 | ||
| Full name | Motherwell Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | The Well,The Steelmen[1] | |
| Founded | 17 May 1886; 139 years ago (1886-05-17)[2] | |
| Ground | Fir Park[3] | |
| Capacity | 13,677[4] | |
| Chairman | Kyrk Macmillan | |
| Manager | Jens Berthel Askou | |
| League | Scottish Premiership | |
| 2024–25 | Scottish Premiership, 8th of 12 | |
| Website | www | |
 Current season | ||
Motherwell Football Club is a Scottish professionalfootball club based inMotherwell,North Lanarkshire, which plays in theScottish Premiership. Motherwell have not dropped out of the top flight of Scottish football since 1985, and have lifted one trophy in that time – theScottish Cupin 1991.[5]
Clad in their traditional claret and amber, Motherwell play their home matches atFir Park[3] and have done so since 1896. The club's main rivals over the years have beenHamilton Academical andAirdrieonians, due in part to their close geographical proximities. These matches are known as theLanarkshire derby.
The club have won four major trophies in domestic football: theScottish League title in1931–32, theScottish Cup in1951–52 and1990–91, and theScottish League Cup in1950–51.
Sports Illustrated has suggested Motherwell F.C.'s fans as the originators of the "Viking Thunder Clap", a supporting chant eventually popularised by the fans of theIceland national football team, where fans stay silent and let out loud synchronised claps seconds apart, gradually speeding up; the chant received wider international attention duringEuro 2016.[6]
Motherwell FC was born on 17 May 1886, when representatives of the two main Motherwell works teams Glencairn FC andAlpha F.C. met in Baillie's pub in the town's Merry Street, and decided to merge the two teams with the aim of creating a club to represent the town as a whole at a higher footballing level.[2] Motherwell's debut fixture proved to be a successful one as they overcameHamilton Academical 3–2.[7]
The early years proved somewhat chaotic as the club had little regular competition to play in, and matches would often start with players short, as men failed to turn up on time after their shifts in the local ironworks. On 5 August 1893 the decision was made to turn professional,[8] and the club was consequently elected to the league, then being the only Lanarkshire side to compete at national level.[9]
Up until 1895 the club had played at a few different venues, including a site at Roman Road, andDalziel Park.[7] The small pitch and muddy conditions at Dalziel Park were deemed unsuitable andLord Hamilton granted a lease on a plot of land on his Dalzell estate. This new ground was namedFir Park and has remained the club's home for over 120 years.
The following years saw the club grow, appointing their first and longest serving manager to date, John 'Sailor' Hunter, who would go on to steer the club into its most successful period.
In 1913 the decision was made to change the club's colours from blue to the now signature claret and amber. It is thought this was inspired by the success ofBradford City, who also sport claret and amber, although a more romantic version of events claims them to have been Lord Hamilton of Dalzell's racing colours.[10]
Motherwell enjoyed a successful period in the aftermath ofWorld War I, managed byJohn Hunter. The club placed third in the1919–20 season and, although narrowly avoiding relegation in1924–25, they steadily climbed the table and enjoyed seven successive seasons finishing in the top three.
In the summer of 1927, the club made a very successful tour of Spain, winning six out of the eight games they played and losing only one. These results included an emphatic 3–1 victory overReal Madrid and a 2–2 draw withBarcelona.[11] Following their success in Spain, the club went on anothersummer tour, this time of South America.[12] After losing only three of their previous ten games, the tour culminated in a 5–0 defeat by a Brazilian League Select side.[13]
Motherwell's first (and to this day, only) Scottish League championship came in1931–32 – with 30 wins in 38 fixtures, scoring 119 goals – a record 52 of which were scored byWillie MacFadyen, who remains to this day the record holder for most goals scored in a single season and one of the club's all-time top goalscorers with 251 goals.[14] The championship was sealed on 23 April 1932, whenRangers could only draw at home againstClyde, handing Motherwell the title without kicking a ball.[15] Between 1904 and 1947, this was also the only League title won by a club outside the Old Firm.[16][17] In the two seasons following the league title win (1933–34 and1934–35), 'Well finished runners-up, as they had also been in1926–27 and1929–30. They also contested three Scottish Cup finals in this period – in1931,1933 and1939, but lost them all.
