastards out there that'll hoover up every last penny they can get their hands on).
The sponsorship is stipulated that it is paying for x kits with SMISA logo & it is for x seasons.

I'd also suggest that it is the younger age groups that get sponsored.
U7's or U8's.

These are impressionable ages & more appropriate for persuasion to The St Mirren way, if that is the aim.

I'd also like to hear of St Mirren supporting SMISA' community minded initiative by inviting the team to some home matches. Into the Family Stand a few times through the season (with a parent) Further reinforcing the community club ethos & hopefully encourage them to become buddies.

What i wouldn't want to see, is a cash rich club access this sponsorship when there are plenty clubs who do their best but are not as successful accessing much needed support.

[Kombibuddie]

We do have a wider strategy and have made initial moves to look at sponsoring a league, tournament or cup, be that the youth or schools setup. It's not easy though, with trying to even actually get meetings arranged being difficult.

A quick call to a league secretary would get you a fairly quick answer if the league would be interested.

When do the leagues run from & until? What's the rush to spend, our football season is just about done, you now have time to get things sorted by the start of the next season?

[BuddieinEK]

All suggestions are worth consideration at least.

Re youth team.

If worried about a potential conflict with our own youth sides then why not diversify?

St Mirren Warriors are a local wheelchair basketball team and they struggle to meet the costs of travelling to games and hiring venues.

Scottish cup finalists this year and in with a chance of winning their league, worth future consideration.

[stlucifer]

2 minutes ago, BuddieinEK said:

All suggestions are worth consideration at least.

Re youth team.

If worried about a potential conflict with our own youth sides then why not diversify?

St Mirren Warriors are a local wheelchair basketball team and they struggle to meet the costs of travelling to games and hiring venues.

Scottish cup finalists this year and in with a chance of winning their league, worth future consideration.

I think this would be a much better use of funds if SMISA really feel the need to spend.

[Kombibuddie]

All suggestions are worth consideration at least.

Re youth team.

If worried about a potential conflict with our own youth sides then why not diversify?

St Mirren Warriors are a local wheelchair basketball team and they struggle to meet the costs of travelling to games and hiring venues.

Scottish cup finalists this year and in with a chance of winning their league, worth future consideration.

Oi oi, you pulled a cracker out of the bag

[woiiftm]

Last time we were looking to give money for 1st team squad or help under 20's now we're needing to fix HoF boards or sponsor 1 youth team for a season.

No difference !           Was there really nothing suggested that would have  benefited the club more? 

Not sure that backing only 1 team is the right thing to do. What clubs are allowed to apply?  Those in P&D league? Not all local and would include Greenock! (No offence).

Might be a case of save till next time from me.

[Miss Saint]

The season ticket option - £6,000 is a hell of a lot of money and I think giving out free tickets to clubs and schools is something the club should continue to do on their own. I get the 'try and get more people through the gates/interested etc but I don't think SMISA should fund it.

The Boards....no idea about covering up etc but if its possible to cover it up go for it and spend the money on new ones.

Sponsoring a youth team...no great aye or naw for this tbh.

Right now no great ideas of what could do but do we need spend everytime, wouldn't it be nice to get a wee nest egg going...mibbe something bigger for the future?

[faraway saint]

5 hours ago, faraway saint said:

That's an interesting option as there could be "none of the above options" choice and let the money build up for possibly bigger and better things.

 

22 minutes ago, Miss Saint said:

The season ticket option - £6,000 is a hell of a lot of money and I think giving out free tickets to clubs and schools is something the club should continue to do on their own. I get the 'try and get more people through the gates/interested etc but I don't think SMISA should fund it.

The Boards....no idea about covering up etc but if its possible to cover it up go for it and spend the money on new ones.

Sponsoring a youth team...no great aye or naw for this tbh.

Right now no great ideas of what could do but do we need spend everytime, wouldn't it be nice to get a wee nest egg going...mibbe something bigger for the future?

I agree.

Edited April 3, 2017 by faraway saint

[BuddieinEK]

Oi oi, you pulled a cracker out of the bag

I will confess to having an interest in St Mirren Warriors as my best mate plays for them.

