Kmcalpin Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 I'd like to be on board, but I'd like to hear from the club on how they will communicate the plan to ex-pats like myself. Sounds promising, though. This was specifically raised in a question near the end last night. Leeann Dempster replied that the club was looking at this. However if you've any view then send them in to FP. wellsociety@motherwellfc.co.uk Its important to get the views of ex pats or indeed those who live a fair bit away from FP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weesacs Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 Goals of the Season DVD "MFC TV" subscription :lol: Membership card :lol: Oh my god, where do I sign up???? Albi - its not often I agree with you! but i do on this case. Someone else mentioned, plan away - but I'd rather just turn up on a saturday and watch the football - I'm with that one too. £50 every year..........going on SPL prices, thats 2 away games where I could watch my team. I'd rather go to those games that get a membership card and a DVD Dave - you mentioned Andrew Wilson made a nice touch about the young uns trying to improve the atmosphere at Fir Park and yes its nice to be noticed and acknowledged but...............will any directors or senior mgt be sitting in the away end on Saturday to see how the fans are treated at that Sh1tehole?? no, probably not, probably enjoying a nice meal and some drinks in the plush seats (free of charge with a good view) 800 @ killie, 1000 @ st midden, 900 @ dunfermline, 100 @ Parkhead....................I wonder why. Yes, its important we have a club to support in the future, but these issues are important now and have been for many past years. but I havent seen the club do anything to support any fans. If they want our money, its time to start treating the "customers" a little bit better 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biggayal0 Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 Thought tonight sounded positive and i'll probably get involved. Not too fussed about the incentives, just happy to invest in my team. Also nice touch from McFadden to sign up already wasnt there last night, what do you mean McFadden has signed up?, bought shares? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brazilian Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 I'd like to be on board, but I'd like to hear from the club on how they will communicate the plan to ex-pats like myself. Sounds promising, though. Leeann was quite passionate this weeyin, she knows we have supporters all over the world and spoke about how he receives communications from North America, Gulf states, Africa, Oz and Leamington spa and spoke about how there are people closer to home but who are just far enough away, or are in certain circumstances, that they aren't connected to the club and who are as passionate abut supporting Motherwell as some that get to games regularly, for obvious reasons they want everyone to join in but it seemed to me, far more than that, for me she spoke that its not all about taking from fans, she wants on all levels to deliver a sense of community and belonging and for expats and fans at distance she spoke about how the investment was going into MFCTV and the website, email communications etc, she knows how passionate you lot are and she wants to do as much as possible to keep you all connected with the club, as has been mentioned they have been pushing the FSA to sign off on the Industrial Provident Society (IPS) and cannot really take money from fans at present ( although there is always a way) but they felt they had to come out and talk to the support, as John announced this around the cup final time, but what they do want is to start connecting with those interested to help with spreading the word so as such, anyone that is interested can contact wellsociety@motherwellfc.co.uk and they would love to hear of expressions in interest to judge how this is going down. there were lots of anecdotal evidence of how hard the club are working in the background to support what is seen as the core values of the club and whilst these initiatives can always be misinterpreted, they do seem to be steering the club in a good direction, I have issues with the club on a couple of matters, but this certainly isn't one of them. this is entirely my own views and wasn't mentioned at the meeting but, this is almost like the end of the dark period of administration, ask yourself what you would have paid to save the club in those days, as its much the same decision, back then it would have meant instant closure, if John Boyle had walked but without the financial backing of a successful 'Well society, it'll be a fairly quick downward slide maybe not to closure but it wouldn't be pretty, as horrendous cuts would have to be made to all the initiatives that are growing the fan base but on a more direct level, the budget for players wages would get hammered as it was made quite clear that its the biggest monthly expenditure, so without the security to get through the lean months when income is low, it would hurt the team the most EDIT: to biggayal: Craggs was there and spoke about how good things are at the club, he made an anecdotal quip that Faddy had been in yesterday and they had spoke about the 'Well society and how James would be the 1st to sign up and how Craggs himself was definitely going to be the 2nd in that case, only difference being faddy would probably be able to send £25K but craggs will be at a lower level Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaag Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 Can i just ask what would happen if someone wanted to come in and buy the club for a large sum of money some time down the line? Would it involve all the 'Well Society members having the option of getting their money back (either with or without a profit)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadywellToi Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 How I understood it Gaag is if Motherwell are approached within 2 years of the Society being set up AND the board felt it was right to sell, all cash injected by society members would be returned and John Boyle would benefit from whatever the new owner would inject to secure the controlling interest. Only issue I have with the scheme is yet again we're going