GLF 66:Things are changing behind the scenes at Fir Park.
IMPROVEMENTS AT FIR PARK
I note with interest recent improvements off the field at Fir Park and some of the positive reaction to the improvement in the Official Website and initiatives such as Food in the Cooper and the Well fans in the Cooper for the CIS Cup tie with Rangers.I have also noticed an improvement in the commercial activity with most games now having a Match and Ball sponsor, not something that was a given in the recent past.
While I think it is correct to give praise where it is due I think we also need to look at why some of these basics had to be "restored" in the first place.
None of what has been mentioned above is rocket science, look at clubs in lower divisions and they are doing all of these things successfully. Sadly since coming out of administration we had no commercial department to talk of and there was no investment in this area at all.
You can therefore argue that our club has actually been held back for the last three years due to a bizarre fiscal policy put in place by John Boyle that saw little money spent about the place.
Now that we have £700,000 (could it have been more!) from Scott McDonald's transfer to Celtic and the rent money from Gretna this policy has been shifted and we now have a new Chief Executive, Commercial Manager and full time web person!
These roles should've been in place three years ago, and maybe the budget for Butcher & Malpas may have been different and we could have pushed on from two Top Six finishes rather than sliding down the table for two seasons.
You could argue the new team are being brought into to help turn the club round after three years of neglect. Classic continuous improvement theory tells you if you don't improve year on year you go backwards. I think we can safely say this has happened with Motherwell FC as we have fallen behind clubs like Kilmarnock, Falkirk and St. Mirren in the commercial stakes.
The new team have made a good start but they have picked the low hanging fruit and they now have to put their foot on the accelerator and come up with initiatives that will bring much needed revenue to the club. If not we could end up spending more than we are bringing in once again.
The team need to replace the McDonald and Gretna money or we will end up having to reduce Mark McGhee's budget once again as well as having to look at the administration side of the business as well.
I wish them well; if they succeed Motherwell succeed…..
A Well Fan
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