I never realised how much it cost them to keep the team going.

They fundraise through bag packs and flag days etc... and had budgeted for the season.

Problem they face is that they are in with a shout of making the play offs... In June... Which would be in Worcester and cost over 2k for travel and accommodation for a team of 12.

I have been to two games this season and these guys are an inspiration.

I watch footballers roll around feigning injury at every opportunity... and then see double amputees upside down flipping themselves upright whilst tied into a chair with not even a moan!

St Mirren Warriors play home games at the Lagoon and at Williamwood.

Each home game costs over £500 to put on as they need to hire the facilities, pay the referee, and give the visiting team snacks.

I have a declared interest butif SMISA are serious about community involvement then I would love to nominate St Mirren Warriors for future consideration.

[BuddieinEK]

[Stu]

The three options seem fine in principal, however the costs seem a bit high:

Adult season tickets is fine but surely the club could give them out at a vastly reduced rate or even for free, if they can be sure they will be used by appropriate groups.

Hall of Fame boards should have been done years ago but if poz, who was involved in designing them, says they can be done a lot cheaper then that should be explored.

Instead of sponsoring a youth team, why not have a tournament for local youth teams at the ground, the dome or the training ground at the end of the season? SMiSA could sponsor it and the money could be used to give each kid a goody bag full of Saints related goodies. Plus the folk from the youth academy could use it as a scouting session to see if there's any decent talent out there.

[BuddieinEK]

The three options seem fine in principal, however the costs seem a bit high:


Instead of sponsoring a youth team, why not have a tournament for local youth teams at the ground, the dome or the training ground at the end of the season? SMiSA could sponsor it and the money could be used to give each kid a goody bag full of Saints related goodies. Plus the folk from the youth academy could use it as a scouting session to see if there's any decent talent out there.

That is a brilliant idea.

[Isle Of Bute Saint]

26 minutes ago, BuddieinEK said:

 

I will confess to having an interest in St Mirren Warriors as my best mate plays for them.

I never realised how much it cost them to keep the team going.

They fundraise through bag packs and flag days etc... and had budgeted for the season.

Problem they face is that they are in with a shout of making the play offs... In June... Which would be in Worcester and cost over 2k for travel and accommodation for a team of 12.

I have been to two games this season and these guys are an inspiration.

I watch footballers roll around feigning injury at every opportunity... and then see double amputees upside down flipping themselves upright whilst tied into a chair with not even a moan!

St Mirren Warriors play home games at the Lagoon and at Williamwood.

Each home game costs over £500 to put on as they need to hire the facilities, pay the referee, and give the visiting team snacks.

I have a declared interest butif SMISA are serious about community involvement then I would love to nominate St Mirren Warriors for future consideration.

 

Have to agree with this. 

[Miss Saint]

29 minutes ago, BuddieinEK said:

 

 

I will confess to having an interest in St Mirren Warriors as my best mate plays for them.

I never realised how much it cost them to keep the team going.

They fundraise through bag packs and flag days etc... and had budgeted for the season.

Problem they face is that they are in with a shout of making the play offs... In June... Which would be in Worcester and cost over 2k for travel and accommodation for a team of 12.

I have been to two games this season and these guys are an inspiration.

I watch footballers roll around feigning injury at every opportunity... and then see double amputees upside down flipping themselves upright whilst tied into a chair with not even a moan!

St Mirren Warriors play home games at the Lagoon and at Williamwood.

Each home game costs over £500 to put on as they need to hire the facilities, pay the referee, and give the visiting team snacks.

I have a declared interest butif SMISA are serious about community involvement then I would love to nominate St Mirren Warriors for future consideration.

 

I think this would be a very worthy cause.

12 minutes ago, Stu said:

The three options seem fine in principal, however the costs seem a bit high:

Adult season tickets is fine but surely the club could give them out at a vastly reduced rate or even for free, if they can be sure they will be used by appropriate groups.

Hall of Fame boards should have been done years ago but if poz, who was involved in designing them, says they can be done a lot cheaper then that should be explored.

