Official Report 903KB pdf
The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S6M-14331, in the name of George Adam, on St Mirren announcing its landmark partnership with the University of the West of Scotland. The debate will be concluded without any question being put. I invite members who wish to participate to press their request-to-speak buttons.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament congratulates St Mirren on its landmark partnership with the University of the West of Scotland (UWS); understands this partnership will enable the two Paisley-based institutions to work together to develop the relationship between sport and academia in Scotland, enriching the learning and research opportunities available to UWS students and staff and supporting St Mirren to improve standards across all facets of the club; praises St Mirren on its commitment to Paisley and the community, and acknowledges what it sees as the excellent example that it sets as a fan-owned community-focused football club.
17:03
Deputy Presiding Officer, no one will be surprised that my first members’ business debate as I return to the back benches is focused on Paisley and St Mirren—two of the three great loves of my life. I am going to shock you some more—and shock everyone—with a quote from a Labour councillor. This was said some time ago, at one of the many dramatic moments in the history of St Mirren Football Club. He said:
“Paisley is St Mirren and St Mirren is Paisley”,
and that is as true now as it was then. The club has served the people of Paisley since its inception in 1877, and it is a major part of our town’s past and will be important in the future, too.
For me and for countless buddies, the club is not just a team—it is a way of life. It is the black-and-white stripes, and it has brought us moments of unbridled joy and pride. It is the roar of the crowd at what was once Love Street and is now the SMISA—St Mirren Independent Supporters Association—stadium. It is the history that we cherish: lifting the Scottish cup in 1987, winning the league cup in 2013 and surviving against the odds, time and time again—and that is just during my lifetime.
Countless generations have been there before me and felt the sadness, fear and unbridled joy of being a St Mirren supporter. Members will be aware of the importance of the football team to me and my wife, Stacey, and our family. So many key parts of our life are intertwined with St Mirren, both on and off the park. There was a time when we won the championship in 2000—the millennial season in the old first division—and we were in a pub celebrating among all the St Mirren supporters. I got up on the karaoke and started singing “Angels”. At this point, Stacey instantly thought, “Here he goes again—big romantic that he is, he’s going to be singing that to me.” Most of the time, as we all know, I will direct that towards Stacey, but this one time, I finished the song with, “I’m loving St Mirren instead.” I have never heard the end of that, but here we are, in 2025, and things are still going strong.
That is because St Mirren is about more than just football—it is an integral part of Paisley and is a symbol of our community spirit and determination to succeed. When the fan-led buy-out took place, I was immensely proud to support that effort. It was about not just ownership, but empowerment and putting the future of our beloved club in the hands of the people who truly care for it. That buy-out laid the foundation for the success that we see today, both on and off the pitch.
However, today’s debate is about not just one Paisley institution, but two. The other one has also been a part of the town for a very long time. What was then called the Paisley College of Technology opened its door in 1897, becoming the University of Paisley in 1992 and finally the University of the West of Scotland in 2007. Both club and university have served their town for a very long time, and this debate is about a collaboration that resonates deeply with the heart of Paisley—a partnership that embodies our town’s values of community, ambition and resilience.
Now, through the partnership with UWS, St Mirren is taking its commitment to our community to new heights. The University of the West of Scotland is another cornerstone of our town—a world-class institution that is shaping the future of our young people. Together, those two pillars of our town are creating opportunities that will resonate far beyond football. Since the partnership began, more than 30 UWS students have gained invaluable experience with St Mirren. From coaching and sports science to media and journalism, they have had the chance to apply their skills in a professional setting. The partnership is about not just work experience or a work placement, but equipping our young people with the tools that they need to succeed, while strengthening St Mirren’s operations across the board.
One of the exciting aspects of the collaboration is its focus on youth development. Thanks to UWS’s cutting-edge research, the club’s youth academy players are benefiting from innovative approaches that go beyond football. Mental resilience, psychological strength and character development are now at the heart of the St Mirren training programme, which is creating not just great players, but great people, too.
The partnership is also testament to the role that our institutions play in the life of our town. As I said, St Mirren and UWS are not just organisations—they are symbols of Paisley’s identity. They bring people together, create opportunities and showcase the town on a national and international stage. The collaboration underscores what we can achieve when we work together and invest in our young people, and when we believe in the power of community.
