Well done everyone!
Fans’group hails community spirit
The fan group which owns Motherwell FC have set themselves the goal of continuing the great work that is being done with the community.
At the annual general meeting of the Well Society, joint chairman Douglas Dickie reported an increase in membership and income.
And this will help the organisation continue to support not only the club but the academy and community trust.
Mr Dickie said: “We have all seen the benefits of the hard work done throughout the club as a whole including the Society, the Community and the Academy – both on and off the park last season – and it is proof of what can be achieved when we all pull together.”
The AGM heard that the increase in membership and income which accrued over the past year, was no doubt related to the success on the park. It was reported that the membership now stands at just over 2600, which in turn results in an income into the Society of around £15,000 per month. The Society raised just under £200,000 in total over the last year which included income from a share sale, auction, events and donations – and the membership were thanked for their tremendous support. Mr Dickie outlined that this income is vital to the success of the club – including supporting the academy and the club’s community trust. He paid tribute to “both the fantastic success and the work that the Academy and the Trust carry out” and revealed out that they now reach out to over 30,000 people within the community.
And an appeal was issued to all fans and town businesses to help the Society grow, underpin the financial stability of the club and maximise the ‘Double Your Money’ offer generously given by previous owner Les Hutchison. It was stated that this offer ends at the end of December 2018 and has a maximum ceiling of £500,000. The Society intend to take full advantage of the offer and therefore need to target an income of £300,000 this year.
The Society has also recently formed a business club and has already had one successful meeting where over 20 businesses were in attendance – and due to demand they have another meeting taking place on Thursday, July 19.
Meanwhile, the Community Trust run a number of initiatives. This includes a drop-in session here on Wednesdays, in conjunction with Street Soccer Scotland who run the Homeless World Cup. This isn’t just for homeless people, but for those who are isolated.
They also host events like the Lanarkshire Boys’ League, and run a girls’ development centre. Holiday camps offer free places to young people who are in need of structured activity during school breaks. A project about healthy eating, funded by the Scottish Football Partnership, gives children a warm meal, then a football session and education on healthy eating.
And they also work with the Sporting Memories network to help older people.