after the same people who already contribute for yet more money. We have a reasonably large pool of interested people out there who have dipped their toes in or around FP in the recent past (10,000 at Odense, 18,000 Scottish Cup Final, average home gate 10 years ago was 1,000 more than now). The only new business/revenue streams seem to be some of the 1886 group of local business owners and overseas fans who have limited opportunity to contribute to the club for obvious reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albi Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 Ask them nicely, maybe they'll let you trade your benefits for another ever hilarious 500 animated images or something. You disagree with my view therefore I'm on benefits Yes, its important we have a club to support in the future, but these issues are important now and have been for many past years. but I havent seen the club do anything to support any fans. If they want our money, its time to start treating the "customers" a little bit better This. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brazilian Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 albi you've been whooshed and it made me smile and on the second point, well you have missed the point, so feel free not to get involved and move on with your hilarious animated images that sometimes entertain but too much of a good thing often just gets sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cakes Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 You disagree with my view therefore I'm on benefits He meant the benefits you receive for being part of the Well Society. Edit: toooo slooooow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infamous Wee Grafter Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 Looking forward to decorator becoming club chairman in 2013!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brazilian Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 Can i just ask what would happen if someone wanted to come in and buy the club for a large sum of money some time down the line? Would it involve all the 'Well Society members having the option of getting their money back (either with or without a profit)? Gaag thats probably the perfect question for the next meeting or even direct to the wellsociety@motherwellfc.co.uk maybe they will put together a FAQ section as things move forward FWIW I took a slightly different interpretation to ladywelltois response the 'Well society in effect will control the majority shareholding in the club and as such will vote in the majority on the board who will take the decisions on running the club so if a billionaire showed up a couple of years down the line, the board elected by the society would take a decision based on whats best for the club and that would involve what happens to the societys share holding etc and no doubt the constitution will need to reflect how that is voted upon ie a referendum type scenario. in the present however before the society is fully up and running and in full control, John Boyles shareholding is still held in trust, so if the billionaire showed up tomorrow, the present board would take the decision on whats good for the club and if that was to sell as they are still JB's shares he would receive some of the payment for them. as soon as the society is formed some of those shares (45%?) that are in trust are immediately transferred to the society ( this was referred to as a transition phase) these are instantly the societys and as such JB has gifted them to the fans. the Billionaire would need the societys approval for purchase and the associated terms of that purchase ie payments to whom etc EDIT: maybe someone could confirm but I think I picked up that some of the present board contributed some of their personal shares to the total that is held in trust for the society to ensure that a full 75% was achieved ensuring the society controls the future of the club Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 Looking forward to decorator becoming club chairman in 2013!!!! I'm looking forward to the 3000 pictures to accompany it as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadywellToi Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 EDIT: maybe someone could confirm but I think I picked up that some of the present board contributed some of their personal shares to the total that is held in trust for the society to ensure that a full 75% was achieved ensuring the society controls the future of the club I think it was to facilitate the setting up of the society (FSA regs I think were cited). Jim McMahon went on to say that just over 50% was needed to effectively control the club. The figure of two years from formation was definitely cited, so I understood up until Nov/Dec 2013 if an offer was put in then John would benefit regardless of status, however Derek Weir said nobody had approached so far and he wasn't expecting any due to the financial climate at present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brazilian Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 so did some of the board contribute some shares to the total held in trust as that indicates how much they feel it is the correct way forward two years was mentioned but thats a ball park figure,as later it was clarified that the timeframe will be determined by how long it takes for the 'Well society to be 'fit and proper' to be in full control of the club and those shares Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmcalpin Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 the 'Well society in effect will control the majority shareholding in the club and as such will vote in the majority on the board who will take the decisions on running the club so if a billionaire showed up a couple of years down the line, the board elected by the society would take a decision based on whats best for the club and that would involve what happens to the societys share holding etc and no doubt the constitution will need to reflect how that is voted upon ie a referendum type scenario. in the present however before the society is fully up and running and in full control, John Boyles shareholding is still held in trust, so if the billionaire showed up tomorrow, the present board would take the decision on whats good for the club and if that was to sell as they are still