Celtic and Rangers rivals chief reveals potential Old Firm ticket plans which could see them '£75k better off'

St Johnstone’s chief executive Fran Smith has reopened the floor to the idea of extra Old Firm away allocation at McDiarmid Park moving forward.

Last year, the Saints caused a stir amongst their fans after the East Stand was opened up to travelling Rangers supporters during their Scottish Cup clash in January. However, Smith has revealed that this could be a possibility once again, as the additional tickets available for the Celtic and Rangers fanbase will provide St Johnstone with important extra income.

If St Johnstone fans are unable to bring in maximum numbers from home support, they could turn to expanding their allocation for the Glasgow giants. McDiarmid Park has a capacity of 10,740, while the Ibrox Stadium and Celtic Park hold more than 50,000 and 60,000 respectively.

Smith explained that if Saints fans ‘want a better product on the park’, the club must bring income in, which could include the cash from extra Old Firm allocation.

“Our current policy is our fans will be in the East Stand — and that will remain through to the end of the season. We’ve Rangers in a couple of weeks and Celtic again later in the season. Hopefully there will be another game against Rangers in the top six after that.

“We were always going to review this at the end of the season. We’ll discuss it as a board and discuss it with fans’ groups again. There are a few options. Economically, if we’re not going to fill the East Stand, why wouldn’t we think about maximising income? You’re probably talking about being £75k better off for one game, which is a player.

“Of course, the rest of the board might not agree with me. That’s the important thing. One option is giving St Johnstone fans the Geoff Brown Stand and the Ormond. We’d make £35k more doing it that way. There’s the possibility of season tickets with and without Old Firm games.”

Smith has ensured that he and owner Adam Webb will engage with St Johnstone supporters before any final decision in made regarding ticket plans. He reflected on the decision made to give Rangers the East Stand last year, which came about without any prior fan consultation.

“It was a sleeping conversation until that happened. Rangers got three stands for that cup game but every other game has been the two ends and 900 in the Geoff Brown. It’s always going to be a contentious one for the club. But it’s one we have to speak about again as a board and a club. And we need to involve the fans to make sure we make the right decision.

“My leadership is all about one club, one city, one community. We’re not saying we’ll give fans full autonomy to make decisions but we want them to feel part of it. They are the club. I want more of our fans to come out and support us in the games against Rangers and Celtic.”