Instead of sponsoring a youth team, why not have a tournament for local youth teams at the ground, the dome or the training ground at the end of the season? SMiSA could sponsor it and the money could be used to give each kid a goody bag full of Saints related goodies. Plus the folk from the youth academy could use it as a scouting session to see if there's any decent talent out there.

Youth tournament - excellent idea!

[Stevie88]

I don't think there's any point in spending the budget, just for the sake of it. As already mentioned the season ticket idea, is a nice thought but not sure if that's where this money should be going & surely these groups could come to some agreement with the club, without money from SMISA?

The boards in the stadium will need changed, so fair enough.

Not sure about donating for one team to get new kit, can they not do their own fund raising?

IMO, we would be better keeping this money until something more beneficial comes up.

[Sonny]

Considering what Jack did with the last 8k we gave him I would give him another 8k to overtake Celtic

[faraway saint]

4 minutes ago, Sonny said:

Considering what Jack did with the last 8k we gave him I would give him another 8k to overtake Celtic

All them players for £8k? Bargain.

[Kombibuddie]

Just now, Stu said:

Instead of sponsoring a youth team, why not have a tournament for local youth teams at the ground, the dome or the training ground at the end of the season? SMiSA could sponsor it and the money could be used to give each kid a goody bag full of Saints related goodies. Plus the folk from the youth academy could use it as a scouting session to see if there's any decent talent out there.

These are popular down here but each team pays an entry fee. I took my team to West Ham United when they were U10's cost 3 years ago was £50 per team. It was played as 5 a side with 12x6 goals and a max of 3 subs (squads of 8) They had a brilliant time.

The pitch was split into 4 mini-soccer pitches, all running at the same time. 4 teams playing a round robin on each pitch with the winner of each group playing a final. 4 pitches with 4 teams each generated £800 per hour, every hour from 9am - 6pm, such was the popularity of that particular day.

The organisation of such an event is not too difficult but the logistics of getting teams on & off is a wee bit trickier and getting them off the pitch when their time is done just needs good supervision and management.

 

Stu, your idea suggests it is a freebie for every team that enters. I don't disagree but, if an entry fee was paid, it could be reinvested into each of the teams that entered and topped up with some of the SMISA funds making the SMISA community initiative stretch a whole lot further with no additional cost pressure to SMISA. Such a thing would need a few folk to help organise and manage throughout the day. Is it feasible??

29 minutes ago, BuddieinEK said:

 

 

I will confess to having an interest in St Mirren Warriors as my best mate plays for them.

I never realised how much it cost them to keep the team going.

They fundraise through bag packs and flag days etc... and had budgeted for the season.

Problem they face is that they are in with a shout of making the play offs... In June... Which would be in Worcester and cost over 2k for travel and accommodation for a team of 12.

I have been to two games this season and these guys are an inspiration.

I watch footballers roll around feigning injury at every opportunity... and then see double amputees upside down flipping themselves upright whilst tied into a chair with not even a moan!

St Mirren Warriors play home games at the Lagoon and at Williamwood.

Each home game costs over £500 to put on as they need to hire the facilities, pay the referee, and give the visiting team snacks.

I have a declared interest butif SMISA are serious about community involvement then I would love to nominate St Mirren Warriors for future consideration.

 

Your friendship gets trumped by the fact they are St Mirren Warriors basketball team  :-)

Despite my initial thoughts on the other proposals, I'd like to see TsuMirren say he'll take this back to the SMISA committee for immediate consideration. The other 3 options have time on their sides and can wait for the pot in 3 months time.

24 Season tickets? for next season, can be paid for from June's pot of gold.

HoF boards? as Poz explained, these can be done less expensively without impinging on the quality of the boards that are currently in place.

Sponsoring a youth team? football seasons are drawing to a close. Do a deal with a local kit supplier (PSL sportswear springs to mind) for a discount on the kit. Teams players move on and new players come in during the summer, a kit ordered in June (in time for the next pot of gold being ready to spend) will be ready for the new season and allows SMISA the time to receive, vet and vote on all applicants.