As part of the partnership programme that I mentioned earlier—fleetingly—UWS is expanding its reach by bringing journalism students into the fold to enhance St Mirren’s media activities. The collaboration is ensuring that every corner of the club, from the men’s and women’s first teams to the youth academy, benefits from the skills and dedication of Paisley’s future professionals.
The partnership is also a reminder of the role that St Mirren and UWS play in our town. They bring people together, create opportunities and elevate Paisley on the map. Whether it is the roar of the crowd at the SMISA stadium or the hum of activity at the UWS campus, those institutions feed our collective pride and ambition. As Paisley’s MSP, I see at first hand the importance of investing in such partnerships; they show what we can achieve when we trust in our community and its potential. For Paisley, it is more than a collaboration—it is a celebration of who we are and what we can accomplish together.
Today, I ask members in the chamber to join me in applauding the partnership, not just for what it represents now but for what it will bring in the years to come. It is partnerships such as this one that will ensure the success of our town, our people and our institutions. Together, we are building a more positive Paisley and investing in our young people’s future.
UWS and St Mirren are demonstrating what I believe to be the key parts of being a Paisley buddie: a belief in community, ambition, resilience and pride. Those are Paisley’s values, and the agreement between the two institutions embodies that. Let us here, today, take those values as they are and ensure that the great town of Paisley continues to be the remarkable place that it is. [Applause.]
Thank you, Mr Adam. We move to the open debate.
17:10
I congratulate George Adam on bringing the debate to the chamber. I know that this really sticks in his craw, but I, too, have a connection with St Mirren, because I used to coach there. I remember Mr Adam’s dismay when he discovered not only that I was a Tory, but that I used to coach at his beloved St Mirren.
I also remember when he decided that he was going to introduce me to the legend that is Jimmy Bone, only to find out that it was Jimmy who had brought me to St Mirren in the first place. I have chuckled about that long and hard. I also have to tell Mr Adam that I have a connection with UWS in Paisley, because my daughter is a graduate of the institution, so I am very pleased to be able to contribute to the debate.
When I came to St Mirren in the 1990s, I found it interesting that the training methodology in football at that time was archaic. It was based on what had been learned from the previous manager, the manager before that and so on, and there was no real structure for a physiological approach. As we know, sport has moved on so much, especially in Europe, and the partnership between St Mirren and Paisley is, to me, the embodiment of how communities should work.
As Mr Adam has alluded to many times in the chamber, St Mirren Football Club is the centre of the community, and that is true for many football clubs across Scotland, especially those that I would class as the minor clubs outside, say, Rangers and Celtic—
Members: Oh!
Thank you.
I am thinking about the ability of those clubs to reach into a community in a way that statutory services cannot. I am well aware of some of the work that is done across Scotland. For example, Heart of Midlothian brings men into the changing room to talk about mental health, and I know that many clubs bring in their local communities to participate in initiatives relating to health and nutrition. They are reaching people in ways that statutory services cannot. The collaboration between UWS and St Mirren has massive potential to reach far into the community.
A while back, I was a member of a couple of parliamentary committees that brought in the Scottish Football Association to give evidence because we were worried about what it was doing with youth in Scotland and the way in which it was treating young people. From what I gather, there is potential for UWS to have a positive impact on mental health and psychological resilience, which would address the concerns that were raised at that time in the Health and Sport Committee and the Public Petitions Committee—Mr Adam and I both sat on the Health and Sport Committee—about the way in which football was treating our youth.
Anything to do with football is dangerous territory for me to involve myself in, but when I chaired the Health and Sport Committee many moons ago, there were concerns about representatives from premiership clubs going to young children’s football matches and promising them the earth—of course, they were discarded later on. Can you advise whether the situation in that regard has moved on, so that we do not have that happening to young boys and girls who may be let down?
That is good timing from my colleague, because we are currently considering whether to revisit the issue in committee to see whether anything has moved on. Since I was on the relevant committees, I now have two grandchildren who are currently with premiership clubs, at 12 years old, and I am very well aware of how they are being treated. It seems to me that the situation has improved somewhat over the piece, but it would be interesting—and I would be keen—to see how the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee might revisit the issue and what might come out on the back of that.
Back then, we heard in committee that the SFA would gather as many players as it could into its youth academy, and then just cut them, as Christine Grahame said. Promising young people the earth and then just cutting them off can cause mental health problems. The collaboration between UWS and St Mirren is therefore a fantastic way forward, and a way in which we can look after the youngsters—the academy players—in the club.
