News
2023 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
2023 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The annual general meeting of the Foundation will be held in the Gorgie Suite, Tynecastle Park at 6.00pm on Thursday 14 December 2023. Member registration will be available from 5.15pm. Here is a link to the documents on our website relating to the meeting: AGM 2023 – Foundation of Hearts. Among the documents are the formal notice of the meeting, the financial accounts for the year to 30 June 2023, details of the two candidates standing for election, and a form of proxy for use at the AGM. A secure online voting facility for members to vote electronically in the ballot has been set up. This will close at 5.00pm on Tuesday 12 December and we will announce the result of the ballot at the AGM on 14 December.
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VOLUNTEERS WANTED FOR NEXT GENERATION PLEDGE DEVELOPMENT
VOLUNTEERS WANTED FOR NEXT GENERATION PLEDGE DEVELOPMENT #NextGenPledge – Your Foundation Needs You Following a successful workshop with some of our younger Hearts fans in November 2022 to help shape the future success of the Foundation of Hearts, we need your help again – but on a bigger scale this time. We are looking to establish a pool of volunteers made up of both existing adult pledgers and/or their children to assist us in building a Next Generation Pledge to ensure that all Hearts fans from birth to age 22 feel actively included. Mascot opportunity For those children whose names are put forward as volunteers and are at Primary School, you will be entered into a prize draw which will be drawn on Saturday 11 February 2023, providing you confirm on your email (entry requirements below). The lucky winners of the draw will accompany the Hearts team onto the pitch at the forthcoming Motherwell v Hearts game. Motherwell FC are hosting the Well Society Day to celebrate the success of fan ownership. We have a very close affiliation with Motherwell, with both clubs being fan owned, and this is a fantastic gesture by them for the Foundation. Further match details and entry requirements are below. Volunteer Categories required We are looking for a range of age groups, so if you are an adult pledger who has children aged between 0-15yrs old and would like to take part, please email louise@foundationofhearts.org with #NextGenPledge and your Child(ren) Age(s) in the Subject Header and let us know by 11.00pm on Friday 10 February 2023 if you would be interested in being a volunteer. If you are an adult pledger and you are in the age group 16-22 or have children in this age category and they would like to take part, please email louise@foundationofhearts.org with #NextGenPledge (Adult Category 16-22) in the Subject Header. Please also confirm the name and age of the child in the body of the email when you respond and let us know by 11.00pm on Friday 10 February 2023. Mascot Prize Draw details The match is scheduled for 12.00 noon on Sunday 19 February 2023 at Fir Park. The children will receive one child and one adult match ticket for the game and must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. You would need to be able to make your own way to Fir Park, Motherwell. If you wish to enter a Primary School-aged child into the draw, please end your email with PRIZE DRAW – YES. If this is not on the email then no entry will be made into the draw. We will contact the winners by email shortly after the draw is made. Please only enter if you can attend the game. Further information on the match day will be provided once the draw is made.
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INTERVIEW WITH FOUNDATION CHAIRMAN GERRY MALLON
NEWS INTERVIEW WITH FOUNDATION CHAIRMAN GERRY MALLON Gerry Mallon, chairman of the Foundation of Hearts. “YOU REALISE THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PLACE” Choosing not to follow one of the Old Firm when growing up in Belfast takes a bit of character, but that was the road that Gerry Mallon, now Foundation of Hearts chairman, took. Despite the default position for a Catholic in that city of supporting Celtic and the Republic side, Gerry chose Liverpool and Northern Ireland. It’s an interesting insight into the man. His immediate family actually had little interest in football but he discovered that his Scottish relatives were big fans. His mother’s cousin, Frank Crampsey, was Queen’s Park’s goalkeeper in the 1950s and Frank’s brother was Bob Crampsey, the distinguished author, broadcaster, journalist, football historian, and Brain of Britain. Impressive lineage. Gerry’s involvement in football governance can be traced back to 2012 when the bank he led, Danske Bank, became the sponsors of the Northern Irish league. “We were about to rebrand and the Irish FA were let down at the last minute by their sponsors. They approached us about becoming the new sponsor and that partnership fitted in perfectly