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I wanted to follow up on the recent statement by the Well Society which was so well received by our community and outline where we are as a club.

The position we find ourselves in is unprecedented. The combined effects of the Covid-19 outbreak and the consequential economic disruption is an unpredictable event with potentially severe consequences. It hasn’t happened before. There is no map which shows the way out. There are no set of instructions we can follow.

We go into this in a relatively strong position. For our club to thrive, it needs all the component parts: the board, executive management, coaching staff, players, fans and our owners, the Well Society, to work harmoniously. And since the move to fan ownership that has happened, everyone has a common purpose and all those different groups have pursued the good of the club without partiality or self-interest.

That said, the threat to the club is real and we have no handrails to guide us safely through. But we do have each other and the community we are from.

We will ensure that continues and we will be guided by a few key principles in the months ahead:

1) The safety of all our people is our absolute priority. We were ahead of the curve in taking action to protect the health of our community. We will enact all that has been asked of us by government. We will not try to ‘game the system’ for short-term advantage.

2) After that is guaranteed, as much as it can be in this situation, then the survival and long-term health of our club is the next key task. We are not in an immediate liquidity (cash) crisis. We have managed our resources diligently. But this is not a short-term problem in our view and we are looking at all possible funding packages to build up our cash reserves. We will update you regularly on this and can I thank all of you who are donating to the Well Society in these extremely difficult financial times.

3) We will act decently in ensuring our future. Decently to our employees, players and fans and in particular we will continue to support the Community Trust, whose role is even more important in this situation.

What we need most just now is clarity from the football authorities. With some certainty about how this and next season will look, we can plan and take the necessary actions.

When you go into our CEO Alan Burrows’ office at Fir Park, the first thing you see is a quote on his wall which says “I shall either find a way or make one.”

There is no clear and obvious way at present. But we all have so much of ourselves invested in the club we love that we will make one. We will come through this. Whatever has to happen, we will make happen with the long-term future of our community in mind and our club at its heart.

Thank you all for your support.

Jim McMahon
Chairman

We are a community. Our role in our community is an important one, supporting our fans, their families and everyone else in our local area in both normal times and at this time of increased need.

We know many of you will have concerns or struggles with health, finances and/or access to goods and services.

Instead of replicating the work of local service providers, this resource from our Community Trust highlights all the help available that you may need. We are working to try and support them further where we possibly can.

If you think we have something missing – or you provide a service which you believe should be included – please contact us and let us know.

Take care and stay safe.

Last updated: 16 April

Physical Health

If you are displaying any symptoms of coronavirus, or are looking for additional information on what you should be doing, please visit nhsinform.scot.

The link leads to:

• General advice
• Symptom checker
• Guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection
• Social distancing guidelines
• Shielding information
• Advice for professionals
• Visiting your GP surgery

Most GP practices have closed their doors to physical appointments at the present time. This is because physical attendance at the surgery is considered high risk. Check the arrangements for your surgery by telephone or on their website.

Dental Appointments

All non-urgent dental care has been stopped. This includes basic work, check ups and orthodontics. If you have an urgent concern, please telephone your dental practice who will be able to advise.

Mental Health

Things are difficult.

You may be feeling anxious, lonely, isolated or depressed. You may be worried about your job, debt or addiction. You are not alone.

A new telephone helpline is offering psychological support and advice to people across Lanarkshire during the pandemic. 

Designed and operated by NHS Lanarkshire psychological services, the public distress Covid-19 helpline aims to assist members of the public who are experiencing anxiety, low mood or other mental health issues in relation to Covid-19.

The service can be contacted on 01698 687567.

NHS Inform have some fantastic resources to help with mental health, including:

• Mental wellbeing
• Depression self-help
• Anxiety self-help
• Coping with money worries
• Struggling with stress
• Dealing with traumatic events

Breathing Space provide a safe and supportive space for anyone over 16 years of age experiencing low mood, depression or anxiety.

You can call the Samaritans 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on 116 123.

SAMH have a lot of resources and information on coronavirus and your mental wellbeing. It includes help with anxiety, OCD, issues for older people and young people, benefits, and coping with distressing news coverage.

