Grand way to welcome early success of Motherwell

Girls from Motherwell FC girls’ academy were presented with the donation earlier this month, during one of their early-morning training sessions at Ravenscraig Regional Sport Centre.

Tom Feely, c o-chair of the Well Society, did the honours whilst dropping his grand-daughter Emma off for training.

He said: “My grand-daughter is in the under-14s, so I know from being here week in, week out, just how fantastic a job the team are doing. The girls work really hard, but they have fun too. I think it’s so important for them to have a clear pathway, and for them to have strong links with the women’s team. That’s why I’m delighted that Motherwell fans, through the Well Society, have shown their support for the academy. If there's others out there who would like to support just exactly what we're up to down here, please come forward and help us as much as you're able to.”

The money was raised as part of a drive to encourage a good crowd at last month’s women’s derby between Motherwell and Hamilton Academicals. The Well Society pledged to donate £5 to the academy for every member, every person they brought with them and every new signing on the day of the Fir Park match. Their £500 total was matched by a local member to take the grand total to £1000.

Paul Brownlie, Head of girls’ and women’s football at Motherwell FC, said. “In the five months since we launched the academy we've made incredible strides. But it's only going to get stronger now we've established ourselves.

Midfielder Olivia Rhodes (14) has certainly enjoyed being part of the set up. She said: “They teach us a lot and they're really good coaches. At school I get quite a lot of respect for playing in a team like this.”

Motherwell Football Club is owned by its supporters. Every fan can become a member of the club, through The Well Society, who are there to safeguard the long-term future of the club.

Anyone interested in supporting the girls’ academy should email: [email protected]