Greenhill Road | |
 View of the Main Stand facade | |
  The SMISA Stadium Location in Renfrewshire | |
| Location | Greenhill Road,Paisley |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 55°51′2″N4°26′38″W / 55.85056°N 4.44389°W /55.85056; -4.44389 |
| Public transit |  Paisley St James |
| Owner | St Mirren F.C. |
| Operator | St Mirren F.C. |
| Capacity | 7,937[1] |
| Record attendance | 7,937 - St Mirren v Kilmarnock (22 April 2023) |
| Field size | 105m x 68m (115y x 74y) |
| Acreage | 12.5 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Scoreboard | Yes |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 7 January 2008 |
| Opened | 31 January 2009; 16 years ago (2009-01-31) |
| Construction cost | £8 million |
| Architect | Barr Construction |
| Main contractors | Barr Construction |
| Tenants | |
| St Mirren F.C. (2009–) Scotland under-21 (2011–) | |
St Mirren Park, also known asThe SMISA Stadium for sponsorship reasons,[2] is a football stadium inPaisley, Scotland. It is the home ofSt Mirren F.C. The stadium is the sixth home of the club and replacedLove Street.[3][4][5][6]
Talks over a new stadium began on 15 January 2003, when the club met representatives fromAldi andLidl. The club were looking to sell their ground atLove Street for retail development. Selling Love Street would secure the necessary funding to build the new stadium. Planning applications for a retail development at Love Street were passed on 24 May 2005 and the club subsequently sold the ground toTesco on 25 April 2007 for £15 million. The new stadium site broke ground on 7 January 2008 and was officially opened on 31 January 2009 at a cost of £8 million.[4][7] Before the first game at the new stadium there was a parade from Love Street to Greenhill Road to celebrate the opening of the stadium.[8] Club chairman Stewart Gilmour andFirst MinisterAlex Salmond were also present at the first match at the new ground. Alex Salmond unveiled a plaque before the game to commemorate the opening.[6] The game between St Mirren andKilmarnock finished in a 1–1 draw, with the first goal at the new stadium being scored by Kilmarnock strikerKevin Kyle.[9]Dennis Wyness scored St Mirren's first goal at the new ground, in the same match.[9] The opening match set the record attendance of 7,542,[9][10] and was only surpassed in theScottish Premiership play-off match against Dundee United, when 7,732 fans attended on 26 May 2019.[11] St Mirren Park has also become the regular home of theScotland national under-21 football team.[12][13]
In November 2015, St Mirren agreed a two-year sponsorship deal withRenfrewshire Council to rename the stadium as thePaisley 2021 Stadium.[14] This was to promote Paisley's bid to become aUK City of Culture in 2021.[14] In June 2018, the stadium was renamed asThe Simple Digital Arena as part of a four-year deal withGlasgow-based IT firm Simple Digital Solutions.[2]
In November 2020, the stadium was renamed The SMISA Stadium in reference to the St. Mirren Independent Supporters Association. The gesture is designed to mark what will be the last season before the club becomes majority fan owned in 2021.[2]
St Mirren Park is built on a 12.5-acre site on Greenhill Road in theFerguslie Park area of the town. The previously unused site is less than a mile from the club's former ground.[15][16]Barr Construction were responsible for the design and construction of the stadium.[17] Their design consisted of four grandstands with a total capacity of 8,023.[18] The East Stand is the Main Stand. The North Stand is used by away fans. Larger away supports can also be seated in a section of the West Stand. The West Stand has the largest capacity of all the stands. Whilst the South Stand is the Family Stand.[19][20]
Since the stadium's construction, the capacity has been reduced to 7,937.[1]
On the outside of the stadium, promotional plaques have been constructed on the wall including fans names and loved ones. In the undercroft areas under each of the home support sections, large plaques dedicated to the members of the club's 'Hall of fame' have been erected by members of the supporters association and the website team, detailing player profiles and stats. Also, a 7-a-side pitch behind the North Stand is covered by the Airdome and can be hired by the public.
Paisley St James Railway Station, which is served by trains on theInverclyde Line fromGlasgow Central, is adjacent to St Mirren Park.[10] Since the stadium opened, some supporters campaigned for the local transport authorities to rename the station toPaisley St Mirren.[10] Following station improvements, the signage of the station was updated to read as "Paisley St James, alight here for St Mirren Park", as a compromise between supporter groups and the local transport regulatorsSPT.Paisley Gilmour Street is a 15-minute walk from St Mirren Park, but has a much more frequent service from Glasgow Central.[10] The ground is very near to theM8 Motorway and is accessed via junction 29. Fans travelling fromNorth Ayrshire can also access the ground via theA737 road.[10] There is a car park at the stadium for permit holders, and street parking is also available.[10]