Sponsoring a cup in a league, is another cracking idea, cost of a quality shield would be around £200 with a further £300 for winners and runners up medals.  £500 in the 1st season and £300 (todays prices) for future seasons could see the SMISA cup being played for. Worth considering and reaches out to more teams in the community.

[Kombibuddie]

7 minutes ago, Sonny said:

Considering what Jack did with the last 8k we gave him I would give him another 8k to overtake Celtic

let it build up for a year and Barcelona will be shiting it (once again )

[TsuMirren]

Your friendship gets trumped by the fact they are St Mirren Warriors basketball team  :-)

Despite my initial thoughts on the other proposals, I'd like to see TsuMirren say he'll take this back to the SMISA committee for immediate consideration. The other 3 options have time on their sides and can wait for the pot in 3 months time.

24 Season tickets? for next season, can be paid for from June's pot of gold.

HoF boards? as Poz explained, these can be done less expensively without impinging on the quality of the boards that are currently in place.

Sponsoring a youth team? football seasons are drawing to a close. Do a deal with a local kit supplier (PSL sportswear springs to mind) for a discount on the kit. Teams players move on and new players come in during the summer, a kit ordered in June (in time for the next pot of gold being ready to spend) will be ready for the new season and allows SMISA the time to receive, vet and vote on all applicants.

Sponsoring a cup in a league, is another cracking idea, cost of a quality shield would be around £200 with a further £300 for winners and runners up medals.  £500 in the 1st season and £300 (todays prices) for future seasons could see the SMISA cup being played for. Worth considering and reaches out to more teams in the community.

 

Difficult to do anything else now as the vote is live and the links to the vote have gone out. I'll certainly take the Warriors suggestion and the netting idea that was also mentioned back to the committee.

 

With regards sponsoring leagues, cups or tournaments that firstly would be via the P&D. Second option is obviously to run our own, but I'm not entirely sure we can do anything of that sort without going through the P&D setup first. At this point though the investigation will probably need to wait until the SMISA board elections and the AGM are out the way.

 

[buddiecat]

13 hours ago, Drew said:

Fair point.

Hopefully someone from SMiSA can clarify.

All i can clarify are my thoughts on this (it's obviously up to the members to decide what to vote for/against). Absolutely fine with getting overlay adverts to cover the massive JD one on the original boards, and asking for companies/groups/individuals to sponsor a board is a good idea. Spending £1500 on replacements is a total waste of good money IMO. That's based on what we get for our spend. The new boards would be giving us nothing back, having the same effect as the existing ones, so why throw money at something you don't need, particularly when it does not get you a return.

Buying season tickets for disadvantaged community groups is a good idea, although i would hope that we gauge what interest there is before committing to buy the tickets.

Sponsoring a youth teams' kit gets my vote, because it's funding directly to youngsters and their parents who are obviously already into football and therefore the most likely type of person to consider coming along to the ground and spending some cash whilst giving support to our team. The SMiSA name on the front of the shirts also means everyone they play against, opposition players and parents/friends will all see that and we could potentially get some new members when they see that we want to help the youngsters in our wider community.

[buddiecat]

9 hours ago, Hambud said:

I don't really see it as an issue.

It can only be a good thing to be seen to be helping that level of football.

However given the negative comments what about sponsoring a cup or one of the leagues so that the funding goes to all participants?

Made it a project of mine to contact youth league and school league management committees, one set said thanks but no thanks the other said great idea then never replied to my next email where i asked for a meeting to talk it over and get their ideas (which was 2 months ago) so i never gave up and went along the individual team route which obviously would be one team at a time, but no reason not to consider the idea at every quarter spend and get the name on shirts of a good few teams, then hold a SMiSA cup tournament with all of them and others being invited to play, that's my ultimate aim, no need for SMiSA to get involved in running it, get the teams to run it and perhaps add to their own funds, we just finance it.

[Guest TPAFKATS]

Apologies if it's been explained earlier in this thread, but wouldn't joma want to cover over the jd adverts on the side of the stands?