MST

Following discussion over the past few months regarding league reconstruction, the Motherwell Supporters Trust has drawn up a questionnaire to see how Motherwell fans in general feel about the situation. The questionnaire is available online here, and will be available in paper form at both of the Trust events this month. The survey remains open until Saturday, May 21st. Results will be posted on the Trust website and this forum soon after the close daye. As always, feedback and suggestions are welcome.

The supporters Trust are extremely happy to announce the addition of former Motherwell manager Tommy McLean to the upcoming 1991 panel night. In light of this announcement, and the quality of panelists who have been generous enough to give their time, we would urge all fans to ensure they come along early on the night, as places are limited. This promises to be the best panel night the Trust has put on.

The supporters Trust are pleased to announce the addition of former club captain Tom Boyd to this coming Tuesday's 1991 cup final panel.

The supporters Trust are pleased to announce the addition of Steve Kirk to this coming Tuesday's 1991 cup final panel. The 1991 supersub was with Motherwell for almost 10 years, playing over 300 games and scoring over 60 goals for the club. Kirk scored the winning goal in the 1991 Scottish cup final. More panelists will be announced over the coming few days, so keep an eye on this thread for up to date information.

Motherwell Supporters Trust are pleased to announce another of our popular panel nights, although this one comes with the added attraction of being a 1991 cup final themed evening. The event will be hosted by star of the 'Off The Ball' radio show Tam Cowan, and will include the following panelists; Tommy McLean - The legendary Motherwell manager who led the team to Scottish cup victory during a ten year stint with the club. Steve Kirk - The 1991 supersub was with Motherwell for almost 10 years, playing over 300 games and scoring over 60 goals for the club. Kirk scored the winning goal in the 1991 Scottish cup final. Tom Boyd - The 1991 cup winning captain was also with Motherwell for close to ten years, playing over 250 times for the club. He also played 72 times for Scotland The event will take place in the Cooper Suite at Fir Park on Tuesday, May 10th, kicking off at 7pm. Entry to the event is free for Trust members, and £3 for non-Trust members. *Bear in mind that signing up on the night will enable you to take advantage of the reduced entry fee for members at our pre-cup final party on May 20th, along with future events that are currently being planned* There will be a bar at the evening, so why not come along and hear what the club legends of 1991 have to say whilst enjoying a few pints?

This church has been taken over & converted into Dalziel Studios. We will be using the main hall, which has been converted into an excellent function area, with one of the biggest screen areas I've ever personally seen in a venue. The venue can be found here, which is the easiest way to get to it if you are getting a taxi, walking etc; If you're driving, there is street parking around the back on Orbiston street, along with a carpark which is accessible to the left of the property as seen below; The full address of the place is; South Dalziel Studios 240 Orbiston Street Motherwell ML1 1QF

In reply to a few questions that have been asked regarding our choice of venue; The Cooper suite was deemed not big enough, whilst the Electric Bar was booked for that evening & Jack Daniels lounge area doesn't lend itself to such an event considering it's shape and the pool tables. A few venues were considered for the event, and inquiries were made regarding availability & pricing, with South Dalziel Studios being very cooperative when it came to our plans for the evening, and their pricing was excellent.

As a prelude to 'Well's appearance in the Scottish Cup final, Motherwell Supporters Trust will host a pre-match party on the eve of the big game. The festivities will take place at South Dalziel Studios, Windmillhill Street, Motherwell from 7pm on Friday 20 May. To help set a winning theme for the weekend there will be a viewing of the famous 1991 Cup final on the big screen, a half-time pie and a well stocked bar. More attractions are planned and details will be available on the Trust website (www.mstonline.net). Younger fans who would not have had the opportunity to attend the 1991 game will be welcome. Trust chairman Joe Smith said, "What better way to get in the mood for Motherwell's next cup triumph than to spend the evening in the company of fellow Steelmen. We're hoping that this will be the first of many celebrations that will follow the return of the Cup to Motherwell for the first time in twenty years." Tickets cost £5, U18s & members £3, payable on the night. You can inform friends & family of this event by using the facebook event page, and can also add the Trusts official facebook page where you will be kept up to date on forthcoming events (of which there are a few in the pipeline!).

