New director at Hearts as Foundation change their chairman

A new director will join the Hearts board on June 1 this year after the fan group Foundation of Hearts announced a change of figurehead.

Stuart Wallace is standing down as FoH chairman on May 31 to be replaced by Gerry Mallon, the former Irish Football Association chair. Mallon will also assume Wallace’s place on the board at Tynecastle Park at the same time.

A Foundation board meeting saw Mallon voted in as the group’s new chairman following Wallace’s decision to step back. The Northern Irishman works as chief executive of Tesco Bank in Edinburgh and became an FoH director last December following six years as head of the Irish FA.

He is now tasked with driving the Foundation forward after they gained ownership of Hearts last August. They now own the club on behalf of almost 9,000 supporters, who donate monthly cash which amounts to around £1.5million a year in extra funding for Hearts.

Mallon and Donald Cumming will continue to represent FoH on the Tynecastle board as excitement builds among fans about what lies ahead later this year.

Hearts are in the Scottish Cup final against Rangers on May 21, which will be Wallace’s last official game after just over five years chairing the Foundation. He will remain an FoH director having helped oversee the transition into fan ownership.

The Edinburgh club are also guaranteed European group stage football next season and will bank several million pounds in prize money as a result.

Mallon gave an exclusive interview to the Evening News as he stood for FoH election last year.

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