Hearts AGM: Club curtails agenda to formal business only over Omicron concerns

Hearts have announced that “only formal business” will be addressed at the club’s 115th annual general meeting amid concerns about the rapid spread of the Omicron.

Hearts will move its shortened annual general meeting into the main stand to offer more venilation

The AGM was due to be be held in the Gorgie Suite at Tynecastle Park tomorrow, Thursday December 16. However, it is being relocated outdoors to the main stand to allow for ventilation and increase physical distancing.

It follows advice from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for everyone to reduce as far as possible the mixing of people from different households.

The club expects the formal business of the AGM to take “no more than 10 to 15 minutes” and said the presentation and Q&A element will be delayed. It hopes to hold both before the end of January 2022, if it is safe to do so.

A statement on the club website said the decision was “not taken lightly”.

It read: “The rapid spread of the Omicron variant is concerning and the wellbeing of our shareholders and staff must be our first priority.

“We have, therefore, made the difficult decision to deal only with formal business at the AGM on Thursday.

“We will relocate the meeting from the Gorgie Suite to the Main Stand.

“This will help to reduce the mixing of people from different households in line with the First Minister’s request but, importantly, still allow shareholders who have not exercised a proxy vote to vote, in a location that allows for plenty of ventilation and the ability to socially distance.”

It adds: “We very much look forward to sharing the presentations and having an open dialogue with shareholders in January.”

The Foundation of Hearts (FoH) AGM, scheduled for 6pm on the same day, will be also relocated from the Gorgie Suite to the main stand and will deal only with formal business.

That will include the election of new FoH board members. Five candidates are standing for election.

The FoH, which holds a majority shareholding in the club itself and has over 8,000 members, said in a statement on its website that it intends to hold a presentation and Q&A for members to attend in person before the end of January and described the curtailed AGM as “very regrettable”.

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