gilmour Posted July 13, 2013 Report Share Posted July 13, 2013 Motherwell chief executive Leeann Dempster survived sexism to become one of the SPFL's brightest talents Motherwell Chief Executive Leeann Dempster says she has encountered sexism "straight out of a 1970s British sitcom" SNS By Hugh Keevins | 13 Jul 2013 10:44 WHEN Leeann Dempster came into football at Motherwell five years ago, people in boardrooms used to call her “Dear” and ask if she worked in hospitality. But she survived the institutionalised sexism and rose from being general manager at Fir Park to the role of chief executive, winning the widespread respect she deserves along the way. The SPFL have recognised her talent for promoting the game and now have Dempster on their communications committee. James McFadden’s talking to her about a contract after she coaxed him into a conversation by saying Motherwell’s the place where he could win the two Scotland caps that will carry him into the SFA’s Hall of Fame. And she’s in the process of convincing Legia Warsaw that, in the wake of Henrik Ojamaa’s move from Well to Poland, an exchange of players and coaches could be mutually beneficial. But thinking outside the box, so to speak, has always been Dempster’s speciality. How many other chief executives started out wanting to be in the army, only to be turned down on the basis of suspect vision in one eye? And it can surely be guaranteed than none can number an undertaker among their previous employers. “I did all the hard stuff from my first day at the funeral parlour and loved it,” she said. “I got all of the undertakers’ numbers from the Yellow Pages and one of them was willing to take me on as a trainee.” Dempster once dressed the deceased for burial. Now she believes she can help the living resurrect Scottish football and prove that rumours of the game’s death have indeed been greatly exaggerated. “The game’s on the mend, there’s no doubt about that,” she said in her cramped office inside a ground that’s seen almost as much action off the park during the close season as it did during the last SPL campaign. Motherwell finished second only to Celtic, a minor miracle given that the clubs are, geographically speaking, only nine miles apart while being, financially speaking, from different planets. Since then, manager Stuart McCall has rejected a move to Sheffield United in favour of staying in Lanarkshire. But Michael Higdon, Scotland’s Player of the Year and Motherwell’s top scorer last term, has moved on to Nijmegen under freedom of contract. Some you win, some you lose for the person who knows what matters of life and death really look like. Dempster said: “I didn’t want to lose Stuart but I wouldn’t have been fazed if I’d had to look for a new manager. He knows the club’s good for him, a perfect fit. “Michael chose Holland and so we brought John Sutton back to the club from Hearts. “James McFadden has all sorts of offers to contemplate. But he’s still here and I’ve told him he’ll get the games that will lift him into the Scotland squad enough times for entry to the Hall of Fame.” The hard sell. It’s what Leeann does and has done since dealing with bereavement gave way to overseeing sales and marketing at the now defunct Zoom Airlines. She added: “I’d been at the Feather Brooksbank advertising agency and handled clients who had a total budget of £40million a year to spend. “We pitched for Zoom’s business account and got it, which brought me into contact with John Boyle. “When Zoom went bust, John asked me to work for the football club he owned and that was the first time I ever walked into Fir Park. “The game I became part of was like a 1970s sitcom so far as some of the attitudes I encountered were concerned but John’s mission for me was to modernise his club. “What was supposed to be a two-month engagement turned into a five-year labour of love. I would never go back to the advertising world now because I’ve found a place that fulfils and sustains me.” Fir Park was new to Dempster but football was not. She said: “I come from Glasgow and had a father and two brothers who were mad about football. “I went to games with them but I wasn’t a Motherwell fan. Now I am. “I found a different kind of football at Motherwell – there were no certainties attached to the outcome of matches and I grew to love that feeling. “There’s an excitement about being attached to a club where success can be tough to come by. “John made mistakes when he was in charge here and he’d be the first to admit it. But he never walked away from the club when he could have had a buyer. “His 73 per cent shareholding became a gift to the Well Society. “Now we have no debt, apart from a loan to John that’s under half a million pounds. “We’ve had our insolvency event and I don’t think that will happen to us again. Our season ticket sales were numbered at 2500 five years ago and now we sell to 4400 people. “I still find my sleeping pattern disrupted during the winter months when money issues can arise but I’m not in any way pessimistic. “We’re not entirely safe yet but we’re in good shape.” Dempster’s part in that growth has to be considered vital but all she asks is due recognition of capability akin to what any man would get in the same position. She said: “I want to be judged on ability and not on anything to do with being a woman in football. “I’ve been schooled in negotiation and worked in a highly pressurised environment before I came into football. “I can’t recall a player ever having effed and blinded at me but if there was ever to be a serious disagreement I’d be right in the thick of it. I’ve still got an advertising person’s temperament. I want the best value and the highest visibility for my client, and my client is Motherwell. “Players have to build a confidence in me and they can only do that if I demonstrate to them that I can do the work.” Selling the game presents no form of rocket science to Dempster, which is why her skills have come to the attention of the governing bodies inside Hampden. She said: “Scottish football is on the mend. It’s easy to get young ones hooked on football. I can’t convert their parents to Motherwell if they support Celtic or Rangers but if I encourage their children to think Fir Park’s a welcoming place then I know I can claim them as fans of the future.” Now Dempster is turning a lot of her attention to securing practical support from the clubs she feels Motherwell can do business with. “Henrik’s move to Warsaw set up a chance to study their academy and see what we can learn,” she said. “Legia might even have players who can’t get a regular game for them but would for us. I’m going to analyse Portland Timbers in the MLS soon and see if we can work with them. “Motherwell can reinvigorate a player’s career. John Ruddy had been on 10 loan spells then he came to Fir Park for a season. “Now Jose Mourinho wants to sign him for Chelsea.” And the limit of her ambition? Dempster said: “I don’t want to be the first woman president of the SFA but I want to add value to whatever I do. My job at Motherwell isn’t done yet. “But I felt privileged to have been part of that meeting at Hampden which brought the merger of the SFL and the SPL. “Time will show how significant that day will be for our football. It will build trust and change people’s perception of the game.” 