Physical activity is a great way to help with mental health. There are lots of fantastic online workouts to suit all ages and abilities:

• Home workout with Motherwell FC’s Richard Tait
• GBXercise
• Chairobics
• P.E. with Joe Wicks

The people of Lanarkshire can take advantage of a free online stress control resource that provides advice and support and helps deal with anxiety and stress during these challenging times.

Stress Control is a six-session class developed in Scotland and now run around the world. It teaches Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) skills to help deal with common problems such as anxiety, depression, panicky feelings, poor sleep and poor wellbeing.

Financial Worries

We know that many people struggle in normal circumstances and that situation can be exacerbated at the moment. There is help. Please contact someone as early as possible and measures can be put in place to support you.

The Citizen’s Advice Bureau has information on its website for many common scenarios

North Lanarkshire Council have links and advice for a wide range of money areas, from rent to energy bills.

Services

Some supermarkets have revised opening hours to assist elderly or NHS workers. These times are subject to change, please check the latest information on the relevant supermarket’s website.

• Asda
• Morrisons
• Tesco
• Lidl
• Aldi
• Iceland
• Sainsbury’s
• Marks & Spencers

Don’t forget our local butchers, greengrocers and stores which all have a good selection of supplies without the necessity to stand in busy stores.

If you need additional support with shopping because of mobility, self-isolation or other difficulties please contact your local food bank. You can find where they are on the Trussell Trust website.

Stay In Touch

It can be difficult being cut off from your family and friends for this prolonged period, but you are not alone. There are many apps, such as FaceTime, Houseparty and WhatsApp which can help you video call each other.

If you are missing your football fix, check out our social media channels on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

The Sporting Memories Network has a weekly digital Sporting Pink magazine which looks at football in bygone days. It’s a great way of passing time reminiscing about football, completing puzzles and quizzes.

The elderly may be concerned about the impact of COVID, or you may be concerned about a relative. Age Scotland has a wide range of advice, resources and links to support agencies.

Staying at home doesn’t mean you can’t get some extra exercise in addition to getting outside for a bit.

Our resident fitness fanatic Richard Tait is providing live workouts for you to follow along with at 8:30am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

And if that’s a little too early for you to get sweaty, you can watch them all back at your own pace.

All workouts will be available here to watch back. If you want to join in live, head to our Facebook page and be ready at 8.30am.

Wednesday 1 April

Monday 30 March

Friday 27 March

Thursday 26 March

Following a tremendous response over the last seven days, the Well Society now has over 3,000 members.

Reaching this milestone is an incredible achievement for our support, especially during what is a very uncertain time for everyone.

Since our update last week, the Well Society has been overwhelmed by the amount of new pledges and donations received.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed.

This is a difficult time for all of us and those who contribute to our fan ownership group cannot be thanked enough for their continued support, especially when football may be the furthest thing from minds.

If you haven’t yet done so, here’s how you can support the Well Society and add to the 3,000 who play their part in owning Motherwell Football Club.

New Members

You can pledge by clicking here. Pledges start at just £5 per month.

Existing Members: upping your pledge

We’ve had several existing members increasing their pledge, for example from £5 to £10 per month.

To do this simply click here, set up a new pledge and cancel your existing direct debit.

Alternatively drop an email to wellsociety@motherwellfc.co.uk and we will cancel your existing pledge for you.

One-off Donations

The Well Society also received over £1,500 in one-off donations over the last week.

If you wish to donate you can send payment through Paypal to wellsociety@motherwellfc.co.uk.

Once again thank you for your incredible support and we look forward to seeing you back at Fir Park soon.

There’s a return to action – of sorts – on Tuesday night.

With no football for the foreseeable future, we’ve entered into a FIFA 2020 tournament with 127 other clubs from around the world.

Ajax, PSV, Orlando City, Manchester City and AS Roma are amongst the big guns in the competition, organised by English side Leyton Orient.

Motherwell ‘travel’ to take on Grimsby Town on Tuesday, with a 6pm kick-off. Declan Gallagher is in control of our team.