I see that I am running well over my time, Deputy Presiding Officer. I say to Mr Adam that I will watch with interest to see how the collaboration goes forward, and I hope that it can potentially become a blueprint for the way in which other clubs can take their youth academies forward.
17:15
I congratulate my friend and colleague, and fellow St Mirren supporter, George Adam, on securing the debate. I say to Christine Grahame that, although she might not know a lot about football, she would still make the Morton first team. [Laughter.] If anyone has not seen the team’s DVD, “Morton: 100 Great Throw-ins”, it is well worth watching.
It is great to see how the people of Paisley have warmed to Johnstone boy George and taken him to their hearts—I am sorry that I had to reveal that. As someone who was born in Paisley, I am, of course, delighted to speak in this debate on the co-operation between two historic Paisley institutions: the University of the West of Scotland and St Mirren Football Club.
I have often highlighted, in my contributions in the Parliament and in meetings of the cross-party group on life sciences, the importance of innovation and education reinforcing each other. On a personal note, my son Ross was a student at UWS and graduated with a first in chemistry only three years ago.
The new memorandum of understanding between St Mirren and UWS is a real-world example of promoting student engagement with industry by offering unique hands-on learning experiences that will prepare students for careers in sport and beyond. I am sure that many students will relish the opportunity to gain experience in working at a Scottish premiership club—I certainly would have done during my time as a student.
Through the partnership, the club will fund two research projects: one will evaluate the recent psychosocial player development programme, and the other will focus on providing long-term personalised support to the St Mirren academy staff in delivering the programme. The saints will benefit from the academic expertise and resources of UWS, which will help to enhance the quality of their football operations and business infrastructure.
George Adam’s motion highlights that the initiative is the by-product of having a football club that is anchored in its local community and directly owned by its supporters. It is similar to the very successful model that operates in German professional football, where—despite some notable loopholes—most clubs are majority owned by their members. The St Mirren Independent Supporters Association has been the majority 51 per cent owner of St Mirren FC since 2021, thus ensuring that the club is kept in the hands of the people who care for it most: the loyal buddies supporters.
I recognise George Adam’s work and years of dedication as chair of SMISA between 2015 and 2022, when his relentless and assiduous dedication helped the club to move to fan ownership. The process was assisted by Supporters Direct, which has worked throughout the United Kingdom since 2000 to help fans to gain club ownership, and which was instrumental in informing saints fans during the takeover of St Mirren.
In the three seasons since the takeover, the club has not only been successful on the pitch but has seen its highest average attendances this century, with numbers having gradually increased to 7,665 this season. That proves that having a club that operates for the benefit of supporters does not have to come at the expense of financial and sporting success. It is great to hear the team sheet read out at home games—unlike at Morton matches, where they read out the names of the supporters who have turned up.
Being fan owned does not equal fan run, and St Mirren is still run by the club’s board and management. Too many professional football clubs are now distant multimillion-pound brands that prioritise short-term success while often pricing out the communities in which they operate. However, St Mirren, Motherwell and Hearts provide a powerful counterbalance to professional football as an arena in which only big money talks. The buddies’ collaboration with local partners such as UWS will give the club an even stronger anchoring in Paisley, in line with the supporters association’s aim to safeguard the club’s place at the heart of the Paisley community.
That is reinforced by work that was carried out in partnership with the children’s charity and leading social enterprise, Kibble Education and Care Centre, which owns a 27.5 per cent stake in the club. Kibble provides a range of integrated services to support vulnerable children and young people in Paisley and beyond.
I welcome the co-operation agreement between UWS and St Mirren.
Finally, I should highlight some further trophies that St Mirren have won, which were not mentioned by George. They won the 1922 Barcelona tournament, only three years after winning the victory cup in 1919. They also won the Anglo-Scottish cup in 1918, and we should not forget their Scottish cup victories in 1926 and 1959.
The partnership between UWS and St Mirren, along with the involvement of Kibble, undoubtedly strengthens the club’s ties to the local community for the years and decades ahead and contributes to the saints once again bringing football trophies to Paisley.
Thank you, Mr Gibson—I suspect that Morton will be writing to the Presiding Officer to demand a right to reply.
17:20
I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate and thank George Adam for securing it. I also thank the University of the West of Scotland for its helpful briefing ahead of it.
