You know it’s been a weird day when folk are claiming to have spotted Taylor Swift outside a sandwich shop in North Lanarkshire.
But Scottish Premiership side Motherwell invited curiosity when they published a ‘tongue-in-cheek’ social media video aimed at attracting Hollywood investment to Fir Park.
The 90-second film whizzes by with all kinds of madness. Scotland goalkeeper Liam Kelly dressed as a lollipop man. A walk of fame with stars engraved with the names of ‘Well.I.Am’ and ‘Well Ferrell’.
Whether the audience are left chuckling or cringing, the video certainly sparked conversation, having been viewed over 1.5m times and counting on the club’s X account alone.
But what was the point? It’s summed up rather succinctly by a young Steelmen supporter. In the final frame of this frenzied fever dream, he urges: “Taylor Swift, gie’s some dosh.”
Without an injection of cash, it could be a ‘Cruel Summer’ – one of Swift’s hits, pop pickers – for Motherwell. Chairman Jim McMahon recently dispelled any suggestion the club were on a financial cliff edge, but did talk up the importance of external investment.
Having recently ended a 15-game winless run that left them sucked towards the wrong end of the league table, the on-field performances have only added to the unease.
Following the release of their superstar-aimed plea, the outgoing chairman of the fan-owned club said new financial backing would support their work on and off the park.
“There’s a lot of talk of famous investors from the US right now,” McMahon said. “So we thought it’d be fun to put our own spin on the theme, to show what we’re all about at Motherwell.
“Hopefully you can see we’re a club that goes beyond just the 90 minutes. With things like walking football and mental health support, we’ve always helped the local community to make sure the positive effects of football can be felt off the pitch too.
“We welcome anyone who wants to support a proper community club. Whether that be new additions to the Well Society or new sponsors. And if anyone from Hollywood wants to get involved then we’re all ears.”
They are right to point to a trend in global celebrities ploughing their money into football clubs.
Much has been made of actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s investment at Wrexham. NFL superstar Tom Brady is lugging around his seven Super Bowl rings at Birmingham City.
Creed and Marvel star Michael B. Jordan is putting his spare cash into Bournemouth, whose billionaire owner Bill Foley is currently attempting to add Motherwell’s Premiership rivals Hibernian to his growing roster of teams.
These are the kind of figures Motherwell are (at least jovially) looking to get on board. When right-back Stephen O’Donnell assures potential investors that it’s fine if they know nothing about football – leaning in close to the camera to whisper that’s “soccer” to them – the target audience is plain to see.
That, and your skin might crawl just a wee bit.
Again though, that was the point. Motherwell are a savvy club that have garnered praise from across the UK for their progressive strategies, which have seen them tackling male suicide, loneliness and inequality.
The film frames their engagement in the community as a unique selling point to prospective suitors, waiting in the wings to land their private jet in ML1.
At the heart of Motherwell, however, is their support – with a current tally of over 3700 fan owners since the Well Society took a 76% share in 2016.
Will they soon be joined in the stands by Swifties?
