Motherwell chair compares plea for 'ultra' rich Hollywood donor to 'Selfridges shopfront'

Motherwell’s chairman has likened a video from the club appealing for an “ultra” rich Hollywood donor to a “Selfridges shop window”.

The tongue in cheek appeal was posted on social media on Wednesday and has been viewed more than 2.4 million times on X and shared by the likes of by Canadian comedian Tom Green.

The club is fan-owned through the Well Society and, while making it clear that it isn’t up for sale, they say they are looking for fresh investment, for more members to subscribe, and to find businesses or individuals who share their values and can put money in.

The campaign has been launched with a video that plays on the trend for North American celebrities to invest in British football, following Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s purchase of Wrexham and Tom Brady’s involvement in the takeover at Birmingham City.

It features first team stars including Scotland internationals Stephen O’Donnell and Liam Kelly appear on the video and Leanne Crichton, teases investors with a promise of a star in the stadium, with mock-ups in place for “Well B”, “Well.I.Am.” and “MotherWell Ferrell”.

Chairman Jim McMahon said the video was like the world-famous Selfridges storefront on London’s Oxford Street – designed to attract passers-by inside.

Selfridges window inspired by musical Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club. Selfridges

Speaking to the media on Friday, Jim McMahon said: “We have talked about this for some time, ‘how can we perhaps generate new sources of income, or funds or investments for the club’.

“If we were selling the club, and we are not here to sell the club, it would be relatively simple. But it’s a bit more complicated than that.

“If I can use an analogy, there might be some of you that can remember back in the day when Selfridges window on Oxford Street, was a huge talking point for retail.

“Selfridges would put on an art show in their window and people would say, ‘that’s really interesting and exciting’ or it’s ‘dangerous and it’s different’, so lets go into the shop and see what else they have got there.

“So, using that analogy, the video is a shop window, showing here is what we are as a club and here is what we are looking to try and achieve: More members of the Well Society, a business or organisation whose values align with ours and wants to be associated with us and is prepared to put money in on a regular basis or a ultra-high net-worth or business who says they really like what we are doing and are prepared to fund, alongside the Well Society, the club going forward.

“The whole premise and strategy is to find longer term sources of income that are not completely dependant upon selling a player and not getting relegated.

“Because if we stick with that we will have good years when we sell David Turnbull, or sell Lennon (Miller) in due course, and we make quite a lot of money and we will have years in between when we lose money.

“So we are trying to de-risk the business by brining in new sources of interest and sources of money.

“In terms of interest we have had more Well Society members sign up in the first few hours of the video than we had in the last few months.

“To get 2.5 million views on the video already is very good, as I say it’s a window into who we are but there are other things going on as well.

“You can look at the video and say whatever, but overall I’m not embarrassed by it and I don’t think it’s a desperate cry for money because it isn’t. If it comes across that way then I can only say to fans that is not what it was meant to be.

“It is meant to be a quirky, tongue-in-cheek take on some of the trends that are happening in football just now and this was our take on it in an attempt to encourage folk into the shop and say if you like that then come and see what else is inside.”