A fairly brief overview of last night is now available over at our website. http://bit.ly/gYFanl All in all a very positive night with some excellent questions by email and from the floor. Leeann and Derek have said that they would be delighted to do something like this on a more regular basis. Thoughts?

Motherwell Supporters Trust are delighted to announce the opportunity for all ‘Well fans to come together to discuss the recent SPL restructuring proposals. Monday 24th January 2011 is the key date for your diary. Motherwell FC Chief Executive Leanne Dempster and Vice Chairman Derek Weir will take part in a Question and Answer session in Fir Park’s Cooper Suite, with the evening underway at 7.00pm. We are delighted that the club has decided to take this bold step to speak directly with the fans. In a first for the 12 teams currently in the SPL, this provides Motherwell fans with the opportunity to find out more about the current plans in more detail. For the first time you’ll also learn about the clubs take on the proposals and what they see as the benefits and where there are still concerns. The club is also eager to hear your opinions on everything from safe standing to alcohol at Fir Park. As they continue to improve the match day experience for Motherwell fans. From our discussions, it is clear that all ideas and suggestions will be taken on board. Scottish football fans have made their thoughts on a 10 team top flight clear through the Supporters Direct survey undertaken in December. The results showed that 85% of those polled would prefer a larger top flight. This event will give Motherwell fans the chance to put their questions direct to Leanne and Derek. The event is open to all Motherwell fans, demand is expected to be high and admission is on a first come first served basis. Trust members will be given the opportunity to reserve their place at the meeting by emailing members@mstonline.net. We are encouraging Motherwell fans to get in touch with us by emailing splmeeting@mstonline.net with their questions for Leanne and Derek. These won’t be shared with the club before the night but it will ensure that you get your questions answered and opinions heard.

The full amount of the Pitch In Project account was donated to the club last season, £7,000 which was used to improve facilities around Fir Park for disabled fans. There was a second option for those who wanted to donate, the Share fund has around £5,600 available in donations. We have spoken to the club about how that money could be used to benefit fans and a couple of ideas have been floated back and forth. Improvements to the East Stand have a lot of merit, however, five grand is a drop in the ocean. Around October last year, we put together a number of commitments which we looked to achieve this season. As part of that we are looking to "re-introduce the standing order led “Pitch In” fund to top up our financial support to the club". In addition, 25% of our income this season will also go towards a "facilities improvement project fund"

As you might know, in the last week, the SPL have made their own proposals for the future of football in Scotland, and this was followed by the second part of Henry McLeish’s report. We will all have our own views about what each has proposed, but one thing that is clear is that neither has consulted widely and directly with Scottish football fans. As William Gaillard, the then UEFA Director of Communications, pointed out at a Supporters Direct Conference in 2009, if we only have players then we only have an amateur game. To have a professional game, there must be fans. MST are part of the Supporters Trust movement which is represented by Supporters Direct. So that the fans voice can be clearly heard, Supporters Direct are conducting a survey seeking views on a number of aspects of the McLeish and SPL recommendations. You can find this at www.surveymonkey.com/s/scottishfootball. Please take a few minutes this weekend to complete this short survey and make your views known.

Thanks if you have got in touch with questions. If you've not had a chance to get in contact feel free to post your questions here for the panel. We'll take a look about 4pm tomorrow and use the best of them during the first half.

You can email your questions to fansforum@mstonline.net, these will mainly be used in the first half of the night. It's then open floor after half time.

Unsurprisingly Craig Brown will not be appearing. The panel has now been confirmed as Leanne Dempster, Bill Leckie, Craig Paterson and Neil Doncaster. Plenty to talk about so best get yourself down to the Centenary on Thursday.

