Foundation's plan to keep Hearts beating forevermore

Foundation of Hearts are now in their second decade bolstering Heart of Midlothian. Having assumed ownership of the club in August 2021, the group recognise the need for a sustainable future. The here and now is fairly secure at Tynecastle Park, but FoH know they must remain active to enlist new generations of fans.

Monthly pledges are strong thanks to more than 8,500 members donating cash. In the latest financial year to June 2023, the Foundation contributed £1,627,000 to Hearts as additional revenue. Fans have now generated a staggering amount exceeding £16m for their club since direct debits were first drawn back in 2013.

The Foundation are working through a list of objectives to make themselves more visible, easier to deal with an more attractive to younger Hearts fans. Chairman Gerry Mallon explained to the Edinburgh News how the upcoming months will look. "We have been taking a lot of feedback from our members over the last few months," he said. "Sometimes sentiment gets clouded by on-field performances. A lot of people have questioned whether the Foundation should have more of an active say in the running of the club, appointing the manager, recruitment decisions and so on.

"We have always stuck to the view that our job is about providing financial support to the club and allowing supporters to demonstrate that long-term commitment, leaving a professional board to get on with professional football decisions. We try not to confuse the two.

"The things we have taken to heart from the feedback are that we need to communicate more and explain more about that element of our purpose. We also need to be easier to do business with. I think we also need to provide a little bit more of a reason for people to continue to pledge and continue to believe in the future of the Foundation. It's great being an owner of the club but what are you going to do with the club. If you're not choosing the manager and recruiting new players, what is the Foundation really all about?

"We have spent quite a bit of time completely revamping our website. Anybody who goes on to www.foundationofhearts.org will see that it's much cleaner, clearer and easier to deal with. It was dated and we had poorly maintained it over the years.

"It was also really hard to do business with us, to set up a new pledge or change your pledge. It was very clunky and not user-friendly. We have had an influx of volunteers into our marketing group, who are full of new ideas an enthusiasm about the things we can do.

"Now that we have the infrastructure in place, how do we take that compelling message out to the various groups of supporters? First of all, we would thank exisiting pledgers and can they afford to support even more? It's clear they feel commitment and see a point in being an owner of the club.

"People who were pledgers in the past and have drifted away, maybe for good financial reasons or they got disillusioned with the club at various different points in the past? Maybe they felt the job was done by saving the club and getting it into fan ownership? Our message to them is going to be that, actually, the club really needs you. The way we can differentiate ourselves from the other clubs in this league is by the continued financial support that the Foundation puts in.

"Then we want to appeal to lots of new pledgers. We know there are tons of Jambos overseas, but most importantly it's got to be about the next generation. We pretty much still have the same 8,500 people who started pledging on day one. They are still pledging now. Numbers have gone up and down slightly but it's pretty constant. That core have been pledging since day one, which means they tend to be an older group. When the club was on death's door, they were the people financially well off enough to put money into it and have stayed that way.

"However, we have find a compelling reason for young people to start to pledge, for people to introduce their kids or grandkids, we have to provide that connection between being a Hearts supporter and a member of the Foundation at a really emotional level, and help people realise that the extra few pounds they put into the club, it actually makes a huge difference to the performance on the pitch. It all adds up. It allows growth of the player budget and feeds into what gives us most pride - winning football matches and trophies."

The above initiatives have already started and will be rolled out during this year. Hearts' on-field and off-field performance remains strong, with the team third in the Premiership and destined for European football whilst the balance sheet shows record turnover of more than £20m. Mallon points out that FoH are not simply striking while the iron is hot in Gorgie.

"People are always in better spirits and more positive about the club when the team is doing well on the pitch," he acknowledged. "On the other hand, I think the supporters will be there through thick and thin. Players, managers, directors, they all come and go. Fans will be there all the way through.

"I'd like to think that, even if the team was struggling, we would still be making the same case. This is not about this week or even this season. This is about generations ahead and making sure that Hearts stay in a really strong place for the long-term.

"We are doing all these things accumulatively. The website was the first stage. Next we are going to be speaking to lapsed pledgers, and then there is another initiative coming to reach out to far-away Jambos who live away from Edinburgh. Before too long, we will have a family pledge that will allow people to introduce or pledge on behalf of their kids or grandkids. They can pull their resources together and make it easier for their kids to become long-term owners."