As has been said, St Mirren Football Club and the University of the West of Scotland are two of Paisley’s greatest institutions. It is important that we celebrate their efforts in working together, and I join Mr Adam, Mr Whittle and Mr Gibson in congratulating them on this new and exciting partnership, which looks to combine the best aspects of sport and education through understanding and learning. It gives students the best opportunity to fully appreciate how a top-flight professional football team is run and allows St Mirren to fully utilise the university’s significant and valuable expertise to develop as a club.
Since the partnership was announced in September, 30 students have been on placement at the club. They have had the opportunity to observe the coaches and staff in action and, as a result, have had direct access to ask questions and learn from professionals at the top of their game.
As we have heard, journalism students from the university have been supporting the club’s media activities across the men’s and women’s first teams, as well as the academy teams. That has noticeably improved the club’s capacity and social media reach, as, with the students’ assistance, all teams are able to be covered.
I have been pleased to meet St Mirren’s chief operating officer, Keith Lasley, on a number of occasions over the past year, and I commend him and his team for their leadership as well as their commitment to the local community, building on the excellent work of his predecessor and club ambassador, Tony Fitzpatrick.
St Mirren is, of course, fan owned, and it is clear that, over the past few years, it has made a real attempt to enhance its connection with the people of Paisley and Renfrewshire. There are many great examples of that. Early last year, I met volunteers including Jim Crawford, Ian McLaren and others at St Mirren park who are part of the buddie bin it campaign, which aims to reduce the club’s carbon footprint by recycling waste and making the stadium lighting as energy efficient as possible.
Moreover, since 2009, St Mirren has run a free youth programme called street stuff alongside Renfrewshire Council, Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Engage Renfrewshire. The activities include multisports gaming, and statistics show that, in the areas visited by the programme, there has been a sustained reduction of up to 65 per cent in youth disorder and antisocial behaviour.
Last summer, I had the opportunity to visit the University of the West of Scotland’s Paisley campus with my colleague Alison Taylor MP. We met the principal and vice-chancellor, Professor James Miller, and heard about the institution’s positive impact on Paisley and beyond, and I commend him and his team for their leadership and commitment to the community. It was also fantastic to hear last month that the university is celebrating its highest ever number of sport scholarships, with 37 people receiving tailored support to achieve success in their chosen fields. The partnership with a Scottish premiership side will only enhance a sport department that is already excelling.
I am delighted to have this opportunity to celebrate the partnership alongside colleagues today. I do not know whether this is a consequence of the fact that Mr Whittle is no longer doing the training, but it is fair to say that St Mirren is a team that is on the up, having secured European football for the first time in 37 years and consecutive top six finishes in the past two seasons.
However, the club’s work off the pitch is equally impressive. The partnership with the University of the West of Scotland is an exciting development, and I wish both institutions all the best with it in the future.
17:24
I thank everyone who has contributed to this afternoon’s debate. Of course, I thank George Adam very much for reminding us of two of his three great loves—St Mirren and Paisley.
This has been a wonderful debate. Every time we debate football here, what comes across clearly is just how much football means to us as a nation. Members have spoken with passion about local clubs in communities up and down the country. They have spoken mainly about St Mirren—there was a little chat about Morton, but I am not sure I should raise that again in the closing speech.
We have heard a lot about the positive impact that St Mirren has on the surrounding area and about the positive outcomes of its partnership with the University of the West of Scotland. I cannot add much to what we have already heard about that partnership, but I make absolutely clear my support for George Adam’s motion and I commend St Mirren football club for its commitment to supporting the local community and UWS for recognising the value of community clubs and the opportunities that they provide.
We have heard contributions from across the chamber. Nelson Mandela articulated and recognised the power of sport to bring people together, but who would have thought that our Tory colleague Brian Whittle had quite so much in common with George Adam? There has been plenty of light-hearted fun and reminiscence, but it will be absolutely clear to anyone who is listening that the club and the university are at the heart of their community and are serving it well.
Unless they are focusing on matches, the headlines that we see regarding football often cover a side of it that we do not want to see and speak of disorder, violence and pyrotechnics, but that is not representative of our national game. Football is a sport that brings communities together and provides opportunities for people of all ages, abilities and conditions to participate, as well as using its reach to deliver so much more. There are more than 2,500 football clubs in communities across Scotland, with 150,000 registered players and a further 50,000 coaches and volunteers. If we include the number of recreational participants, parents, fans and influencers in the local community, the Scottish FA has estimated that football clubs impact more than 900,000 people every week—900,000 people in a country of about 5.5 million.
