While the tabloids continue to paint a picture of Scottish football killing itself if it doesn't "do the right thing" when it comes to Rangers, it does look likely that there will be less cash going around in the next few years. With that in mind both SMiSA and 10000Hours have launched campaigns in a bid to boost Saints' coffers.
SMISA (the St Mirren Independent Supporters' Association) have come up with a fairly straightforward proposal. 'Support Our Saints' is being launched in a bid to boost the group's membership, with that extra cash going into a special fund to help the club. There will also be a series of fundraising events. More details can be found at www.smisa.net
10000Hours - the community interest company still trying to buy the club - have come up with a slightly more complex scheme called Nero Blanco (the Italian for black and the Spanish for white). This will use the payment system put in place to collect direct debits from CIC members (which will not be drawn until the end of next month at the earliest) to allow people - whether or not they have joined 10000Hours - to make donations to a fund for a club. Alternatively, payments can also be made directly from your bank account.
Should the club ask for help then the Nero Blanco fund will be offered to them. It is hoped any help will be taken into consideration when the CIC get round to talking about their takeover bid again. Should their takeover be unsuccessful then they are proposing to give their cash to SMiSA - who fell out with them a few months ago. I cannot find any sign of what happens to this fund if the club don't ask for help but the takeover goes through. Does it go into the club - or does it go to funding the takeover/clearing off the debt? For more information on this scheme visit www.10000hours.org
As an aside this does seem to have a Judean People's Front/Peoples Front of Judea ring to it - why can't we have just one scheme?
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