Dear Member
As we are all aware, the last week or so has been a difficult time for all Hearts fans. Through that, though, we are really grateful to everyone who contacted us over the last few days. As ever, it is invaluable to hear your range of views. We have tried to respond to emails but the volume has been huge, so our apologies if you haven’t had a reply.
There have been some recurring themes in the messages we received, so in addition to giving you an update on where we are with pledge numbers, we thought it would be helpful to address these in a general update to Foundation members.
First, a number of pledgers who have been in touch with us have attacked the Foundation for not representing the views, as they see it, of Foundation members and for not making these views clear to the club. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our communications with the club reflect the strength of feelings that pledgers have brought to us and is passed on with no diluting of the emotions expressed. This does not fall on deaf ears - and of course, the club itself hears from fans and is well aware of people’s many opinions. We are able to supplement that and can also report on pledge numbers.
Equally, the views of Foundation members inform and shape the standpoint of those who represent the Foundation on the club board.
We have also been attacked by some for – to put it bluntly – not firing the manager. As most pledgers understand, the Foundation does not run the club. It is right and proper that the club board makes the final management calls, and it is right and proper that the Foundation - through communicating with the club and through our representatives on the board - aims to inform and influence strategies and decision-making. That is what we have done and that’s what we will continue to do when the Foundation becomes the majority shareholder of the club. The Foundation has always put forward the message of fan owned, not fan run. Foundation members overwhelmingly sanctioned the governance model which has this concept at its heart and it remains a pillar of the organisation’s structure.
Sadly we must also mention that there has been a level of vitriol and abuse in some of the emails and other communications which is intolerable. This type of attack has also been visited on club officials and staff and we utterly condemn it. Equating passion for a club with this kind of behaviour is totally misplaced. Passion for a club comes in many shapes and forms but abusing others, many of whom are working on a voluntary basis, is most certainly not one of them.
Looking ahead, the board is considering ways in which debate among Foundation members can be encouraged and structured. As mentioned above, we are very appreciative of members taking the time to bring us their views and constructive advice, and we will shortly be looking to create a new post - a director of members affairs - which, we believe, will help the communication process, but we are certainly open to other positive developments on this issue.
Meanwhile, to update you on pledge numbers and activity, we have seen in recent days around 250 cancellations of pledges. That equates to approximately 3 per cent of the membership. We’ve also seen some new pledgers coming on board and that range of activity leaves us with a total number of current pledgers today of just over 8100.
It is in times of real pressure or challenge that individuals and organisations reveal their true character. This was the case when our club faced possible extinction. The character of the supporters then was unbelievable and has paved the way for the most successful fan initiative in British footballing history. We thank everyone who has been involved in this and who, by pledging, continues to lay the platform for a better future for Heart of Midlothian.
Kind regards
Stuart Wallace, Alastair Bruce, Paul Cheshire, Donald Cumming, Garry Halliday and Louise Strutt
The board of the Foundation of Hearts