You can watch the game online below.

Watch live video from decsalloveru on www.twitch.tv

Should Motherwell progress, a last 64 tie away to Sydney FC lies in wait.

Fir Park Stadium will be closed until further notice.

The Prime Minister announced on Monday that all people should stay at home, except for limited reasons, in an attempt to contain the spread of Covid-19.

The club was operating a skeleton staff in recent days but will now immediately shut down, with employees working from home where possible.

To contact the club, please use our contact form on this website.

We urge everyone to follow the advice issued by the UK and Scottish Governments to stay at home, except for the following limited reasons:

• To shop for basic necessities.
• For one form of exercise per day, either alone or with a maximum of one member of your household.
• For medical or care needs, or to help a vulnerable person.
• To travel to and from work but only if it is a necessity.

Want to help fund the future stars at Motherwell Football Club, and also be in with a chance of winning £25,000?

Our Well Lottery allows you to do just that, backing the next young talent rising through the ranks at the club and being in our weekly draw.

Priced at £1 per entry, we’ve also got smaller prizes of £1,000 and £25.

HOW TO JOIN THE WELL LOTTERY

To join the Well Lottery, you can now choose one of the following options:

• Sign up online here
• Fill in the lottery leaflet provided and return via the freepost address provided to Unity.
• Download a lottery leaflet from the Well Lottery website and return to Unity by post.

Once you have signed up, you will receive a letter welcoming you to the lottery which will tell you your lottery numbers. You will then be entered into the draw for as long as you wish to play.

HOW DOES THE WELL LOTTERY WORK?

For as little as £1 per week, you’ll have the chance to win up to £25,000. At least 50p of every £1 played goes straight to youth development but most importantly, there are no ongoing costs to the club.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?

Every £1 is split three ways. At least 50p of every £1 comes straight to Motherwell FC, which is put towards the club’s youth development and academy programme. The other 50p covers the cost of the administration of the lottery, and goes towards the fantastic prize fund.

HOW DO I WIN?

Every player of the Well Lottery will be allocated a six-digit lottery number for every entry they wish to play. This idea is to match your number with the winning number that is drawn on a Saturday in the correct sequence. Every entry in the Unity lottery has an equal one in 63 chance of winning a prize.

For example:

325764 – random winning number

326574 – your lottery number

This is a three-number match, winning five entries into the next draw.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE WON?

Players are notified automatically, and prizes sent out by post, so you do not need to claim your prize. If you would like to check the winning number each week, these can be found on Unity’s website and here on the official Motherwell FC website.

WHAT IS UNITY?

Unity is a platform on which charities run their own fundraising lottery. It is run by an external lottery manager, Sterling Lotteries, who administer hundreds of charity lotteries for clients across the country.

The Covid-19 crisis is having a monumental impact across the world and now at home.

It is both a health and economic crisis at the same time which is doubling the anxiety for us all.

In this context sport seems less important than ever before, but we also know that our club and our game are at the centre of our home community and national life. We must play our part in getting our community and country through what lies ahead and to a sustainable future on the other side.

As things stand, we await clarity over what will happen with the 2019/20 season. Until then, it is difficult to state clearly what challenges – if any – lie ahead. As soon as things are made clearer, we will be able to update our members and the entire Motherwell support.

As a club, we will stand by the decisions taken by our governing body and its board. We know that there can be no easy answers. We also know that now is not the time for self-interest. Now is the time to secure the common good. More than ever. Decisions will need to be taken and we will be part of making good what is decided.

Our club is well-managed, well-supervised and well-owned. We are fortunate. But this competence and preparedness does not make us immune from the implications of what is happening. The focus of the board of the club is on supporting all of those who depend on us for their income. This matters enormously. We also want to do everything we can to engage the community as well in all that will need done in the days ahead.

Times are uncertain, and so we are encouraged by supporters who have already contacted us looking to support the Well Society during this time.