Following the break-up of the squad afterWorld War II, the club were not instantly successful. It then captured two major trophies in as many years with victories in the1950 Scottish League Cup final and the1952 Scottish Cup Final. The club was then relegated for the first time ever at the end of the1952–53 season, but the club were promoted the next year.
Following their return to the First Division,Bobby Ancell took management of the club in 1955 and presided over an era in which highly regardedScotland stars includingIan St John and Charlie Aitken played for the club.[18] However, Motherwell were unable to keep their assets, and no trophies were won in Ancell's era. His resignation came in 1965 amidst a downturn in form which eventually saw the club relegated back to the Second Division at the conclusion of the1967–68 season.
Motherwell were immediately promoted back to the First Division in1969, maintaining a mid-table position. The 18-team First Division was superseded by a new 10-team Premier League for the1975–76 season, at which time they were managed byWillie McLean and his assistantCraig Brown (who would become manager almost 35 years later). Under their management, Motherwell improved to fourth in the table with players such as Bobby Graham, Willie Pettigrew and Bobby Watson. The most notable cup run of that period was the1975–76 Scottish Cup where they eliminated Celtic and lost out in the semi-final to Rangers.
Relegation down to the now-First Division and promotion back to the Premier League occurred twice in the early 1980s, before a decade under managerTommy McLean (brother of Willie) culminated in a Scottish Cup win in1991. However, similarly to the Ancell era, Scotland internationalistTom Boyd was sold in the close season after the cup win. Results faded for two years before reaching another two season zenith immediately following the signing ofPaul Lambert with third (1993–94) and second-placed (1994–95) Premier League finishes. The 1995 runners-up finish was the club's highest finish since1933–34.
With Tommy McLean's departure toHearts in 1994, much of his squad was broken up; a large fee in particular was paid byCeltic forPhil O'Donnell. Much of this money was reinvested in the squad, while the club cycled through managers includingAlex McLeish andHarri Kampman. At this point, in August 1998, John Boyle bought the club, taking over from John Chapman.[19]Billy Davies was appointed as manager, and large transfer fees were paid for prominent players including ex-Scotland internationalsJohn Spencer andAndy Goram. The investment though failed to provide results on the pitch.
By the end of Davies' tenure the club were in financial trouble.Eric Black was briefly in charge with the club floating near the foot of the table before it was placed inadministration in April 2002 with losses approachingGBP 2 million yearly.[20] Black resigned, and was replaced byTerry Butcher. The club's outlook remained bleak as they were forced to make redundant or release 19 players and replace them with younger players; Boyle also placed the club up for sale.[21] Relegation in2002–03 – normally automatic following a last-place finish in the league – was avoided on a technicality, as First Division winnersFalkirk lacked a stadium meeting Premier League regulations.[22]
Despite the lack of resources, a number of young talented players were found to play for the club; crucially, when many of these moved on, includingStephen Pearson andJames McFadden, they brought revenue in the form of transfer fees, and with John Boyle waiving the club's personal debt to him, its financial future was assured by the conclusion of the2004–05 season with the club's yearly losses falling to one of the lowest figures in the Premier League[23] and the club coming out of administration in time to avoid a ten-point Premier League penalty which was being phased in for teams in administration.[24] On the field, the club also managed to reach theLeague Cup final, although they were comprehensively defeated by Rangers. Butcher moved on toSydney FC at the end of the2005–06 season, and was succeeded by his assistant Maurice Malpas. Malpas' stint at the club lasted just one season before his resignation in May 2007. After a short period withScott Leitch ascaretaker manager,Mark McGhee was appointed to the position.[25] In his first season as manager McGhee would take the club to 3rd in the league and thus qualify for the UEFA Cup for the first time in 13 years where they would be beaten by French sideAS Nancy 3–0 on aggregate.[26] Mark McGhee left Motherwell for the vacant managerial position atAberdeen in June 2009 to be replaced byJim Gannon. FormerScotland managerCraig Brown took over when Gannon left.
