[emoji16] Dear Cookie Monster, We are delighted to share with you today some exciting news which marks the start of the countdown to us becoming majority owners of St Mirren next year. To thank you for your continued commitment, the club board have decided to gift the naming rights to the stadium to SMISA for the rest of season 2020/21. That means, from tonight, we will be watching our team take to the field in The SMISA Stadium. The gesture from the club is designed to mark what will be the last season before the club becomes majority fan owned – as we can also today confirm we are on track to complete the share purchase in the summer. Our legal agreement with Gordon Scott currently says this will happen by the end of 2021 – but thanks to the commitment of our members – past and present - we will have the share purchase money and a sizeable cash reserve sooner than hoped. And Gordon has confirmed he is happy to complete the share purchase on a date to be decided in the close-season. As our goal of majority fan ownership gets within touching distance, it’s worth taking a moment to remember how far we’ve come. When we started the Buy The Buds campaign back in 2016, SMISA had just 200 members and at that time we expected it would take 1,000 members ten years to deliver the buyout. Five years on, there remains more than 1,160 of us – and we stand on the brink of taking our club into the hands of the people who will care for it most and at the heart of the local community for future generations. Along the way you have invested in your club – with the new 4G surface at Ralston, part-funding the wheelchair platform in the main stand, investing in the youth academy, community season tickets, pre-match entertainment for young fans, and stadium murals being just some of the highlights. And your overwhelming support made possible our and the club’s unique partnership with another long-established Paisley institution – Kibble – who are now bringing new resource and expertise to the running of St Mirren. All of that was down to you. And while circumstances bigger than football mean we can’t be inside the stadium at the moment, the fact it’s now SMISA’s name above the door shows how much your contribution is recognised and valued by us and by the club. Hopefully this is all some welcome good news after a tough few weeks for all Buddies – and we can mark the stadium’s new name with a win tonight against Dundee Utd. We’ve been busy behind the scenes of late and will be bringing you more updates in the near future. Thank you again for making all of this possible The SMISA committee