JB's shares he would receive some of the payment for them. as soon as the society is formed some of those shares (45%?) that are in trust are immediately transferred to the society ( this was referred to as a transition phase) these are instantly the societys and as such JB has gifted them to the fans. the Billionaire would need the societys approval for purchase and the associated terms of that purchase ie payments to whom etc Basically my understanding too Iain. The Society would basically build up its shareholding in phases from 45% to 75%. As such it would be an ordinary shareholder. There would still be a number of smaller individual shareholders (the 2nd highest holds 4.5%). As such once the 50% barrier had been reached the Society would be the majority shareholder and once 75% had been attained yet more legal rights would accrue. If at any point a white knight rode in then there would be a vote of shareholders to decide how to react. If the society held more than 50% of the club 's shares then what it said would carry the day. Don't forget too that the Trust holds about 3.5% of the shares. In short the Society would take over John Boyle's role in the club but of course this would mean that MFC would be run by its members/fans and not by one individual. I'm sure there's more to it than that but thats a quick summary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albi Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 albi you've been whooshed and it made me smile I properly have as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steelmen Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 i'm a bit pissed that i can invest £25,000 and not get a birthday/christmas card. i want to be a junior member!!!! As someone said above depending on how the payments are spread depends on which package i sign up for... sorry which package the wife lets me sign up for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decorator Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 Looking forward to decorator becoming club chairman in 2013!!!! see if they would have even approached me when i was motherwell's number one fan i might have even thought about it, money is now in my local team who the players and staff worship me i now spend my time having a small drink on the million pound balcony 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 Daily record. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/motherwell/2011/09/06/ex-motherwell-ace-james-mcfadden-donates-25k-to-kick-start-new-fir-park-fans-group-86908-23399903/ Ex-Motherwell ace James McFadden donates £25K to kick start new Fir Park fans' group Sep 6 2011 By Chris Roberts JAMES McFADDEN may have left Motherwell some eight years ago but he cleary hasn't forgotten his first club after donating £25,000 to become the first member of the Well Society. The former Fir Park hero has dug deep to help kickstart the new fans' action group which plans to have a member on the Well board. With clubs often reluctant to entertain fans' groups the new set-up, who met last night to thrash out ways of helping the Steelmen, hope the support of one of their favourite sons will open doors for them. McFadden is currently looking to revive his career after his contract at Birmingham City ran out this summer. And he has been linked with moves to Wolves and Aston Villa. He left Fir Park for Everton in 2003 for £1.25million and became a Scotland icon with his brilliant winner against France in Paris in the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. Now the 28-year-old has made sure he is back in the Well support's hearts by backing their plans to have a say in the day-to-day running of their club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brazilian Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 I only heard Craggs make a joke about Faddy being able to afford the £25k not that he had actually opted for it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cakes Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 It's the Record, they probably lifted it straight from this thread. Facts? Who needs them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmmfc Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 Wish Faddy wouldn't bother paying £25k and just come to play for us until the transfer window instead!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Stall Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 Apart from it being a nice gesture by Faddy if true, one added bonus is it will get it right up those dellusional Aberdeen fans who thought McFadden was going to sign for them. He won't sign for Broon and his big team, but he'll happilly give the 'well £25k out of his skyrocket! Outstanding! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finlay Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 I like that logic!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
santheman Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 They said that the figure they would like to raise is in the region of 1.5m which would give us a buffer against approx 3 lean years. The logic behind that is if we finished outside the top 6 and got knocked out of both cups before january then we would lose approx 700k each season it happened so if it happened 3 years on the trot then it would be the worst case scenario which would mean we would have to sell players or cut costs to make up the shortfall or heaven forbid, go down the admin route again. The funds raised would help to prevent that hopefully. Again some might say that raising 1.5m is pie in the sky but if you took 3000 season ticket holders who each took out a steel membership at £300 thats 900k and if they got 10 companies taking out the 1886 membership at 25k then you can see that 1.5m is maybe not as unachievable as you think. Bear in mind that the annual membership thereafter at £30 for 3000 members would be 90k then its even more achievable. They also said that flexible payment terms would be on offer so a £300 membership over 12 months works out at £25 which is pretty affordable in my book. I would rather go down this route than do a Dundee and have to organise charity auctions and sponsored walks round Strathy Park to raise funds to stave off administration 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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