The panel for next week’s Fans Forum at Fir Park is almost complete. Joining Craig Brown will be Neil Doncaster and Craig Paterson and we hope to announce the final member in the next few days. There is bound to be a heightened interest from Motherwell fans who will be eager to hear the thoughts of our manager after he was linked with the job at Aberdeen. The evening will give fans a chance to thank him for his commitment to the club and at the same time hear his views on matters at Fir Park and beyond. Craig Paterson, now working as a BBC pundit, is best known to Motherwell fans for the huge contribution he made to our successful Scottish Cup run in 1991. After spells at Hibs and Rangers he joined us in 1986 and in his five year stint he played more games for Motherwell than for any other team in his career (158). His thoughtful insights have helped him to become one of the mainstays of BBC Scotland’s football team. Neil Doncaster took over the hot seat at the SPL in July 2009 following eight years as chief executive at Norwich City. He has been polling clubs and other interested bodies with a view to delivering a set of proposals for reforming the top division. Will we get a glimpse of the way ahead. His views of the disciplinary system and on the McLeish proposals are bound to be probed by the audience. We are now accepting questions for the panel. If you are joining us next Thursday night we want to hear from you, email fansforum@mstonline.net. We'll use some of the best during the first half before opening it up to the floor later in the evening. With matches falling foul of the weather, a trip to the Centerary Suite on Thursday 16 December might be the ideal way for fans to keep in tune with the game. Entry is free for Trust members and £3 for others. You've also got the opportunity to sign up and take advantage of the members discount on the night. Trust membership for this year is just a fiver. Doors will be open at 7pm for a 7.30pm kick off. See you there.

Expect the next couple of guests to be confirmed early doors this week. You'll get those names first by keeping an eye on our website or by following us on twitter. Hoping it is as good a night as last year, the weather certainly can't be any worse.

Motherwell Supporters Trust is delighted to announce a real pre-Christmas treat for all football fans. It will be hosting an exclusive Fans Forum at Fir Park on Thursday 16th December. Craig Brown is approaching the end of his first year in charge at Motherwell. He‟ll be on the panel and ready to exchange views with supporters. As ever, his vast knowledge and enthusiasm for the game will make for a fascinating evening. The panel is almost complete and the Trust will announce the full line up on its website at mstonline.net. The panel will discuss a mixture of pre-selected questions on the burning football topics of the day, followed by an open forum where the audience will be able to pose their own questions directly. The evening will be ably chaired by Scottish Sun sports journalist and lifelong Motherwell fan Andy Devlin. The doors open at 7pm for what promises to be a lively and engaging night of football discussion. Proceedings start at 7.30pm in the Centenary Suite, Fir Park, Motherwell on Thursday 16th December. Entry will be on a first come, first served basis, the bar will be open and a good night in the company of ‘Well fans is guaranteed. Entry is free for Trust members and £3 for others. Non members can join on the night for a fiver and make a saving. Membership of Motherwell Supporters Trust is available for only £5, by visiting the website, www.mstonline.net, clicking on the “become a member” banner and following the instructions. It will be possible to join on the night of the Forum, when the Trust will have a membership table set up.

The 2010 Annual General Meeting of the Motherwell Supporters' Trust will take place on Monday 1st November 2010 at 7.00pm in Fir Park's Cooper Suite. All current members will receive a confirmation email or, if they have not previously supplied an email address, a postal reminder. These communications will have full details on how to renew for the coming year.

Thanks for your support Kmcalpin. With regards to new board members, the response has been very disappointing so far. We are continuing to follow up all potential interest and will have articles in the programme and a leaflet drop in the coming weeks. Ultimately the lack of interest may impact on the new commitments that we have made, this is why we are making a real effort to get a board with the capacity and skills which will enable us to make a real difference over the next year.

On the catering front, the club are actively seeking feedback to improve the new service. We have now submitted all feedback given on this front to them and have suggested a number improvements which will benefit all fans attending Fir Park. If you took the time to drop us an email, thanks.

We've got your number.