Brown helped the club finish 5th in the SPL and qualify for Europe. The 2010–11 season saw the club in the Europa League and they defeatedBreiðablik[27] andAalesunds[28] before losing in the Play-off round toOdense[29] preventing them from reaching the group stages of the competition. Brown left Motherwell for Aberdeen on 10 December 2010.[30]Stuart McCall was named as his successor. This season saw the club reach theScottish Cup Final where they were defeated 3–0 by Celtic.[31]
The 2011–12 season saw Motherwell reach the qualifying round of theChampions League for the first time. They finished third, one place outside the normal two spots allocated to the SPL for the Champions League. However the club was awarded a place because the club that had finished above them,Rangers, went into administration and were prevented by UEFA from playing in European competitions. In the draw for the 3rd qualification round of the Champions League Motherwell were drawn against Greek heavyweightsPanathanaikos. This ended in disappointment as Motherwell were knocked out after losing 2–0 at home and then 3–0 away.[32][33] The 2012–13 season brought even greater success in the SPL as the club finished 2nd in the table[34] and once again qualified for theEuropa League. It also saw strikerMichael Higdon win thePFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year award.[35] GoalkeeperDarren Randolph (second year running), defenderShaun Hutchinson and midfielderNicky Law were selected for thePFA Scotland Team of the Year.[36]
Motherwell were granted associate membership of theEuropean Club Association in June 2013, becoming the fifth Scottish club to join the Association. The club were invited to join after consistent qualification for European competition between 2008 and 2013.[37] In season 2013–14 Motherwell were knocked out of the Europa League by Russian sideKuban Krasnodar 3–0 on aggregate in the third qualifying round.[38] On 22 January 2014 Motherwell won their 40th Lanarkshire cup beating Hamilton Academical 1–0 thanks to a 54th-minute goal by 19-year-old youngster Jack Leitch. On the final day of the2013–14 Scottish Premiership, Motherwell won 1–0 atAberdeen with a dramatic 93rd-minute winner, leapfrogging Aberdeen in the process to seal a second successive runners-up spot in the league.[39][40] Despite conceding the most goals (60) out of the top six teams, European football was delivered for the sixth time in seven seasons,[41] with a record points total (70).[42] It was a season that also saw a first ever competitive defeat toLanarkshire neighboursAlbion Rovers, sitting third bottom ofScottish League Two at the time, 1–0 in theScottish Cup.[43]
Despite three successful consecutive league campaigns, Motherwell made a poor start to the2014–15 Scottish Premiership, which ultimately led to the resignation of managerStuart McCall on 2 November 2014.[44] Despite the appointment ofIan Baraclough in December 2014,[45] Motherwell were eventually consigned to aScottish Premiership relegation play-off spot after a defeat atSt Mirren in the penultimate league match of the2014–15 season.[46]In the 2014–15 relegation play-off finals, Motherwell facedRangers. The first leg, at Rangers' home ground,Ibrox Stadium, saw Motherwell run out as winners with a score of 1–3. In the second leg, Motherwell celebrated staying in the top division by winning, 3–0. On 23 September 2015, Motherwell parted ways with managerIan Baraclough.[47] Mark McGhee returned in October 2015 before being sacked in March 2017 after a poor run of results.[48]
On 28 October 2016, Motherwell became afan-owned club when supporters club Well Society's £1 deal with Les Hutchison was concluded.[49] On 13 October 2017, ManagerStephen Robinson extended his contract until May 2020.[50] On 31 December 2020, Robinson resigned as manager, withKeith Lasley taking interim charge.[51]
In Popular Culture and Literature
In the crime novelThe Greenock Murders by Kieran James (2021), a 10-year-old autistic boy, Wee Robbie, moves from Motherwell to Greenock with his family. He refuses to give up his support of Motherwell FC despite repeated abuse and bullying. In the closing stages of the novel, Motherwell defeat Rangers 2–1 in a fictional 2022 Scottish Cup Final, involving real players' names on both sides.[52]
The club has won four major trophies in its history: the First Division in 1931–32, the Scottish Cup in 1952 and 1991, and the Scottish League Cup in 1950. In addition, it has won the second-tier Scottish league on four occasions; as the Second Division in1953–54 and1968–69, and as the First Division (beneath the Premier League) in1981–82 and1984–85. They also won theMilk Cup in 1983, and the Scottish Summer Cup in 1944 and 1965.