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted July 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2013 Clever thinking with faddy that's a big carrot to dangle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siebsbarmyarmy Posted July 13, 2013 Report Share Posted July 13, 2013 Good positive read. Impressed by the possible links being introduced with Legia and hopefully Portland. Could be spin, but it sounds to me that she has seriously taken the club to heart. Glad to hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welldaft Mk1 Posted July 13, 2013 Report Share Posted July 13, 2013 Fairly obvious but hope it works. Faddy will get 1st team game time with us. Only 2 caps left to get into Hall of Fame , which IMHO he deserves. Stat that stuck out for me was that we have sold 4400 season tickets with a couple weeks to go b4 season starts. Sure that will include free kids offer etc, but still 4400..... If Faddy signs we may get over the 4500 mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haggischomper Posted July 13, 2013 Report Share Posted July 13, 2013 Portland Timbers have a superb fan base. Bunch of mentallers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber_nectar Posted July 13, 2013 Report Share Posted July 13, 2013 1373728322[/url]' post='388943']Fairly obvious but hope it works. Faddy will get 1st team game time with us. Only 2 caps left to get into Hall of Fame , which IMHO he deserves. Stat that stuck out for me was that we have sold 4400 season tickets with a couple weeks to go b4 season starts. Sure that will include free kids offer etc, but still 4400..... If Faddy signs we may get over the 4500 mark. Yes that stat is impressive. Master stroke letting kids have free tickets for all stands. I now see lots of grandparents bringing there grandchildren to games as a lot of parents work weekends now. If we can get the away supporters to start coming back as well that would be impressive. Two seasons left to work on getting a bigger fan base with rangers out of the top league. Our time is know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special aka Posted July 13, 2013 Report Share Posted July 13, 2013 I take my hat off to Leeanne. Irrespective of gender I believe she has done very well in her time at FP. It can't have been easy and that's not counting having to cope/deal with us lot. IMHO she deserves great credit for her contribution so far. In addition, she always comes across very well when interviewed live. Keep up the good work Leeanne 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfcdez Posted July 13, 2013 Report Share Posted July 13, 2013 Good read and another positive , forward thinking interview from Leanne . Great news about season ticket numbers , although I'm personally gutted at having to give mine up as my new job involves working every Saturday . Will actually be praying for as many of the stupid , inconvenient kick off times that we have endured so many of over the past few seasons so that I can get along and PATG as often as possible ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si91 Posted July 13, 2013 Report Share Posted July 13, 2013 That's the second article this week to feature our Chief Exec, the Herald carried it earlier on. It's great to see our club getting so much press coverage in the media, perhaps John Boyle's claim of being the Third Force wasn't so daft after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweed Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 That's the second article this week to feature our Chief Exec, the Herald carried it earlier on. It's great to see our club getting so much press coverage in the media, perhaps John Boyle's claim of being the Third Force wasn't so daft after all. He was a bit pessimistic - we're the 2nd force now. He was maybe just a little short-termist. In all seriousness, administration was the best thing that ever happened to us. It let us strip the waste, redefine our priorities and basically start again from scratch. We got wee rubs along the way, an unexpected cup semi final in 2003, Falkirk's ground being not up to scratch, another two good cup runs in 2005 and 2006 plus the financial rewards from being involved in Skippy Sunday but all these things allowed us to develop more and more and in time we have shown you need to have a good plan, prudence and a close knit group of players and it is amazing what you can achieve. Dempster was a shrewd appointment. Looked totally under qualified but Boyle has obviously seen a spark there and she is proving herself to be an excellent acquisition. She has made mistakes, she'll continue to make mistakes but in this game everything you do is in the spotlight and noticed. I certainly have no worries about the longevity of Motherwell with her at the helm. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decorator Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 He was a bit pessimistic - we're the 2nd force now. He was maybe just a little short-termist. In all seriousness, administration was the best thing that ever happened to us. It let us strip the waste, redefine our priorities and basically start again from scratch. We got wee rubs along the way, an unexpected cup semi final in 2003, Falkirk's ground being not up to scratch, another two good cup runs in 2005 and 2006 plus the financial rewards from being involved in Skippy Sunday but all these things allowed us to develop more and more and in time we have shown you need to have a good plan, prudence and a close knit group of players and it is amazing what you can achieve. Dempster was a shrewd appointment. Looked totally under qualified but Boyle has obviously seen a spark there and she is proving herself to be an excellent acquisition. She has made mistakes, she'll continue to make mistakes but in this game everything you do is in the spotlight and noticed. I certainly have no worries about the longevity of Motherwell with her at the helm. good post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geedub Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 Portland Timbers have a superb fan base. Bunch of mentallers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPzXhfB74pQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRSEyLqOpZw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weeyin Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 That's mainly due to their large selection of fine microbreweries and easy access to soft drugs (allegedly). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special aka Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 Unfortunate choice of colours......... very good support tho, and cracking stadium -- very very un-American. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underboyleheating Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 The fact that we successfully converted a former blue nose season ticket holder like Leanne into the Well family, proves just how much this club can get under your skin. I just hope in the future we can attract younger fans to support the Well before they get hypnotised by the Old Firm. In saying that, if anyone can lure fans from the dark side before it‘s too late it’s Leanne, as she has first hand experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzyB Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 Doesn't John Spencer manage the Portland Timbers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Folkie Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 I must admit, I like the idea of "You Are My Sunshine" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Well Fan Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 Doesn't John Spencer manage the Portland Timbers? He got the sack a year ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unknown Posted July 14, 2013 Report Share Posted July 14, 2013 Doesn't John Spencer manage the Portland Timbers? Only for a year, got sacked last July Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onthefringes Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 The fact that we successfully converted a former blue nose season ticket holder like Leanne into the Well family, proves just how much this club can get under your skin. I just hope in the future we can attract younger fans to support the Well before they get hypnotised by the Old Firm. In saying that, if anyone can lure fans from the dark side before it's too late it's Leanne, as she has first hand experience. In a similar vein, young member of extended family has caught the bug and it's largely down to the work of the Bois. Given the kid had a strong Earl Haig background previously, surprised when I clocked him leaving the Cooper Stand post our latest defeat of the eventual tainted league winners and did a little digging. "Spent most of the match when he wasn't cheering videoing that lot at the far end of that stand" I was told. Had him join us for Ross County in the penultimate match... Hooked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special aka Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 In a similar vein, young member of extended family has caught the bug and it's largely down to the work of the Bois. Given the kid had a strong Earl Haig background previously, surprised when I clocked him leaving the Cooper Stand post our latest defeat of the eventual tainted league winners and did a little digging. "Spent most of the match when he wasn't cheering videoing that lot at the far end of that stand" I was told. Had him join us for Ross County in the penultimate match... Hooked Similar tale for my nephew. I invoked a small influence when I heard him say he supported the team that is gone, but living 200 miles away it wasn't a strong one but manipulative nonetheless. He got a ST thru school/church when 13, 2nd season it was up close to the bois and 3yrs down the line he's right in there in the middle and loving it. Reckon the Bois were more of an influence than me 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NottsMFC Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 In a similar vein, young member of extended family has caught the bug and it's largely down to the work of the Bois. Given the kid had a strong Earl Haig background previously, surprised when I clocked him leaving the Cooper Stand post our latest defeat of the eventual tainted league winners and did a little digging. "Spent most of the match when he wasn't cheering videoing that lot at the far end of that stand" I was told. Had him join us for Ross County in the penultimate match... Hooked Why 'tainted' league winners? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onthefringes Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 Why 'tainted' league winners? 'cause the orcs who have phoned/mailed the Daily Record hotline say so... or if James McFadden had played at ours all season... Nae arsed about them winning, but, could have called them much, much worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NottsMFC Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 Don't really care what they zombies say, if their league win was tainted it would mean our runners up finish was also tainted which is nonsense. 12 clubs started the season in the league on 0 points as always. Not our fault or anyone elses that Ranger died! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onthefringes Posted July 15, 2013 Report Share Posted July 15, 2013 Don't really care what they zombies say, if their league win was tainted it would mean our runners up finish was also tainted which is nonsense. 12 clubs started the season in the league on 0 points as always. Not our fault or anyone elses that Ranger died! Strictly tongue in cheek comment from me, my thinking is the same as yours otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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