Stirling Albion chairman Fraser McIntyre has outlined the club's vision for a fresh start as the 2026/27 season kicks off, with new manager Steven Whittaker at the helm. The Binos face Dundee United in their competitive opener on Saturday, broadcast live on Premier Sports.
Managerial Appointment and Vision
McIntyre explained the process behind hiring former Scotland defender Steven Whittaker. "The managerial hunt was done differently in terms of opening up applications, but also having discussions directly with candidates we thought could be a fit for us. It was someone with ambition, with hunger and with standards and Steven ticked those boxes for us," he said.
"Longer-term, a club with the size of Stirling should be a self-sustaining club at the Championship level and that's possible with our catchment area. This season is all about making progress and the manager has got expectations which he has put on us which I don't think it would be fair to share."
Player Recruitment Challenges
McIntyre highlighted the competitive marketplace for players, noting that some prioritize full-time contracts over league level. "There are some players who don't see the difference between League One and League Two and just view it purely as part-time and full-time, so they will take a club at a lower level over a League One team if they think it will be a better fit for their career. But there are others who need that financial amount and there are other clubs who have and always will pay more than we will. We have to balance our books and we're competing with ambitious Lowland League clubs for example trying to make it into the pyramid who have the budgets to compete."
Forthbank Acquisition Ambitions
A key part of McIntyre's strategy is acquiring Forthbank Stadium from Stirling Council. "We'd love to take over ownership of Forthbank, we've made that pretty vocal and we're working to that at the speed of Stirling Council, so we'll see where that goes and take that forward. It's something that is part of the longer term plan for sure. The ambition is to control the entirety of the footballing facilities within Stirling Sport Village and we would be able to run it differently from how it is being run at the moment as a football club. It's fundamental to our survival to have a revenue-generating facility which takes the pressure off simply trying to make money on a Saturday."
Fresh Start and Boardroom Changes
McIntyre took over as chairman in March after previous chairman Alasdair Dunn stepped down. He placed former boss Alan Maybury on gardening leave and has since implemented new structures. "It's a bit of a reset and a fresh start for the club with some of the changes at boardroom and managerial level. When I came in as commercial director, the focus was very much on bringing new revenue to the football club as our ownership model means we must be self-sufficient. It's our job as a board to remove the excuses to the management team and their job is remove the excuses for the players. It's about allowing everyone to be the best version of themselves and hopefully that can represent the club better and helps to achieve the objectives as a football club."
