ST KILDA'S new coach, Ross Lyon, has declared the Saints' pre-game rooms a suit-free zone, ruling that club directors, non-football officials, sponsors and family members stay away from the players before matches.

In a move that has caused the club to look at other ways to appease its financial backers, Lyon told the St Kilda coaching panel that interviewed him late last year he would prefer a pre-match ban on all but the football inner sanctum should he win the job at Moorabbin.

Saints president Rod Butterss confirmed the new rule, describing it as "a big change certainly, hopefully it's part of a coming of age for our football club. He respectfully pointed out that he would prefer this scenario", said Butterss yesterday.

"We have all respected it. The board members don't go down to the rooms before games any more. If you have a job role involving the game, you're in. If you don't have a job role, you are out.

"If you are a heart surgeon, I doubt you would welcome or have to deal with 30 or 40 extra people looking on. Ross wasn't laying down the law or making it a condition of his employment, he simply said that before the games he would prefer that players were left alone to prepare for their job."

Ironically, a similar request was put to the board by sacked coach Grant Thomas two years ago, but it was denied.

With many clubs and their coaches prepared to talk to coterie groups and other sponsors pre-match, the dressing rooms have become part of a major attraction for some financial backers and their guests.

With St Kilda in the eight with two solid victories out of Lyon's first three outings as senior coach, Butterss said the club's sponsors had been warned several months ago they would not be welcome in the rooms before the game and were satisfied with the knowledge they were helping the cause.

Lyon pointed out to Butterss, chief executive Archie Fraser, football operations manager Ken Sheldon and consultant Robert Walls that a dressing room free of onlookers had worked successfully at Sydney and was one of several Swans models he wanted to bring to St Kilda.

"I have spoken to Richard (Colless, the Swans chairman) about it and he says he hasn't been down to the rooms in years," he said. "After the game it's a free-for-all in terms of families and everyone else after 10 or 15 minutes when the coach has spoken to the players. Before the game it's a different story now."

It is understood Lyon has agreed to a compromise in which he will make appearances or speak to corporate sponsors or their guests to compensate.