with our rebrand.” Appointed as chairman of the Irish FA A couple of years later, the Irish FA were looking for an independent chairman with corporate governance experience and approached Gerry to put himself forward as a candidate. “It was a competitive process and after being interviewed, I was appointed as chairman designate and then after a year, I became chairman. “It was a brilliant experience. We were into the start of the Euros 2016 campaign, which was a real high point of Irish football. We hadn’t been to an international competition since the 1986 World Cup and we won our group to qualify. We also finished the redevelopment of our stadium, so everything was on a roll. With Pat Jennings at Nice at the 2016 Euros, when Gerry was chairman of the Irish FA. “The night we played Poland in Nice in our first group game, I found myself with Pat Jennings and Gerry Armstrong. If the 12-year-old me had been able to fast forward 34 years from the 1982 World Cup, he would have had his mind blown! It was a mindbending moment for me being with these guys that I’d idolised as a child.” Gerry served two terms as the Irish FA chairman and counts retaining the services of Michael O’Neill as manager despite the attentions of Scotland as one of his main achievements. Much as he would have liked to have continued in his role there, his career had brought him to Edinburgh, so he stepped down. First visits to Tynecastle “Myself and my son Jude had no preconceptions about who to support here. We started going to Tynecastle and it captured us. I didn’t know anything about McCrae’s Battalion, about the Foundation, about the fact that the club had nearly died. But the picture started to build up and you realise there’s something about this place. “I did have a debate with Michael O’Neill because, of course, he played for Hibs. He said that we should go to both places and see where I would feel more welcome and I don’t think he’s surprised where I’ve ended up.” His family have also enjoyed being part of the Hearts community, in particular his youngest daughter, Sarah. “Previously I couldn’t persuade her to go to a football match, but now she’s head, neck and shoulders into football and Hearts. She’s actually really into women’s football so Eva Olid’s team is her number one passion. “My wife Una and Aoife, my second youngest, both volunteer with Big Hearts now. They chose that completely separate from me and found their own way there, nothing to do with me.” About the Foundation, he describes himself as “massively pleasantly surprised” to discover that a fan ownership group could have the resources to acquire majority shareholding and that it could find a model that would allow it to not become reactive or factional. “I was incredibly impressed when I saw the stage the Foundation had got to – the Heart and Soul Day handover and the ethos of fan-owned not fan run.” A message of solidarity Gerry engaged with Stuart Wallace, then the chairman of the Foundation, following the Brora result. “I was keen that for all the negative reaction that the Foundation was getting, there should be some positivity too and a message of solidarity. I’d seen it before in Northern Ireland – we had our own Brora moment when we lost to Luxembourg but we stuck with Michael and he delivered the best results for 30 years. So having come through that, I could see that you need to stick with a long-term vision and belief in what you’re doing.” The dialogue with Stuart continued. Gerry stood successfully in the board elections, then in June 2022 he became chairman. He has interesting views on the club and the Hearts community. “Football crowds don’t have a reputation for being very diverse or welcoming but my sense is that you get a broader spectrum socially at Hearts than in most crowds that I’ve been to and certainly better gender balance than I’ve seen in in almost any football crowd. “The thing that has surprised me as well is that every football board room or group I’ve been involved in is very factional, political, and full of people that are pushing their own agenda. But I find Hearts a real contrast to that. It’s not to say that there’s not the odd self-interested person around but on the whole, I see people who are genuinely interested in helping the club. “The fact that it’s fan owned gives real strength to that. Nobody is looking to make a quick buck. No-one is going to make millions out of it as the money goes back to the club. That makes for an environment which attracts people who genuinely want to help the cause rather than help themselves. They are interested in helping the Foundation as it serves no other purpose other than to give joy and pride and help to its community.” Maximising the success of the club The Foundation, he believes, is at an interesting stage. “Our first purpose was to save the club, then to deliver fan ownership. Now we’ve got to establish that it’s about maximising the success of