Chairman’s Update: August 2026

It has been a busy start to the season at Stark’s Park, with our opening home league fixture prompting discussion about attendance figures and the condition of the stadium. We also have updates on season tickets, the management of the club, commercial activity and important community projects.

Seating in the South and North Stands

The cleanliness of seats in both the South and North Stands on Saturday was unacceptable, and we apologise to supporters who were affected.

This issue was first highlighted following the Hamilton game and was discussed internally. A further debrief took place on Monday, and steps are now being taken to ensure the seats are properly cleaned ahead of the game against Ayr on the 22nd.

We also recognise that some of the seats are damaged or missing. The Stadium Manager is preparing a short-term plan to repair the immediate problems, together with a medium-term plan to anticipate future breakages and maintain sufficient replacement stock so repairs can be completed quickly.

As part of the longer-term stadium plan, we will also revisit the previous proposal to introduce safe-standing areas in both the South and North Stands.

Closed Turnstiles

Supporters experienced delays entering the stadium on Saturday due to the normal number of turnstiles not being open. Unfortunately, a minibus carrying stewards to the stadium broke down, and as a result there were insufficient staff available at the required time.

Slow Service at the Kiosks

We dropped the ball here as there were not sufficient trained staff on the day. This has been discussed and should not be an issue going forward.

General Cleanliness Around the Ground

We share supporters’ concerns about the general standard of cleanliness around the stadium. The issue appears to have arisen from reduced ground-staff capacity and the loss of some of the volunteer support available in previous years.

We are assembling the resources needed to improve the situation. Once the immediate issue with seat cleanliness has been addressed, the wider condition of the ground will be a priority.

A small group of volunteers completed some painting during the close season, and we are very grateful for their efforts. However, there is still a considerable amount of work to be done.

General Manager

At the end of March we appointed a full-time General Manager, but it quickly became clear to both parties that the appointment was not the right fit and he left the club in June. The timing of the change, together with several key people attending the World Cup, added to the challenges of our normal pre-season preparations.

We subsequently engaged Hayley Scott as Fractional General Manager for three days a week while we continue the search for the right person to fill the role on a permanent, full-time basis.

Hayley had previously been engaged to kick-start the Randolph project and help integrate our main accounting system with the applications used in the shop, kiosks and Fanbase, as well as our payroll and HR systems. We were very impressed by what she achieved in a short period and asked her to extend her brief.

Hayley is based in England and has other clients, so the interim arrangement is not ideal. Nevertheless, we are making progress, particularly in accountability, inventory management and internal processes.

Operations Manager

We were lucky enough to be able to persuade Christine Curtis to join us as Operations Manager only two weeks ago. Unfortunately, Christine has a sudden family situation which required her to step back from the position with immediate effect. We totally understand and support her decision, and our thoughts are with her and her family.

Welcome Alastair Adamson

We are delighted to welcome Alastair Adamson to the Board of Directors, where his principal focus will be sponsorship and commercial activity.

Alastair has hit the ground running and has already made a tremendous difference in strengthening engagement with existing and prospective sponsors. We are very fortunate to have him on the Board.

Saturday’s Attendance

There has been some interest in the attendance of 2,219 announced on Saturday. This was the actual number of people who attended the match.

For comparison, the actual attendance at last season’s corresponding Queen’s Park fixture was 2,472. However, the figure announced at that time was 3,571, representing all seats sold, including season tickets and walk-up sales, whether or not the ticket holder attended.

On the same basis, Saturday’s equivalent ticket-sold figure would have been 2,945. 

Season Tickets

As of Saturday, we had sold 1,914 season tickets, compared with a final total of 2,300 last season.

While this is below where we would like to be, we understand the financial pressures facing many supporters. Other clubs are reporting similar challenges, and we remain extremely grateful to everyone who has committed to backing the team this season.

Sponsors’ Lounge

The former Jim McMillan Club is being upgraded for use as a Sponsors’ Lounge.

The toilet area has been completely refurbished, and we are now sourcing upgraded tables and chairs. The aim is to provide a more welcoming environment for sponsors and their guests on matchdays.

Jim McMillan Club

The Jim McMiiilan Club (Raith Suite) is in process of being fully revamped with new furniture and carpets thanks to the members’ generosity. This is much appreciated.

Randolph

We continue to work with the Community Foundation to explore how the Randolph project might become a reality.

This is not a club-led project, as the club itself would be unlikely to secure a community lease or asset transfer from the Council. The Community Foundation is therefore central to taking the proposal forward.

We now have a draft plan comprising two floodlit all-weather pitches, three grass pitches, four padel courts, a children’s play area, a dog-walking track, a Community Hub and more than 200 parking spaces.

The next step is to work with the Community Foundation and the Council to establish whether a community lease is achievable. We have also held preliminary discussions with potential sponsors for the first phase of the project.

Raith Forum

The Supporters Representative arranged a meeting between the Raith Forum and the Board last Wednesday in the 1883 Lounge. The meeting was well attended and lasted for more than two hours.

We addressed all of the questions raised and hope the answers were helpful. If anyone who attended has a follow-up question, please send it to Dot and we will endeavour to respond.

Similarly, if anyone would like clarification or supporting information in relation to an answer, please contact Dot and we will provide the information available to us.

Ladies’ Team

We continue to plan for the return of a Raith Rovers Ladies’ Team.

Hayley has considerable experience in the women’s game, both as a player and a coach, and is working with JJ at the Community Foundation to progress the proposal, with the aim of launching the team for the 2027/28 season.

Additional changing-room facilities at Stark’s Park will be needed to make this possible, and we are currently exploring the options available.

There is a great deal of work taking place across the club, and we recognise that there are areas where standards need to improve. We have a small team, and the Kirkcaldy based directors are working especially hard to support the staff and volunteers at the ground.

The Board is committed to addressing issues that have arisen while continuing to build for the club’s longer-term future.

If anyone has specific questions, please feel free to contact me either directly or route them through the Supporters Rep.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support of the Club, and of the Community Foundation.

Hoping for three points on Saturday.

John Sim

Chairman

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