Motherwell chair and chief executive to stand down

2 years ago 99

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Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell, interim chief executive Derek Weir and chairman Jim McMahon

Motherwell chairman Jim McMahon and interim chief executive Derek Weir have announced they are to step down from their roles as the club prepares a new "fund-raising initiative".

Weir will leave by April, while McMahon will exit by the end of the season.

McMahon, who has been chairman since 2016, said the club "will require significant investment".

He told the club website they want "funding on a similar scale to that received by many" other clubs.

McMahon said he and Weir had agreed that it was "the right time for a new executive team to work with the recently expanded Well Society board".

Former vice-chairman Weir took up his role in April, three months after the departure of Alan Burrows to top-flight rivals Aberdeen, following an unsuccessful attempt to find a permanent successor.

The news of the departures comes as Motherwell currently sit second bottom of the Scottish Premiership, with Stuart Kettlewell's side on a run of 14 games without a victory.

McMahon, who will formally announce his departure at the club's annual meeting planned for February, has been a director since 2001 and took over as chairman when the Well Society fans group took over the majority shareholding from businessman John Boyle.

"It has become very clear over the last few years that, for the club to operate on a sustainable basis, provide the manager with a competitive player budget, meet the vastly increased cost of our other activities, including having a successful woman's team and maintaining a fit for purpose stadium, training ground and academy facility, that it will require significant investment," McMahon said.

"The final stages of a fund-raising initiative are almost complete and will be ready to be shared early in the new year."

Motherwell