the club and continuing its long-term health. “The Foundation has a really strong membership base who have been tested through peaks and troughs, including demotion and Covid. It has proved really loyal and resilient. As a board we have to ensure that we are not complacent about that support and that we continue to keep relevant and keep demonstrating the importance of the pledges in terms of the success of the club. “The next stage is also about renewing our appeal to a different generation of pledgers. We have to build on the premise that being a Foundation pledger is part of the DNA of being a Hearts fan – as much as wearing the scarf, or knowing the songs, or the pub you drink in. We’ve an obligation to convey that message so that fans really appreciate the opportunity we’ve got to be the exceptional club that under fan ownership can be massively successful. That’s the challenge and the opportunity.” Asked if he’s enjoying his role, Gerry is unequivocal. “I love it. I couldn’t and wouldn’t do it if I didn’t have an absolute ball doing it. I feel incredibly lucky to have stepped onto the Foundation board and the club board when the club is in really good shape. And I’m incredibly fortunate to be part of the Hearts family when we have amazing occasions like the European run. Like Napoleon said, don’t get me good generals, get me lucky ones. I’m happy to be lucky and in the right place at the right time.” WE ARE… CLICK HERE OUR VISION CLICK HERE
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James Burberry
James Burberry I welcome this opportunity to provide you with my election address for the role of Director of the Foundation of Hearts. I’m a lifelong Hearts fan – which I wear as a badge of pride. I am a recently retired business advisor with circa 30 years’ experience built from a career in professional services Firms, the last 20 of which were in a leadership role as a Partner with client service, profit, risk and governance responsibilities. In the last 15 years at RSM I have specialised in advising membership organisations with Charitable status similar to the Foundation, their Boards, Trustees and wider stakeholders, on a wide range of issues affecting their Charitable objectives, fundraising plans and future funding and wider business needs. In this area of specialism, I have built up an extensive network of business and personal contacts with similar professional and personal interests, which I would seek to bring to bear in the Role of Director to the benefit of the Foundation. This I believe shows that I have the necessary understanding of the past, current and future business and commercial issues faced by the Foundation and its members, and potentially I could act as a sounding board for matters impacting on the Football Club. I also have experience in leading and delivering Diversity and Inclusion initiatives for stakeholders which I believe will contribute towards the stated values of the Foundation, and would ideally contribute further to a sense of inclusion amongst pledgers. Prior to my career in professional services, I served in the Army, and therefore have a deep understanding of the history HMFC and the Armed Forces and the importance for HMFC and the Foundation to continue that historic relationship. I am a season ticket holder, an early pledger to the Foundation, and now a proud plot owner of a part of the hallowed turf at Tynecastle. I’m Edinburgh born and bred and live, and have lived, within the sound of Tynecastle for most of my life. The Hearts DNA that I inherited from my family, which stretches way back to pre-war years, has now been passed on to the next generation, as they share and pass on their love of Hearts in the likes of London and as far afield as Australia and Uruguay. My recent retirement (June 2022) affords me the opportunity to commit as much time, and indeed more time as may be necessary, to the role of Director. I would see my role as a new Director as an evolutionary process in the first instance. I WOUld, assume nothing and act without a preconceived agenda or lists of topics or reasons for change. Rather, I would spend my time initially to come up to speed with current and future matters by listening and learning from pledgers together with current and departing board members and exploring areas where I may be able to have an immediate and positive impact based on my experiences. For instance, say around current initiatives to maintain, expand, broaden and deepen the pledge base, engagement initiatives with pledgers, and harnessing the passion we all have for our club. I also see the role of Director as one of custodian. That is, custodian of the foundations laid and legacy established to date, custodian of the reputation built which has to be jealously guarded and protected. and custodian of such for the benefit of those who seek to follow us in future. To quote the late, great Dave Mackay ” … Always Hearts … “.
