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A little more than ten years after it was established, Motherwell Football Club Community Trust has published a Social Return on Investment report which shows the true value of its work to the local community.

Created by UEFA, European football’s governing body, the model was created to provide National Associations with a tool to understand the value of football participation at all levels.

From grassroots and community football clubs to national and government levels, the report aims to provide tangible evidence of how football can serve to improve the lives of those living within Scottish society.

The model sees experts from educational institutions across Europe assist with the research into the benefits of grassroots participation, including the University of Birmingham and Malmo University.

The report’s findings have highlighted the excellent work the Trust has done and what it has contributed to the local community and people. In 2021, a year disrupted by lockdowns, restricted numbers and travel, the Trust brought benefits of £13.64m to the local community.

The figure is broken down into three sub sections:

•  £8,560,000 economic impact of social benefits
•  £387,074 direct contributions to the economy
• £4,692,000 healthcare savings from football participation

“At Motherwell we are consistently trying to assist our community and the people in our area in any way we can” Chief Executive Alan Burrows said.

“These findings show the local community is benefitting from the work the Trust does and I think it shows what an excellent job Dawn and the Community Trust staff do.

“It is excellent to see how the Motherwell FC Community Trust is also helping our local community through the power of football.

“I am very proud of what they have achieved and who they have helped, in what has been a challenging two years for everyone.”

Motherwell is renowned in Scottish football for its community focus and as a fan-owned club the work is central to all departments.

“Football plays a major role in supporting local communities but it can be difficult to place a monetary value on that contribution,” Dawn Middleton General Manager of the Community Trust said.

“Working with partners at UEFA and the Scottish Football Association we are proud to be launching this report which shows the contribution of Motherwell FC Community Trust to our local community in 2021.

“We hope that the findings will help us to grow our work with our partners and face the challenges of the current economic situation.”

To read the full report, click here.

Motherwell will spend a week in Austria to prepare for our UEFA Europa Conference League qualifier and forthcoming season. 

Graham Alexander and his players will be in Obertraun from the 3rd to 10th July for a week of intensive pre-season training.

It is the first time ‘Well will have managed a summer camp for three-years following Covid-19 restrictions. And it will be familiar surroundings, with the club having used the facilities back in 2007 and 2008.

“Obertraun is a brilliant football camp and one that I am used to being at,” Graham Alexander said.

“I’ve been lucky to go there on several occasions both as a player and manager, and feel it is the perfect base for a team. It’s remote, there are no distractions but everything you need to prepare for a full season. The only focus is fitness, football & team spirit.

“We actually tried to go there last summer, but restrictions were changing all the time and it was just too difficult. So I am very much looking forward to getting the group together and working hard to set the baseline for the weeks and months ahead.”

Located among the Dachstein mountain range, a 90-minute drive from the city of Salzburg, BSFZ Obertraun is a popular destination for clubs all cross Europe. In recent years, clubs such as AS Roma, Manchester United and Everton have all used the facility.

News on pre-season matches will be announced when they have been confirmed.

Get the perfect Father’s Day gift with one of our limited edition 1991 Scottish Cup commemorative whisky bottles.

To mark 30 years since our Hampden success, the 10-year-old single malt has been matured in American oak casks and has a perfect balance of fruit notes with hints of honey and vanilla with a light touch of peat smoke.

There’s limited numbers left at the reduced price of £45, so get yours by buying online for click and collect from Fir Park.

Blair Spittal is our first signing of the summer.

The 26-year-old midfielder joins from Ross County on a two-year deal after a successful season in the Highlands.

“We are very happy to bring Blair to our club and add to our attacking options,” manager Graham Alexander said.

“He was one of several standouts at Ross County in 2021-22 and displayed great versatility, which enhanced our ambition to sign him.

“He also showed a real positive attitude to signing for us when we first met, and we’re all looking forward to working with him.”

Spittal started in the Rangers academy before breaking through at Queens Park. His exploits at Hampden prompted Dundee United to take him to Tannadice in the summer of 2014.

Two years at Partick Thistle would follow before moving to County in 2019, where he has flourished in Malky McKay’s side last term.

Calling all supporters. Mental health and suicidal thoughts can affect anyone.

There can be stigma attached to suicide and that means many people feel uncomfortable talking about it. We need to change that and encourage people to talk more openly about it to help save lives.

As a community club, we are proud to work with Suicide Prevention North Lanarkshire to help raise awareness and offer our support to those who need it. Through this partnership, we help raise awareness by carrying the message on our strips, in our match programmes, through our social media and using pitch side helpline numbers.