The Trust are still actively seeking new board members for the forthcoming season. Please see our message around the new commitments which we are making for Season 2010/11 and the role you could play in transforming the Trust and our relationship with the club, community and fans. For more information please email members@mstonline.net.

The Trust are looking for our members thoughts and opinions on the new matchday catering offering. Please email kiosks@mstonline.net to have your say. The club are actively seeking new ideas, thoughts and opinions on the new arrangement, so make sure your voice is heard.

The past year has been positive for the Motherwell FC Supporters’ Trust. Thanks to a number of excellent events and initiatives, our membership base has grown for the first time since 2003. Our ‘Meet the Manager’ event attracted over 150 Motherwell fans to hear the thoughts and opinions of Jim Gannon, Mark Hately, Chris McCart and Craig Brown. In February, we staged the first Motherwell Supporters’ Trust Poker Tournament at Daniels Bar. We also organised the Stars and Stripes Night in Fir Park which brought Motherwell fans together to watch the World Cup. More recently, 16 teams took part in the Motherwell Supporters’ Trust Sixes competition at Fir Park.. During the 2009/2010 season, money raised by the Trust has helped to make improvements to the disabled facilities in and around Fir Park. We’ve supported youth development and continue to oversee the process which will lead to a permanent fans memorial to Phil O’Donnell. However, we know we can do more. Over the last few months, the Trust have been working hard on a new mission statement which sets out what Motherwell fans want from the Trust in 2010. We’ve done this by speaking to our members, the club, local community groups and those who have in the past said that they wouldn’t consider joining the Trust. Today we launch our commitments for the Motherwell Supporters’ Trust for the next five years and with this our specific actions for the season ahead across our three key focus areas. Our Community matters: We will make a worthwhile contribution to the local community and strengthen the ties between it and our club. In order to support this aim over the coming 12 months: - We will commit a minimum of 25% of our annual income to community projects. - We will introduce a local schools competition encouraging 1st and 2nd year pupils to lead a more active lifestyle and become engaged with the club. - We will actively pursue opportunities to secure funding grants for Motherwell FC in the Community and Motherwell FC Youth Development from external sources - We will create a skills database of Motherwell supporters which can be used to aid local groups and the club Our Support matters: We will ensure our members feel appreciated with exciting events and regular communication whilst actively seeking the thoughts of the wider Motherwell support. Our specific commitments for the season ahead include: - We will launch a new membership benefit scheme including a revamped membership card system - We will communicate with our members by email each month and quarterly by introducing a newsletter. - We will organise a minimum of six events which will appeal to a wide section of our support over the course of the coming season. - We will undertake a survey of all Motherwell fans to find areas where we and the club can serve them better. Our Club matters: We will support the club and effectively influence the important decisions which affect the support. Over the first year of our new plan we aim to take the following actions: - We will commit a minimum 25% of our annual income to both youth development and a facilities improvement project fund. - We will re-introduce the standing order led “Pitch In” fund to top up our financial support to the club. - We will communicate to the club the concerns of our members and offer our assistance to make tangible improvements. - We will continue the pursuit of a supporters’ representative on the Club board We firmly believe that this is what the Motherwell support, the club and wider community want for our Supporters’ Trust. However, to do all this we need now, more than ever, to encourage Motherwell supporters to step up to support the Trust. You can play a key role in developing the Trust and ensuring that we meet our new commitments. In order to deliver our actions for this season we need Motherwell supporters who can commit just two to three hours per month to an organisation which can make a real difference to our club and community. We would invite anyone who is interested in joining the board to email members@mstonline.net. We are aware that the Trust has not fully delivered what we have promised in the past. We believe that with the new ambitious commitments that we have made we can become the best Supporters Trust in Scotland. To undertake the work that is required to achieve this goal we need a fully functioning board of 12 individuals or more. In the unlikely event that the Trust is unable to recruit the new board members required to drive the organisation forward then consideration will be given to what form the Trust will take going forward.