Post-AGM Board Q&A responses

Monday 6th April, 2026 at 6:58pm

After our AGM on Thursday 12 February, supporter beneficiaries put forward further questions for the Club Board to answer.

The written responses are given below.

Football Committee

Who was involved in the football committee in summer 2024, and are they still involved?

As explained in the previous AGM’s Q&A, the “football committee” was a term used to describe how the then management team, Kris Doolan and Paul McDonald, were supported in running the football department.

Various forms of support came from (a) Club Board members, including the then Finance Director Richard Beastall, Donald McClymont and Academy Director Elliot Gilmour, (b) Club and Academy staff with specific football department roles, and (c) a wider network of contacts with agents and scouts.

This structure did not deliver a coherent, effective football department, and the decision was made to recruit a Sporting Director instead.

Resignations

Why did Jacqui McInnes and others step down from the Club Board?

Ahead of each AGM, the Trustees conduct a confidential appraisal process to assess the Club Board’s individual and collective performance. This informs their decision whether to support the re-appointment of those directors seeking re-appointment, and the outcome is communicated to the Club Board. This, in turn, informs the decision of each director whether formally to seek re-appointment.

During the appraisal process, the trustees informed the Club Board that they would not support Richard Beastall’s reappointment as a director beyond the AGM. He resigned shortly thereafter.

Other directors who chose to step down at the end of this appraisal process included Jacqui McInnes and Grant Stupart.

The trustees also indicated that they believed the “dual board rep” position between the Club and Academy boards should end, and Elliot Gilmour stepped down from the Club Board. He continues in post as the Academy Director, responsible for the youth development pathway at the Club.

Football Recruitment

Why is our squad so small?

We operate with a squad of 22 senior players, with the rest being augmented by academy players. While this has fluctuated at certain points, we feel that this is a robust squad size.

Why have some players not featured all season?

Seventeen players have made 23 or more appearances to date in the 2025/26 season.

Before going out on loan, Scott Martin had played nine, but only returned from long-term injury in late November. Lewis Budinauckas has also played 10 times. Except for young players, recent signings, or expired loan signings, only Dan Mackay falls into this bracket.

What have the Sporting Director and Head of Recruitment done so far?

Since the appointment of Ian Baraclough as Sporting Director in April 2025, and Lee Turnbull as our Head of Recruitment, significant work has been done to improve our football operations, enhance our discovery and recruitment of players, and increase our efforts to retain members of our squad.

Working with Mark Wilson and Alex Rae, our summer window saw a significant squad turnover, with 10 new signings, and many departures. A strong scouting network has been established, and we have a robust recruitment analysis and decision-making process.

The Sporting Director model is vital for the path we’re taking. We have a commitment now to establish and deliver a five-year football strategy that drives sustained progress.

The Sporting Director is our strategic lead for football performance and identity, acting as the senior authority for all football operations. We want to build innovation in how we maximise our resources, to foster a culture of continuous improvement, and develop our talent. All with the stated aims of getting us back to the Premiership, and ensuring we build a consistent return on player trading.

Player Trading Model

How viable is this if we rarely sign players on longer than two-year contracts?

We are increasingly agreeing to contracts with players that include options for extensions to address that aspect. As is the ongoing challenge, there is a degree of risk in acquiring players on longer contracts who may or may not become sellable assets.

That said, we are increasingly doing so, and we believe it will take at least two seasons to get the model to the place we desire.

Season 2024/25 Budget

Why did the Club budget for a loss last season? Why was this considered to be okay?

At the AGM in January 2024, there was a breakeven forecast for 2024/25. But the revenue assumptions behind it were too optimistic.

The Club Board recognised this after the trustees challenged them on it. The Board concluded that breaking even wouldn’t be possible without making big cuts to the playing budget and revenue-raising bits of the business.

At this point, this was why the Club Board proposed a loss-making budget. It was hoped that this managed loss would protect the core of the business, ensure we remained competitive on the park, and set up the Club to break even in 2025/26.

That year, commercial and hospitality revenue underperformed targets. We were able to claw some of this back through player sales and by holding back our planned help for the Academy.

However, there were other budget overspends. Some of this was in the football department. There were also cost issues for the women’s team. We also hadn’t budgeted for the termination of the management team.

This has been a learning curve for all involved. There isn’t a lot of wiggle room, so we are now committed to break even this season and doing better to restore our cash reserves.

Poorer than budgeted results

What accountability is there for the 2024/25 financial results?

The Board of Directors is ultimately accountable to the shareholders for financial results, and they form part of the context for the Trustees’ director appraisal process ahead of each AGM. The Club Board fully accepts the failure to achieve the set financial target for 2024/25. Since then, there have been significant efforts to not only ensure that it is not repeated, but also set the club up for a more prosperous future.

There have been several changes at Club Board level since the financial year ended on 31 May 2025. There is now a leadership team in place to drive the business forward, and we hope to be in a position to strengthen this group further by the start of the summer.

The budget and financial monitoring processes are also being overhauled at the Club, with the help of the revamped Finance Working Group.

Following 2024/25, there was also a commitment made for a breakeven budget for the 2025/26 campaign.

Season 2025/26 Budget

Are we on track to break even in season 2025/26?

The Board are working to a breakeven budget for 2025/26. While there have been several operational challenges, work continues to meet that goal, aligned with income and expenditure from normal operations.

Cash Reserves Target

Has the Club/will the Club keep to its cash reserves target of £300k?

Across the course of a financial year, certain events linked to cash flow take us slightly below the cash reserves target. But by year’s end, we will be above target.

The best way to overcome this volatility is to grow our revenues and thereby increase our cash reserves. That forms the core part of our Strategic Vision for the next five years.

At present, we are stuck in a balance of maintaining breakeven, putting a competitive side on the pitch, having a strong staff, and maintaining the upkeep of Firhill. A cycle of making ends meet is fraught with volatility, therefore it is crucially important that we grow and diversify our revenues, regardless of which league we are in, and in turn build our cash reserves beyond the target figure.

CEO/GM Recruitment

Is it still the plan to have the new CEO/GM recruited by the spring?

Since the public statement was made in October 2025 that the club would look to make an appointment in the Spring of 2026, the Strategic Vision for the next five years has been completed and ratified, and will be published in the coming weeks.

In line with that strategy and its stated aims, the Board are reviewing the best staffing composition to ensure that resources are best deployed to achieve the desired revenue targets.

This may involve a permanent hire of a Chief Executive or General Manager, but other approaches are also being explored and budgeted for. We expect to have a clear way forward on this after the Strategic Vision is made public.

Club Chair

When will the Club be appointing a new Chair?

The Board fully intends to appoint a Chair. With the AGM now behind us, and a clear plan to now work towards driving the club forward for the next five years, the composition and skillset of the Board is high on our agenda, and we will make an appointment in due course.

Fan Rep Roles and Responsibilities

What do the Fan Reps see as their role and responsibility as distinct from the other directors on the Club Board?

Fan Directors have the same responsibilities as normal directors. However, unlike normal directors, they make additional efforts to participate in the fan experience and surface fan-related matters at board level.

Fan Rep/Club Board Communications

What plans do the Fan Reps and Club Board have to communicate with the 2,500 fan owners that they represent?

We have a communications plan to increase the visibility of all board activities, which encompasses the club website, match programme, and social media channels.

A schedule of in-person events will also be published in due course, which will entail a large Meet the Board event as was held in late 2025, but also surgery-style meetings with Fan Reps and other board members throughout the year.