We would like to extend a massive thank you to all of our supporters who have recently joined or made a donation to the Well Society, as well as highlighting our gratitude to existing members who continue to support us on a regular basis. The importance of doing this cannot be overstated. Please encourage all your friends that can afford it to do the same. It will be an investment in securing the future of our club.

We would welcome any other fans who have the means to similarly consider contributing to the Society at this time, either by pledging a monthly sum or by making a one-off donation.

Joining or pledging to the Well Society helps to safeguard the future of our club at all times, but in particular your support now helps give comfort as we head towards what will undoubtedly be challenging times.

To become a Well Society member, starting at just £5 per month, you can sign up here. Or, to make a one-off donation, you can click here or donate via Paypal by sending to wellsociety@motherwellfc.co.uk.

Our understanding is that the club will put season tickets on sale in early April, which we encourage all fans who possibly can commit at that early stage to do so.

If you have any issues or worries during this ongoing crisis, even if they are unrelated to the Well Society, Motherwell FC or football in general, and are unsure of where to turn, please contact us by clicking here and we will point you in the right direction for advice, guidance and support.

Again, thank you for all your support. The days ahead will be full of pain, we know that. But our community has demonstrated its resilience through many challenges over the years and this one will be met by the same steel. We will emerge more together, stronger and connected.

Look after yourselves and those around you. We’ll see you at Fir Park on the other side.

The Well Society Board

Andrew Wilson has rejoined the board of Motherwell Football Club as a director.

Andrew is a well-known figure in business and public life as an economist, former politician and communications strategist.

An elected member of the first Scottish Parliament in 1999, he served as a shadow minister across various departments before joining RBS in 2003 in a number of roles, including as deputy chief economist and head of group communications.

Wilson, who was previously on the board between 2010 and 2015 and was a key player in the creation of the ‘Well Society, is now a founding partner of strategic communications firm Charlotte Street Partners.

Chairman Jim McMahon said: “We conducted a review into the skill set and the make up of the board and Andrew is an excellent candidate to rejoin.

“He is experienced in both the public and private sector and is extremely well respected and connected. I am delighted we’ve managed to add someone of his standing.

“We will continue to review the position with the Supervisory and ‘Well Society boards around further integration of directors, following some of our recent objectives being achieved.”

Andrew will join chairman Jim McMahon, vice chair Douglas Dickie, chief executive Alan Burrows and Tom Feely on the board at Fir Park.

“It is a privilege for me to play a part in helping my club succeed and grow,” he said of his appointment.

“Motherwell FC’s purpose is extremely important to its community and it is a source of great joy and improvement for many people.

“We have ambitious plans to continue its success and I rejoin at a time when I don’t think the club has been better stewarded.

“We have a tough crisis to navigate and must play an active part in getting our community and the country through it.”

The playing of organised football in Scotland remains suspended indefinitely.

An update from the joint response group of the SPFL and Scottish FA on Monday has reiterated that all league fixtures will be postponed until any order from government and/or further direction from the Scottish FA can be provided.

Matches and training sessions at all levels of our clubs are now suspended.

The decision has been made in the interest of public health in the wake of the ongoing spread of the coronavirus, in line with the advice of the UK Medical Officer.

The joint response group say the decision protects the general public and all involved in putting on football matches, as well as reducing the burden on the emergency services.

Further updates on when football can resume will be given as soon as possible.

Our club offices in the Chapman Building will remain open from 10am to 3pm every day. We would ask fans not to visit in person if it can be avoided, and to use online services, contact the club by email or call 01968 333333.

You can view a full list of club activities affected here.

How can you help?

We’ve received countless offers of support from supporters and the wider community, with many of you asking if there’s anything you can do to help.

Our club is owned by its supporters. The Well Society is a member organisation where you can pledge a monthly ongoing amount of your choice, from which the club benefits. You can also make one-off donations should you wish.

To do so, head to our Well Society sign-up and pledge page. To find out more about how the Well Society works, you can read all about it here.

Our plan is to have season tickets for the 2020/21 campaign on sales in early April. Fans who are able to buy early will be a huge help to the club.

We thank everyone who has been in touch. We will provide greater clarity on what will happen next as soon as we possibly can.