Bob Ferrier holds the record for the number of Motherwell appearances, with 626 in the inter-war period. The goalscoring record is held byHughie Ferguson, who scored 284 league goals in 10 seasons in the 1910s and 1920s.Willie MacFadyen's 52 goals in the title-winning 1931–32 season remains a club (and country) record for goals in one season.
The club's record European appearance holder isSteven Hammell, with 19 appearances for the club in Europe. The current record European goalscorer isJamie Murphy, with seven goals. Also, the 8–1 win overFlamurtari on 23 July 2009 currently stands as their record victory in European competition.[53]
Fir Park's current safety certificate limits the capacity to 13,742,all-seated in accordance with theTaylor Report although the ground is listed as 13,677.[4] Its average home gate for the2018–19 season was 5,448. The club's record attendance for a home match is 35,632, againstRangers in a Scottish Cup quarter-final replay on 12 March 1952, but as season ticket holders were not counted at the time, the true attendance would be over 37,000.[54]
Motherwell's biggest win was a 12–1 victory overDundee United in 1954, with the club's heaviest defeat being the 8–0 loss toAberdeen in 1979.[55]
On 5 May 2010, Motherwell were involved in the highest scoring match in the SPL, drawing 6–6 withHibernian at Fir Park, withLukas Jutkiewicz scoring the equaliser in the 91st minute.[56] This eclipsed another high-scoring game involving Motherwell, a 6–5 defeat byAberdeen on 20 October 1999.[57]The record transfer fee paid by the club was toEverton forJohn Spencer in 1999 (£500,000) and the highest received was David Turnbull for his move toCeltic in 2020 (£3.25m), eclipsing the 1.75m paid for previous record holder Phil O'Donnell in 1994.[58] O'Donnell rejoined Motherwell in 2004, but his second spell at Fir Park ended when he died after collapsing on the pitch in a game againstDundee United on 29 December 2007.[58][59]
Stephen Craigan holds the record for the most-capped player at the club, with 54 caps in total, 51 as a Motherwell player –Northern Ireland.[60][61]
| Competition | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Cup /Champions League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | −5 |
| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| UEFA Cup /Europa League | 28 | 9 | 3 | 16 | 40 | 37 | +3 |
| Europa Conference League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | –3 |
| Total | 34 | 10 | 3 | 21 | 43 | 48 | –5 |
The Supporters Association first handed out the award in April 1956. The first winner of the award wasAndy Paton, who received a silver cup from Sailor Hunter at a dinner dance in Overton Miners Welfare. Paton was further honoured in 2007 when he was declared the "Greatest Ever" Motherwell player.[62]
Joe Wark andKeith Lasley are the only men to win the award three separate times.Charlie Aitken was the first of five players to win the award back-to-back, withLouis Moult being the last player to do this.
