This meant that those addressing the assembled masses had to use a mega-phone to make themselves heard and some managed this better than others! Keith Brown started by thanking all those who attended and gave some background on the formation of the 'Well Worth Saving campaign.
Some of this evening's crowd
Matt Johnstone took over and outlined brief ideas for future fund raising events. These include a sweep over when Matt will be injured in Sunday's football aid game and the possibility of a 'dream day' at Fir Park where fans bid/buy places in a match played on the hallow turf.
Tam Cowan also added his weight to the fundraising drive by suggesting there could be a fans' dinner in June. Having been to a few fans events in the past, it's safe to assume that this will be a social event worth attending!
The key speech of the evening was delivered by Martin Rose, a 'Well fan who is also the secretary of the Scottish Federation of Football Supporters' Clubs, who gave a quick and concise definition of a Supporters Trust. The idea is that the trust will have an appropriate subscription fee and a one-member one-vote method of democracy. The trusts' funds will be used to purchase shares in the club. These shares should allow the trust to have influence in the running of the club and in the longer term, the possibility that a trust representative could sit on the board and ensure the fans have a say in the day to day running of the club.
FPC's very own Jwok struggled to get to grips with the megaphone but issued a rallying call to all fans. He stressed the importance of not only turning out to games and bringing along friends but actually getting behind the team. Regardless of fans' views on certain players, it is essential they receive full support at the game. The importance of a full turnout at the last two games of the season was stressed
A question and answer session followed with Alasdair Barron giving out information about the exact role of the administrator. He made it clear that the money that was donated to the formation of the Supporters Trust would be kept completely separate from money the administrator would use for the club's trading. It's fair to say that Alasdair has not always been popular amongst the fans but he is working extremely hard and is being very open with people in our current situation. Motherwell fans have always been quick to criticise in the past so it would be nice to think Barron will get the credit he now deserves.
'Well Worth Saving badges and car stickers were swapped for a donation and buckets were used to collect money as people made their way out the ground. The fans present dug deep and nearly £1000 was collected. It was estimated that the legal costs of setting up a trust would be around this figure, so this has been an excellent start.
A few hardy souls retired to the bar in the Cooper Suite and plans were made for the next stage in the creation of the Motherwell Supporters Trust.