Read moreGraham Robertson
Graham Robertson My Hearts credentials started when my dad took me to my first match in 1965 the league decider versus Kilmarnock we lost 0-2. Character building was a phrase I became accustomed to whilst supporting ‘the Hearts’. In my teens I joined Tranent Hearts Supporters Club and quickly took on responsibilities of running the Club and travelling home and away in the 70/80’s. I cried in despair when Arthur Mann was sold to Man City. I loved watching Drew Busby, Donald Ford scoring goals, and Jim Cruikshank keeping them out. Witnessing a talent in Craig Levein whilst at the same time John Robertson was hammering Hibs! The Jeffries years and emotional Cup win. The Romanov/Burley 113 days and madness that followed. Hartley, Fyssas, Skacel and Craig Gordon amongst others delivering a Cup. Even in the dark days we had the return of Webster, the irrepressible McGowan, the chest of Beattie, Captain Zaliukas and the extraordinary left foot of the goal machine that was Rudi. 2012 and 5-1. In recent years we have had our ‘downs’ but ‘we aye come back up’ and this time under the safe hands of fan ownership. My bowling career interrupted my fortnightly visit to Tynecastle. I would always manage ten plus games per season, but that interruption included representing Scotland over 200 times, captaining Scotland Indoors more than any other player, winning over 25 major Scottish, British, and International titles including World Outdoor and Indoor titles. I retired in 2017 from that highest level. I accepted a part-time National Director of Coaching position for Bowls in 1998 and over a 1s-year period modernised the Coaching system. Managing a team that trained over 1800 coaches. I developed a programme introducing over 70,000 school children to the Sport. No mean achievement in a volunteer system. Career Highlights- 20 years with HMRC, half of which as an Inspector investigating small businesses. Various Sales Director roles with product development and marketing responsibilities leading to a Managing Director role, 2008, in Sports and Surfaces Argyle International Ltd, wholly owned by my wife and I, completed a management buyout of the Sports and Surfaces divisions in 2015. Track record since then of making good decisions by growing and diversifying the business and increasing profitability. My Passion for Hearts has led me to this nomination. I believe I have the time and the variety of skills that offers something different but complements the skills of the existing FOH Board. If elected I would dedicate time to serve the Foundation with an ambition to significantly grow our Foundation Membership thus forever supporting our Club with an aim that Heart of Midlothian the Club that we all love becomes the ‘FIRST’ force in Scottish football. The FOH and what has been achieved so far by its members is a tribute to all that have served. I believe the FOH Board should be represented by Hearts supporters that individually and collectively make a positive difference whilst representing its membership. I would be honoured to receive your vote. Graham Robertson
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Survey GDPR Policy Terms and Conditions The Foundation of Hearts and Heart of Midlothian Football Club are committed to ensuring your data and privacy are protected, so any details you provide in the survey will be handled in accordance with strict data protection rules. In completing the survey we would like to ask for your consent, that the Foundation of Hearts and Heart of Midlothian Football Club, are able to use the details supplied to provide you with relevant information via email and other forms of communication. If you do not wish to give contact permission, please do not participate in the survey. The Privacy Policies of Foundation of Hearts and Heart of Midlothian Football Club are available on our respective websites (www.foundationofhearts.com and www.heartsfc.co.uk) Foundation of Hearts Prize Draw Terms and Conditions 2022 Free Prize Draw Terms and Conditions 1. By entering the prize draw you are agreeing to these prize draw terms and conditions. 2. The prize draw is being run by Foundation of Hearts and Heart of Midlothian Football Club Eligibility to enter 3. The prize draw is open to entrants over 18 years of age. Foundation of Hearts board members and Heart of Midlothian Staff are excluded. 4. In entering the prize draw, you confirm that you are eligible to do so and eligible to claim any prize you may win. 5. A maximum of one entry per individual is permitted. 6. The prize draw is free to enter. How to enter 7. The prize draw will include those currently registered as a pledger or non active pledger of the Foundation of Hearts as at 1st August 2022. Entries after that time and date will not be included in the draw. 8. To enter the prize draw simply complete the Pledgers Survey in the email provided and enter the prize draw by clicking on the checkbox at the end of the Survey 9. Foundation of Hearts will not accept responsibility if contact details provided are incomplete or inaccurate. The prize 10. The prize will be one of Four prizes – Two prizes of two matchday tickets and hospitality at the Skyline Lounge – A signed shirt – A player’s board from the changing room at the 2022 Scottish Cup final.. 11. Foundation of Hearts use of particular brands as prizes does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement of such brands. 12. The winners will be drawn at random. 13. The prize is non-exchangeable, non-transferable and no cash alternatives will be offered. WE ARE… CLICK HERE OUR VISION CLICK HERE
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INTERVIEW WITH HEARTS CHAIR ANN BUDGE
The following article first appeared as a matchday programme article on 14 August 2022
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Foundation of Hearts Open Meeting
We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting an Open Meeting at the Gorgie Suite at Tynecastle on Monday 25 April 2022 at 6.00pm.
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