We need to help the partnership understand the impact that the campaign is having and to see how we can build and improve upon it. We all have a part to play in preventing the tragedy of suicide.

Please take a couple of minutes to complete our short survey so we can help tackle suicide together. The survey is for people aged over 16 years old.

Bevis Mugabi has been called up by Uganda for their upcoming round of AFCON 2023 qualifiers fixtures. 

The Cranes are in Group F alongside Algeria, Niger and Tanzania.

Uganda will begin their quest to reach AFCON 2023 when they take on Algeria on Saturday 4 June away from home in their first Group F qualification match.

Their second match is against Niger in Uganda on Wednesday 8 June.

Bevis currently has 13 caps for his country, six of which have came whilst in claret and amber.

Our popular Business Breakfast will next take place on Thursday 16^th June in the Millennium Suite at Fir Park.

Hear from club partners G4 Claims, TCL and Suicide Prevention.

Tickets cost just £10 per person. The price includes a breakfast roll, tea/coffee and orange juice.  The event starts at 8.30am and runs until 10am

To book your place, email mhairi.daly@motherwellfc.co.uk, book online or call on 01698 338011.

Ross Tierney has been selected for Republic of Ireland’s under 21s. 

The young attacking midfielder will once again represent his country as they look to qualify for the UEFA Under 21 Championship.

Ireland are currently in third place in their group before this round of fixtures and four points behind leaders Italy.

Ireland face off against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday 3 June at the Tallaght Stadium in Dublin.

They then play Montenegro on Monday 6 June at the Tallaght Stadium before rounding off their qualifying campaign against current group leaders Italy on Tuesday 14 June away from home.

The group winners will qualify for the Euros and the best runners up also qualify.

Ireland are currently four points behind Netherlands who are, as it stands, the best runners-up.

The nations who finish second place will enter a play-off round to determine the last four qualified teams.

A message from our main sponsor and health and wellbeing partner, Paycare.

We’re calling on the community to show its support for a bike ride in aid of a mental health charity.

Paycare is one of the main sponsors of The Kris Boyd Charity Ride, which will start at the Molineux and end more than 400 miles away four days later in Scotland, with all proceeds going to The Kris Boyd Charity.

The challenge will begin on Wednesday 1st June, with riders stopping at Kris’ former clubs Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough and Rangers, with an additional stop at Paycare-sponsored Motherwell FC before arriving at Kilmarnock FC on Saturday 4th June.

The Kris Boyd Charity was set up by the former footballer to encourage more people to talk openly about their mental health. He was inspired by the tragic loss of his brother Scott, who sadly died by suicide in 2016.

Event organiser Jim Bertram said:

“Over lockdown, mental health became an issue for everyone so I wanted to do an event which helped those impacted. The Kris Boyd Charity seemed a natural choice as they support mental health and wellbeing.”

Sally Bromley, Paycare’s Partnerships Engagement Officer, added:

“We are delighted to sponsor the shirts and vans for the event and will be cheering on the riders at the start and finish lines.

“The charity, and Jim’s aims with the bike ride, align perfectly with our mission of making the UK happier and healthier. We hope the community both in Wolverhampton and up in Scotland will wholeheartedly support the ride, donating whatever they’re able to and cheering the riders on, too.”

To support the ride, simply visit justgiving.com/fundraising/kn2022

Ricki Lamie has signed a new two-year contract.

The 28-year old defender’s new deal will keep him at Fir Park until the summer of 2024.

“We are delighted Ricki has agreed to extend his stay with the club as we hope he will continue to be a big player for us in the coming months and years,” manager Graham Alexander said.

“We were in discussions with his representative for some time, but those were paused when another club made him what was an extremely attractive offer that he had no option but to accept. We understood and respected that, but had no concerns around his professionalism and in actual fact he was amongst our most important players in the second half of the campaign.

“When circumstances changed, it presented an opportunity for us and we’re so pleased to not only keep someone who is a big player on the pitch, but an important character off it too.”

Lamie arrived from fellow Premiership side Livingston in the summer of 2020 and has gone on to make 70 appearances in claret and amber.

As well as cementing a place in the heart of the Steelmen’s defence, he has made a vital contribution at the other end of the pitch with key goals against Livingston to secure a top six spot and against Hearts to confirm UEFA Europa Conference League football.

“Motherwell is an excellent club, with so many good people and characters,” Lamie added.

“It was a great ending to the season for the team, to finish in the top six and qualify for Europe.

“That being said, I still think we can improve and have got more to give collectively. I really want to play a part in that, which is why I am pleased to be staying for at least another two years and I am already looking forward to getting back in next month.”