Fans are lifeblood at Fir Park without a rich owner
IN October 2016, Motherwell became the first Scottish Premiership club to become fully fanowned after a takeover by the Well Society.
The Fir Park club confirmed they were virtually debt-free in November 2019 after sums of around £1.5million were repaid to former owners John Boyle and Les Hutchison.
However, just four months after that bright announcement, Scottish football was placed in lockdown and the SPFL season curtailed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the new season having already kicked off behind closed doors, and with a second wave of the virus now hitting, fans face being locked out of stadia in the longer term.
As the only top-flight club without a benefactor, Motherwell’s revenue comes from a combination of player sales and funds from supporters.
Here, Sportsmail speaks to the Steelmen’s manager Stephen Robinson about the unique challenges the club face during this time of great uncertainty.
THE IMPACT OF AN EXTENDED FAN BAN
Research by UEFA shows Scottish Premiership clubs earn a greater percentage of their income from ticket sales than any other top league in Europe.
The last available report states that 43 per cent of revenue in the Scottish top flight came from gate receipts; almost three times the European average of 15 per cent.
The prospect of fans not being able to return for another six months is, therefore, a worrying one, particularly for Motherwell.
‘Like every other football club, financially it’s going to be massive to us,’ said Robinson. ‘We don’t have a big benefactor. We don’t have someone pumping millions of pounds into the club.
‘I think without the sales this year of James Scott (£1.5m to Hull City) and David Turnbull (£3m to Celtic) we would be in trouble.
‘If you add that to the third-place finish we achieved in the Premiership last season and the Europa League run, that’s probably what’s keeping the club going.
‘We need fans back as soon as possible, as does every other club in the league.’
TESTING TIMES
Celtic and Aberdeen were both hit this week with minimal fines following lockdown breaches by some of their players earlier this season. Players at St Mirren and Hamilton have since tested positive for coronavirus, while the Carabao Cup in England has been beset by Covid-19 positive tests.
Robinson believes more players and staff will return positive results but he believes the testing system in place in Scottish football is robust and can ensure the season is completed.
‘I’ve no doubt that Scottish football has coped very well,’ said Robinson (below).
‘We’ve had our lapses and people have made mistakes, but they are young people and they do make mistakes at times. They’ve learned their lessons from that.
‘As a whole, Scottish football is an example to everyone.
‘Our testing regime is above and beyond what anyone else is doing and I include the NHS in that. Frontline workers aren’t getting tested as often as our footballers are.
‘The protocols we adhere to around the club with the masks — the players don’t sit together with the two-metres distancing, the checks and all the tests. We are simply doing a lot more than the rest of society to keep going.
‘We live in a bubble, but our players don’t live in a hotel. They go home to their families. People go to work and there is obviously a risk.
‘Every time I get tested I am scared stiff. We cover every protocol at every game, but when they go back to their families, if they were to touch something and somebody touches the same surface, they can get the virus.
‘So there will be people who test positive and we have to live with that. No matter what we do, people will test positive, that’s just the nature of this virus. We are no different from anyone else.’
MENTAL STRAIN
A club with a proud commitment to championing good mental health, Robinson is worried by the effect the prolonged absence from stadiums and live football will have on fans.
‘If we are talking about going into another lockdown or a semi-lockdown, football is one thing in the community that keeps everyone going mentally,’ he said yesterday.
‘The mental health side of things is absolutely huge. I spoke to my mum and dad in Northern Ireland recently and my mum is worried that she will not get to see anyone for the next two months.
‘So there is a real mental health issue here too. Football keeps people going and it gives them a purpose. It gives everyone in the community a goal and helps to keep them positive. That’s something else that has to be taken into consideration. Football is a huge part of people’s lives.’
A POTENTIAL — AND TIMELY — EUROPEAN JACKPOT
Last season, reaching the Europa League group stage earned each club a minimum of £2.5m. Each win in the group paid a further £515,000 while a draw was worth £170,000. ‘Going through the first two rounds has already brought money into the club,’ said Robinson. ‘The longer we can stay in the competition the more beneficial it is to the football club.’ The Motherwell boss has no concerns over the fact Israel is in lockdown as his Steelmen land in Tel Aviv ahead of tomorrow’s Europa League third-round qualifier with Hapoel Be’er Sheva. He said: ‘Whether the country is in lockdown, it doesn’t affect us. We went to Belfast in the last round and we were only allowed in our own bubble. ‘We are staying in single rooms and the protocols that are being followed have been fantastic. They make you feel secure. I have no worries for my players at all.’