Andy PatonCharlie AitkenCharlie AitkenIan St JohnJoe MackinPat QuinnBobby RobertsBobby McCallumJoe McBridePat DelaneyJohn MartisJohn MartisPeter McCloyJoe WarkKeith MacRaeBobby WatsonWillie McCallumJoe WarkBobby GrahamBobby WatsonJoe WarkStuart RennieGregor StevensStuart RennieHugh SproatJoe CarsonSteve McLellandAlly MauchlenAndy DornanGraeme ForbesTom BoydFraser WishartCraig PatersonSteve KirkTom BoydAlly MaxwellPhil O'Donnell
Sieb DijkstraBrian MartinBrian MartinPaul LambertMitchell van der Gaag
Tommy Coyne
Ged BrannanDon GoodmanSteven Hammell
Éric DeloumeauxMartyn Corrigan
Stephen Craigan
Scott McDonaldGraeme SmithMark ReynoldsDavid ClarksonStephen CraiganJohn RuddyKeith LasleyKeith LasleyMichael HigdonKeith LasleyLee ErwinLouis MoultLouis MoultTrevor CarsonDavid TurnbullDeclan GallagherTony WattLiam KellyKevin van Veen
Theo BairLennon MillerThe club launched its official Hall of Fame in 2019, with five inaugural members announced at a dinner on 23 November. Four of the names were confirmed prior to the event with a fifth, a special fans vote, announced on the night as Phil O’Donnell.[63] The 2020 event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with only three names, Hunter, Paton and Cooper having been confirmed. On 9 September 2021, the club announced the event was returning with the two remaining 2020 inductees to be named alongside the previous three, together with a whole new class of five names for 2021.[64]
| Name[65] | Tenure | Scottish League | Scottish Cup | Scottish League Cup | Promotion from Second Tier | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John "Sailor" Hunter | 1911–1946 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| George Stevenson | 1946–1955 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Bobby Ancell | 1955–1965 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Howitt | 1965–1973 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ian St John | 1973–1974 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Willie McLean | 1974–1977 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Roger Hynd | 1977–1978 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ally MacLeod | 1978–1981 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| David Hay | 1981–1982 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jock Wallace | 1982–1983 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Watson | 1983–1984 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tommy McLean | 1984–1994 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Alex McLeish | 1994–1998 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harri Kampman | 1998 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Billy Davies | 1998–2001 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eric Black | 2001–2002 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terry Butcher | 2002–2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maurice Malpas | 2006–2007 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark McGhee | 2007–2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Gannon | 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Craig Brown | 2009–2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stuart McCall | 2011–2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ian Baraclough | 2014–2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark McGhee | 2015–2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stephen Robinson | 2017–2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Graham Alexander | 2021–2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steven Hammell | 2022–2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stuart Kettlewell | 2023–2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Wimmer | 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jens Berthel Askou | 2025– | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Motherwell have won a number of league titles and cups in their history, which includes six major domestic trophy successes. Their soleScottish league championship came in season1931–32 (66 points total, winning margin by 5 points). Amongst their biggest cup success was winning theScottish Cup twice in1951–52 (4–0 vDundee) and1990–91 (4–3 vDundee United), and theScottish League Cup once in1950–51 (3–0 vHibernian), also winning the now defunctSummer Cup in 1943–44 and 1964–65.
They have also won thesecond tier of Scottish league football on four occasions. Other notable cup success includes winning theScottish Qualifying Cup once and winning theLanarkshire Cup forty times, most recently in its last edition played in 2014. Their most recent Final appearance in theScottish Cup came in2017–18 (2–0 defeat toCeltic) and theScottish League Cup came in2017–18 (2–0 defeat toCeltic). Their best league performance recently in the Scottish top flight was registering back-to-back second-place finishes in2012–13 and2013–14. They have qualified forEuropean competition ten times.
