Welcome to an exciting, new era of coverage for the club you love, Kilmarnock FC.

I’m delighted to announce the imminent launch of the Killie Chronicle, a Substack page by Killie fans, for Killie fans. Just in time for the start of the 2024/25 season, this is your chance to sign up for the guaranteed best reporting you can find of the mighty Killie.

In a slight alternation to my job description, I will be leading the new subscription-based site in what has been a burning ambition of mine to cover Killie on a regular and extensive basis. The success of The Rugby Road Gates newsletter has brought around this new opportunity to delve into a region not yet explored by any other media outlets in Scotland, and that is to provide unique, dedicated coverage of Ayrshire’s premier football club.

Fans up and down Scotland who don’t support either Celtic or Rangers are long overdue interest being taken in their team, showcasing it in the way it deserves to be. To be the top priority of the news agenda, to be the absolute sole focus of writers, to not feel like you’re being looked down upon. There is plenty of token gesture coverage out there. The Killie Chronicle is different – we’re fully invested.

As a fan, I’ve been there. You look on and see either half of the Old Firm everywhere on social media, TV and when listening to the radio. If it’s not Brendan Rodgers this, or Philippe Clement that, then sadly, it will be way down the list of importance. Of course, there is no denying that stories relating to the Old Firm gain the most views, deliver the most engagement and also dominate column inches in newspapers. There is no dislike towards the ‘diddy clubs’, that’s the further thing from the truth. The long and short of it is though, that the industry prioritises the two aforementioned teams at all costs. It's the lay of the land.

That’s where we come in. Here, with the Killie Chronicle, we’re offering fans of Kilmarnock FC the chance to ignore that sort of disregard and promise you the sort of effort and devotion the club deserves. The Rugby Road Gates weekly newsletter started a little shy of 10 months ago, with no real idea of how well it would be received and was nothing more than an experiment as The Herald tried to offer greater coverage to other teams in Scotland. Fast-forward to today, and it has well over 1,100 sign-ups.

I’d like to think that over the course of the numerous weeks I’ve composed it, I’ve shown my capabilities as a writer and reputable source of information, with the best interests of Killie very much in my thoughts. Fresh content has frequently been provided, from opinion to statistical pieces, and exclusive interviews to travel guides – we’ve covered a lot of ground since its inception. The vast majority of feedback provided by readers has been hugely positive, and that’s from just one article each week.

A few weeks ago I thanked everyone who had joined and helped us to achieve the 1,000 sign-ups milestone. The idea of the Killie Chronicle has been bubbling away under the surface for a while now given my obvious affinity for the club and my skills as a reporter. However, with such a strong and supportive backing of the current format, we feel this is exactly the right time to take our Kilmarnock coverage to the next level. So, let’s take you through the details of precisely what that looks like with a few questions & answers.

What is Substack? It’s a platform designed to allow journalists a digital space to publish content and establish a subscription-based audience.

How does it work? By signing up to a Killie Chronicle monthly subscription, you will have access to all of our content on Substack. This will be accessible via your emails, with content sent directly there. It will also be made available via the Killie Chronicle’s page on the Substack app & website.

Why are we doing this? Because it’s the right time to ramp things up a notch. The number of sign-ups to our newsletter has shown there is a demand for dedicated, in-depth Kilmarnock coverage, and we’re taking the step to provide that. In line with the considerable increase in output of high-quality material, we feel this merits moving to a paid-for subscription model. The club is on an upward trajectory both on and off the field, and it’s only fitting that the media landscape keeps up with that.

What sort of content will be provided & how often? We’ll have a minimum of six pieces per week for you to enjoy. This can be broken down into:

- Weekly opinion piece or exclusive interview (similar to TRRG newsletter – which will continue for free in the meantime while we oversee the migration to Substack)

- Tactical analysis by the highly talented Gaby McKay

- Manager pre-match press conference

- Player pre-match press conference

- Instant reaction to every match

- Manager post-match full Q&A

This is just the basic premise of how this will work, and there is plenty of scope for additional content, such as videos & podcasts, with a close relationship established between ourselves and the club to allow for as much access as possible. Of course, as has always been the case, I will be open to ideas and willing to listen to supporters and what they want to see.

How much does it cost? Full access to the Killie Chronicle will cost £3.99 per month. However, all content will be free-to-view in the first week of launch.

The Killie Chronicle will officially launch tomorrow on Thursday, July 25, just in time for the first leg of the Europa League second-round qualifier against Cercle Brugge. I will be in the press box for the game before joining my fellow 2,500 Killie fans in the away end at the Jan Breydel Stadium next week while enjoying a few days off.

What’s the first piece I hear you ask? We’ve got a treat for you. We’re starting with a bang after an exclusive sit-down with the gaffer, Derek McInnes. I hope you will join us on this journey, as we try something innovative at a time when just doing the norm is not enough anymore. You deserve the level of coverage that a certain two teams on these shores get. By subscribing, that’s exactly what you’ll get.