St Johnstone’s season ticket sales for the 2022/23 Scottish Premiership campaign have been “absolutely fantastic” ahead of the big kick-off.
The club’s head of operations Ian Flaherty – sending out a rallying call to the Perth public to get involved – revealed that numbers are approaching the 2500 barrier.
Saints, who defeated Inverness in a play-off to retain their Premiership status, are looking forward to starting “afresh” and building on the success of recent years.
Flaherty is encouraged by the early backing shown ahead of the new season and said: “The sale of season tickets has been absolutely fantastic. Every club needs its supporters but at St Johnstone we absolutely rely on them.
“It’s great that after going through a tough spell last season, our support is still there. Like everybody at the club, I think they are really looking forward to the season starting.
“There have been nights when the girls at the ticket office have had to stay on and work late because the demand has been there. That’s great news.”
He added: “There was a lot of pressure on everybody at the club towards the end of last season.
“It was great to get the job of staying in the Premiership done and now we’re all looking forward to the challenges ahead of us – Callum, players and staff.
“You could see at the end of the play-offs how important it was to everybody involved with the club that we’re in the top league. We start afresh, ready to go.”
Welcoming – and keeping hold of – the next generation of supporters at McDiarmid Park is of great importance to Flaherty, who hailed the vocal backing of the Fair City Unity group.
He said: “The next generation of supporters is so important. If we don’t look after them, we’ll have problems five, 10 or 15 years down the line.
“There were games last season when our support were our 12th man – behind the goal at Dens just after I started in the job they were incredible.
“I know how much the players appreciate it and so do the club. It’s something we’re embracing.
“We’ll meet with all members of our fanbase and try to work closer with them. Clubs across the country are talking about our young supporters. It’s fantastic.”
Flaherty signed up to the head of operations role towards the end of last season and, being local to the area, admits there is a great sense of pride and excitement.
“I’m like a kid in a sweetie shop,” he smiled. “This is a great job for me and a fantastic opportunity.
“It’s a lovely feeling getting up in the morning and looking forward to going into your work. I’ve got a background in business and football and I’m from the local area, so you probably couldn’t write the script any better.
“I’ll give everything I’ve got and hopefully what I can bring to the party will help St Johnstone continue to have success.
“My role will develop as time goes on. There are things that will take priority at different stages until we get everything in place.”