The unique reach of football offers a platform and an incredible opportunity to influence and develop Scottish society. It impacts a wide number of key thematic areas, both on and off the pitch, and the Scottish Government absolutely recognises that. Scottish football has a real track record of supporting national and local priorities through a wide range of projects and programmes, such as the cashback for communities programme, which supports young people who are at risk of entering the criminal justice system. Football works in communities most affected by crime through sports projects and employability support. It supports mental health and those with dementia through the football memories project, which now has almost 400 groups and 4,000 participants every week. The changing room and changing room extra time programmes delivered by Scottish Action for Mental Health aim to bring men together through the power of football and provide a safe space for them to talk about their mental wellbeing.
Does the minister also recognise the work of Motherwell Football Club Community Trust in that aspect and the support that the football team has given to suicide prevention, particularly in my area? I declare an interest as a member of the Well Society and as someone who has been around to see her team win the Scottish cup.
I could not agree more. Football clubs are doing powerful work through the length and breadth of the country and the changing room is a perfect example. It is a 12-week programme that uses football to bring men together to tackle mental ill-health. The extra time programme gives people the opportunity to talk in more depth about their mental wellbeing and to come together to explore areas of particular challenge or concern. The changing room for women, which was launched recently, is a 12-month pilot programme in partnership with the Hibernian Community Foundation and Big Hearts Community Trust. Football fans in training is one of Europe’s most successful health intervention programmes. It was created by the University of Glasgow, is supported and funded by the Scottish Government and has been proven to have a positive, long-term impact on health and wellbeing. The programme has been running for more than 13 years and is the SPFL Trust’s flagship health and wellbeing programme, with almost 8,000 people having taken part in that time.
This year, we saw a doubling of the investment in extra time, which is an out-of-school childcare programme, run in partnership with the SFA, that will bolster the provision of after-school and holiday club activities for children of primary school age across Scotland. The partnership was launched with the Scottish Government last year and was designed to increase the availability of childcare services while encouraging children to engage in sport and physical activity. By giving thousands of children each week access to sport and other activities outwith normal hours, the £4 million of funding, divided across the 31 participating football clubs and trusts, will help parents and carers to find employment and training opportunities.
On a recent visit to Hampden, I was absolutely delighted to meet representatives from the St Mirren FC Charitable Foundation to learn about the extra time project and to hear directly from them about the powerful impact that their work is having on their community. It was so clear from speaking to them that they knew their community well—they almost knew the children’s names—and it was really powerful to hear about the impact that that programme is having on the community.
Those are examples of projects and programmes that have been recognised by national and international partners as best practice, with a reach that goes far beyond the traditional sporting boundaries.
Does the minister recognise the European Football for Development Network, of which Greenock Morton Football Club is a member, which helps to promote clubs across the European continent, particularly some of the smaller clubs, which then mix with some of the major players such as Bayern Munich, Juventus and Manchester United?
I am very happy to recognise it. Scotland has some of the best community football clubs in Europe—organisations that are deeply rooted in their communities and help to support players, coaches, volunteers and parents. The role of such clubs in our society is fundamental and can often be the glue to connect communities far beyond other statutory and non-statutory organisations. The breadth and diversity of the communities that those clubs serve is considerable. Many—including St Mirren, as we have heard today—operate in areas of significant deprivation. Where football can and does play a key role, the challenges for Government are in the move from reactive to preventative healthcare. Those challenges include tackling the social issues of obesity; more people suffering from mental health issues; providing support for and empowerment of local communities—fan ownership of St Mirren is a fantastic example of community empowerment—development of long-term sustainable models to reduce pressure on the public purse; and addressing inequalities and the increased cost of living.
Today’s debate was focused on the excellent work of St Mirren in partnering with the University of the West of Scotland. I again commend that work, but let us also recognise that, up and down the country, football clubs are providing key services and support to their local communities. That is not the stuff that makes the headlines, but it is absolutely right that Parliament recognises and acknowledges the incredible value in it.
I could not put it better than to quote the words of George Adam. Such collaboration fuels
“our collective pride and ambition ... it is a celebration of who we are and what we can accomplish together.”
For that, I am immensely grateful.
Thank you, minister, and thank you, Mr McMillan, for providing Morton with the right to reply. That concludes the debate.
Meeting closed at 17:33.Air ais
Decision Time