In the summer of 1927, Motherwell won an invitational 'Copa del Rey' trophy in Madrid as part of their tour of Spain, beating fellow touristsSwansea Town 4–3 in the semi-final and hostsReal Madrid 3–1 in the final.[66][67][68][69]
Below is a list of honours won and other achievements by Motherwell.[70]
| Honour | Year(s) | Ref(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scottish League Championship (currently known asScottish Premiership) | Champions | 1931–32 | |
| Runners-up | 1926–27,1929–30,1932–33,1933–34,1994–95,2012–13,2013–14 | ||
| Third-place | 1919–20,1927–28,1928–29,1930–31,1958–59,1993–94,2007–08,2011–12,2019–20 | ||
| Scottish League First Division[71] | Champions | 1953–54,1968–69,1981–82,1984–85 | |
| Runners-up | 1894–95,1902–03 | ||
| Scottish Federation[a] | Runners-up | 1892–93 | [72] |
| Scottish Cup | Winners | 1951–52,1990–91 | |
| Finalists | 1930–31,1932–33,1938–39,1950–51,2010–11,2017–18 | ||
| Scottish League Cup | Winners | 1950–51 | |
| Finalists | 1954–55,2004–05,2017–18 | ||
| Summer Cup[b] | Winners | 1943–44, 1964–65 | [73] |
| Lord Provost Charity Cup[c] | Winners | 1952–53 | [74] |
| Scottish Qualifying Cup | Winners | 1902–03 | [75] |
| Finalists | 1896–97, 1901–02 | ||
| Southern League Cup | Finalists | 1944–45 | [76] |
| Lanarkshire League | Champions | 1898–99 | [77] |
| Runners-up | 1900–01 | ||
| West of Scotland League | Champions | 1902–03 | [78] |
| Lanarkshire Cup[d] | Winners | 1894–95, 1898–99, 1900–01, 1906–07, 1907–08, 1911–12, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1936–37, 1939–40, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1968–69, 1972–73, 1976–77, 1980–81, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2013–14 | [79] |
| Finalists | 1887–88, 1893–94, 1895–96, 1897–98, 1914–15, 1922–23, 1925–26, 1950–51, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1992–93 | ||
| Lanarkshire Charity Cup | Winners | 1917–18 | [80] |
| Lanarkshire Express Cup | Winners | 1914–15, 1920–21, 1923–24, 1925–26 | [79] |
| Lanarkshire Consolation Cup | Winners | 1892–93 | [79] |
| Finalists | 1889–90 | ||
| Airdrie Charity Cup | Winners | 1892–93 | [80] |
| Wishaw Charity Cup | Winners | 1913–14, 1914–15 | [80] |
| Rosebery Charity Cup | Runners-up | 1932–33 | [81] |
| Express Ibrox Disaster Fund | Winners | 1901–02 | [79] |
| Franco-Scottish Friendship Cup[e] | Co-Winners | 1960–61 | [82] |
| Co-Runners-up | 1961–62 | ||
| Airdrieonians Tournament | Winners | 1887 | [83] |
| Copa del Rey | Winners | 1927 | [84] |
| Copa Barcelona | Winners | 1927 | |
| Isle of Man Tournament | Winners | 1989 | [85] |
| Sir Matt Busby Shield | Winners | 2009 | [86] |
| Five / Six-a-Side Competitions | |||
| Tennents' Sixes | Runners-up | 1987–88,1988–89,1990–91 | [87] |
| Lanarkshire Police Sports | Winners | 1920 | [88] |
| Runner-up | 1925 | [89] | |
| City of Glasgow Police Sports | Winners | 1924 | [90] |
| Motherwell FC Sports | Winners | 1920, 1922, 1924, 1925 | [91] |
| Falkirk Pro Sports | Winners | 1925 | [92] |
| Lochwinnoch Sports | Winners | 1926 | [93] |
| Runners up | 1924 | [94] | |
| Ayr Professional | Winners | 1921 | [95] |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Since O'Donnell's death in 2007, only one player has worn the number 10 shirt.David Clarkson, who is the nephew of O'Donnell, wore the shirt up until he left the club in July 2009. While not officially retired, it has not been issued to any subsequent player.
