Match Programmes

News | April 2, 2026 | Match Programmes, MFC Fans, MFC Heritage Trust, Trustees

Holy Grail Programme Secured

Motherwell Football Club Heritage Trust has secured one of the most significant artefacts in the club’s history – an original first Motherwell FC match programme.

The programme dates from the opening game of the 1948 season, a clash between Motherwell and Rangers FC on 14 August 1948. Priced at just 2d at the time – the equivalent of roughly 50p today, adjusting for inflation – it offers a fascinating snapshot of post-war Scottish football.

Inside its pages, the programme introduces new chairman Alex McNay and new club captain Andy Paton, marking a fresh chapter in the club’s history. It is also packed with period advertising – some featuring names that may still ring familiar with ‘Well supporters today, adding to its charm and historical value.

Club Historian -and Trustee Stuart Graham described the acquisition as a landmark moment. “The hunt for the Holy Grail, the very first Motherwell home programme, is over,“ he enthused. “I’ve seen seven in my lifetime of collecting – it’s an incredibly rare one. Now it’s in the safekeeping of the Heritage Trust.”

Original Motherwell FC programmes from this era are exceptionally scarce. Only 200 of this first edition were printed and 143 were actually sold – with only a handful known to have survived. This makes the Trust’s acquisition all the more remarkable

The programme was secured for £500, funded through donations from fans continue to play a vital role in enabling the Trust to rescue and preserve irreplaceable pieces of Motherwell’s history.

As the club celebrates its 140th anniversary, this latest addition will be showcased in future exhibitions and stadium tours, offering fans a rare opportunity to connect with a defining moment in the club’s past.

It is another powerful example of the Trust’s mission in action: preserving our past, protecting our future – and ensuring that the story of Motherwell FC lives on for generations to come

News | November 11, 2025 | Match Programmes, Memorabilia, MFC Heritage Trust, Virtual Museum, Volunteers

Volunteers Wanted: Help Build Motherwell FC’s Digital Heritage

Join the MFC Heritage Trust to catalogue history, power our virtual museum, and grow our online archive.

The MFC Heritage Trust is growing fast. As we continue to develop our historical archive and our online virtual museum, we’re inviting suitably experienced volunteers to take ownership of several key tasks that will have a lasting impact on how Motherwell’s story is preserved and shared.

Whether you can join us once a week at Fir Park or prefer to contribute from home, we’d love to hear from you.

Roles we’re recruiting for

1) Catalogue Our Image Bank

We hold several hundred images spanning the 1890s to the present day. Help us:

Organise, describe and date images to professional standards
Add captions, credits and usage notes
Create consistent filenames and metadata for easy search and retrieval

Helpful skills: experience with digital archiving or libraries, attention to detail, familiarity with metadata.

2) Create Searchable PDFs of Match Programmes

We have a large collection of scanned match programmes to convert into accessible, searchable PDFs. View samples here: mfcheritagetrust.org/gallery/match-programmes

Helpful skills: Adobe InDesign (ideally), OCR workflows, PDF optimisation, accessibility basics (bookmarks, reading order, alt text for covers).

3) Webmasters (WordPress & Elementor)

Support content uploads and help keep our sites secure and up to date. See: mfcheritagetrust.com

Helpful skills: WordPress, Elementor, media optimisation, routine updates/backups, security best practice.

4) Player Archive Developer (SportsPress Pro)

Help build our player archive using the SportsPress Pro plugin.
Helpful skills: WordPress custom post types, SportsPress configuration, data entry standards, CSV imports, taxonomies, simple data modelling.

Time & location

Team rhythm: Ideally one collaborative session per week.
Flexibility: We’re happy for volunteers to work from home and fit tasks around life away from Fir Park.
Support: You’ll join a welcoming, knowledgeable team – and make a tangible contribution to the club’s heritage.

What you’ll gain

Real-world portfolio pieces and credit for your contributions
Experience with digital preservation tools and workflows
The satisfaction of helping take our club’s history to supporters of the glorious game globally

How to apply

Please email Nick Mackie, Trustee – Operations at admin@mfcheritagetrust.com or use the contact form.

Let’s Make History Together

News | September 12, 2024 | Match Programmes, Virtual Museum

Scanning the ‘Well’s Rich Heritage One Programme at a Time

Wednesday’s gathering of history enthusiasts and club supporters was nothing short of a triumph.

An 18 strong crew met in the Davie Cooper Stand’s hospitality boxes, overlooking the lush turf, to work on the Motherwell FC Heritage Group’s pilot Scan-a-Thon. Over 10 hours, they scanned and preserved a treasure trove of home match programmes, covering nearly 14 full seasons from 1948-1949 up to 1959-1960, and the 1962-1964 seasons.

These programmes, from the personal collection of Motherwell FC Club Historian Stuart Graham, tell the story of Motherwell FC’s rollercoaster journey through Scottish football during some of the club’s most iconic years.

Heritage Matters

The significance of this archival effort cannot be overstated. Among the programmes scanned were those from the historic 1950 Scottish League Cup campaign which culminated in Motherwell defeating Hibernian 3-0 at Hampden and the 1952 Scottish Cup home games, which led to the Steelmen’s 4-0 triumph over Dundee. These are not the only highlights, as the project also captured the drama of relegation and promotion, 1953-1954, as well as the exhilarating rise of the legendary Ancell Babes, featuring stars like Ian St John, Andy Paton, Charlie Aitken, John Martis, Pat Delaney, Bobby Roberts and Joe McBride.

One of the standout programmes preserved in the collection is for Fir Park’s record attendance of 35,632 during the Scottish Cup quarter-final replay on 12 March 1952, where Motherwell defeated Rangers 2-1. Another memorable programme was on sale ahead of the club’s record 12-1 victory against Dundee United in 1954, a scoreline that remains etched in the annals of Scottish football history.

Three Cheers for the Volunteers

Brian McCafferty, Heritage Group Lead and former Motherwell FC and Well Society Chairman, reflected on the day’s success. “The Scan-a-Thon was a fantastic opportunity to connect with our club’s rich history and preserve it for future generations. The work we’ve done is more than just digitising old programmes; it’s about keeping the spirit of Motherwell FC alive, celebrating our proudest moments, and learning from the challenges we’ve faced. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who participated and shared their passion for our beloved club.”

Wednesday’s Scan-a-Thon is just the beginning. With the first season of Motherwell FC programmes dating back to 1948-49, there’s still a lot of work ahead. The Heritage Group is committed to refining and optimizing the workflow, ensuring that we can efficiently scan and preserve the entire collection. This event marks a significant step forward, but the journey to fully archive Motherwell FC’s rich history continues with renewed energy and focus.

“This is hugely important and valued work by the Heritage Group – a credit to the club,” said Greg Anderson, Well Society Board Member and Managing Director of Blue Parrot Events Group, who volunteered to work a shift on the Scan-a-Thon.

Again, a huge thank you to all who helped on the day. Until next time ! Heritage really does Matter !

If you are interested in getting involved in our Club’s heritage related work and activities, please let us know via the contact form.