Hansard

I, too, have been involved in many of these debates, but I will ensure that I give an entirely new speech and that you do not have your finger anywhere near that button, Presiding Officer.

I am delighted to contribute to the debate, which was brought to the chamber by my friend and colleague Gillian Mackay, and to recognise the vital contribution that our football clubs make to their fans and to our society. I have said before that football is not just a game in Scotland but is woven into the fabric of our communities. In Paisley, St Mirren Football Club has been a cornerstone of our community for generations, bringing together people from all backgrounds and ages.

I am particularly proud of the work that I established and led in the St Mirren Independent Supporters Association. We have built a fan ownership model in Paisley and SMISA now holds a majority stake in St Mirren FC, ensuring that supporters have a genuine voice in how their club is run. Our partnership with our corporate stakeholder Kibble mirrors the successful German model of fan ownership, in which clubs must follow the 50-plus-1 rule, ensuring that members retain majority voting rights. We have created a similar structure at St Mirren, where community ownership works alongside responsible corporate partnership. Kibble’s involvement has been transformative but, crucially, fans remain at the heart of all decision making.

Fan ownership has grown across Scotland and there are currently supporter-owned or part-owned clubs in Scottish football, including Hearts, Motherwell, Dunfermline Athletic and Stirling Albion. That model is even more established in Germany, where all but three Bundesliga clubs operate under the 50-plus-1 rule and 15 of the 18 clubs have majority fan ownership. That has created one of the most affordable and fan-friendly cultures in Europe, with average ticket prices significantly lower than in Scotland and England.

I have witnessed first-hand in my constituency the transformative work that is being done by St Mirren. The club is a beacon of inclusivity and has achieved recognition as a disability-friendly club through its partnership with the charity I Am Me Scotland. That groundbreaking work ensures that everyone, regardless of ability, can enjoy the beautiful game in a safe and welcoming environment. That is what football should be all about: opening doors, not closing them.

We must acknowledge that football is facing an affordability crisis. Working-class fans and families are being priced out of the game that they love. When someone on a modest income has to choose between paying bills and taking their child to see their local football team, something fundamental has gone wrong.

I support the calls for a £25 price cap on away tickets in Scotland. I recognise that ticket sales form a more significant proportion of revenue for Scottish clubs than for those in many other European leagues. Unlike England’s Premier League or Germany’s Bundesliga, where there is a substantial income from broadcasting deals, our Scottish clubs rely heavily on gate receipts. According to recent analysis, ticket sales account for 20 to 30 per cent of revenue for most Scottish Professional Football League clubs.

However, that should not be used as an excuse; instead, it should serve as a call for creative thinking about how to balance financial sustainability with accessibility. How can we ensure that our clubs thrive while keeping the game affordable for ordinary families? The German model shows us the way forward. By combining fan ownership with affordable pricing, they have built sustainable clubs with passionate and loyal supporter bases. Those clubs are financially stable precisely because they prioritise accessibility, community engagement and affordability.

Football clubs such as St Mirren do remarkable work in their communities, from food bank connections to mental health initiatives, but we should always put the football fan first. Let us recognise that affordable football is not a luxury but is essential for the health of our communities and the future of national game and let us champion the fan ownership model as a pathway to sustainable, community-centred football that serves everyone.