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Majority shareholder | The Well Society |
| Chief executive | Brian Caldwell |
| Chairman | Kyrk Macmillan |
| Director | Greg Anderson |
| Director | Grant Jarvie |
| Director | David Macfarlane |
| Finance director | David Lindsay |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Jens Berthel Askou |
| Assistant manager | Max Rogers |
| First team coach | Jonathan Obika |
| Goalkeeping coach | Neil Alexander |
| Academy director | David Clarkson |
| Head of academy coaching | Jim Paterson |
| Head of recruitment | Nick Daws |
| Head of performance analysis | Ciaran King |
| Lead physiotherapist | David Henderson |
| Physiotherapist | Jack Pow |
| Head of sports science | Graeme Henderson |
| Sports scientist | Kirk Phillips |
| Kit coordinator | Alan MacDonald |
Motherwell were sponsored in the 2019–20 season by online gambling companyPaddy Power as part of their 'Save our Shirt' campaign'.[98] This followed Bet Park sponsoring the side in a deal running since the start of the 2018–19 season. Commsworld was the principal sponsor from the 2010–11 season.[99] Due to the sponsorship deal not being agreed in time for the start of the2010–11 UEFA Europa League the team briefly featuredwww.chooselife.net as their main shirt sponsor. The team continue to carry suicide prevention sponsorship on the arms of the shirt.[100] They have also been sponsored by the localIT firm Log in to Learn, which appeared on the back of the shirts.[101] For the 2009–10 season the team were sponsored by JAXX, a German gambling company.[102] They in turn had replacedAnglian Home Improvements, who were the club's shirt sponsor from 2006 to 2008. Previous to this the club had been sponsored byZoom Airlines, who were part-owned by club director John Boyle, and who retained advertising space on both the Davie Cooper Stand and the South Stand[103] until they ceased trading in August 2008.
The sponsor from 2002 to 2004 was a local company called The Untouchables.[104] Previously the club had enjoyed a long-term association withMotorola, but this ended after 11 years in 2002 as the sponsor started to reduce its manufacturing operations in Scotland. This had in turn followed another long-term association with local car dealer Ian Skelly, who had sponsored the club since 1984.
The club have had a number of different kit manufacturers since the 1970s. At present the official kit supplier isMacron who were newly announced for the 2014–15 season to replacePuma after their 3-year deal with the club expired.[105] Previously the club kits were supplied by New-Zealand based sporting goods manufacturerCanterbury who were announced as the official kit supplier to Motherwell for the four years beginning with the 2009–10 season, taking over fromBukta.[106] However, Canterbury went into administration after less than one year of the contract had been completed.[107] Major manufacturersAdidas,Admiral,Hummel,Patrick,Pony,Umbro and Xara have all been kit providers for Motherwell.
| Period | Kit Manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (front) | Shirt sponsor (sleeve) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974–1976 | Umbro | None | None |
| 1976–1979 | Admiral | ||
| 1979–1982 | Adidas | ||
| 1982–1983 | Patrick | Scottish Brewers | |
| 1983–1984 | None | ||
| 1984–1985 | Ian Skelly | ||
| 1985–1987 | Admiral | ||
| 1987–1990 | Matchwinner | ||
| 1990–1991 | Admiral | ||
| 1991–1992 | Motorola | ||
| 1992–1994 | Hummel | ||
| 1994–1998 | Pony | ||
| 1998–2002 | Xara | ||
| 2002–2004 | The Untouchables | ||
| 2004–2006 | Zoom Airlines | ||
| 2006–2007 | Anglian Home Improvements | ||
| 2007–2008 | Bukta | ||
| 2008–2009 | JAXX | ||
| 2009–2010 | Canterbury | ||
| 2010–2011 | Puma | Commsworld | |
| 2011–2014 | Cash Converters | ||
| 2014–2016 | Macron | ||
| 2016–2017 | Motorpoint | ||
| 2017–2018 | McEwan Fraser Legal | ||
| 2018–2019 | Bet Park | ||
| 2019–2020 | Paddy Power | ||
| 2020–2023 | Paycare | ||
| 2023–2024 | G4 Claims | ||
| 2024– | DX Home Improvements |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
