News

2024 Annual General Meeting

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The annual general meeting of the Foundation will be held in the Gorgie Suite, Tynecastle Park at 6.00 p.m. on Wednesday, 4th December 2024.DOCUMENTS Please click the links to view the documents:• the formal notice of meeting and chairman’s letter• Resolution to Amend the Articles of Association• Explanatory Note to Resolution to Amend the Articles of Association If you are not able to attend the AGM but wish to vote on the resolution being put to the meeting (which is for the amendment of the Articles of Association), you can vote in advance by completing a form of proxy. An online form is available for completion, please click the link below to download the form. Once you have downloaded and completed the form, please return by email to info@foundationofhearts.org by 6pm on 2 December 2024 in order for it to be valid. Please note you will need your voter ID to complete the form, you can find your voter ID in an email sent by the Foundation of Hearts. If you are unable to complete a proxy form online, you may print off, complete and return a hard copy. For online proxy voting form: Click here to complete the proxy form With best wishes,Gerry MallonChair, Foundation of Hearts

Foundation of Hearts Board Candidates

Three places on the Foundation of Hearts Board have been vacated. Louise Strutt and Andrew Brown are standing down from the Board and we thank them for their hard work and unstinting effort on behalf of the members of the Foundation of Hearts. Gerry Mallon is standing for re-election. We called for nominations for members to stand for the Board of the Foundation of Hearts and we have received eight nominations. Under our governance documents, we are therefore required to have an election to determine which three of the eight candidates will take up places on the Board of the Foundation of Hearts. In alphabetical order, the seven candidates are: Paul Butler Claire Hammond Gary Locke Gerry Mallon Diane Scougall Douglas Shirlaw James Sloggie To view each election address, which you should read carefully, click on the links above. If you have any questions that you would like to put to any or all of the candidates, we will do our best to seek answers from them. Please address any questions to elections@foundationofhearts.org It is our hope that the election will commence on 1 November and you should look out for an email enabling you to vote in the election. You may vote for up to three candidates but you may not vote for a single candidate more than once. If you have any questions about the election process, please send them to elections@foundationofhearts.org

TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP RULES

The Board has created new Termination of Membership Rules with effect from 27 September 2024. To view the new rules, please click here.

WELCOME TO FOUNDATION OF HEARTS DAY

Welcome to this year’s Foundation Day, a day to celebrate being the largest fan-owned club in the UK. As ever, this day has two specific purposes: first to say a huge thank you to those supporters who have contributed to the Foundation – and therefore to the club; and secondly, to reinforce the message that signing up to the Foundation makes a huge difference to what Heart of Midlothian, our club, can achieve both on and off the pitch. We recently brought this message together under a campaign with the headline, Sign for Hearts. We’ve been going out to non-FoH members, to members who for different reasons are no longer pledging, and to those fans who don’t live near Gorgie and can’t make it to many match days. What we are saying to them is very simple. We all know that, in today’s football world, money talks, so the more funds we put into the club, the more we can attract and retain top players. With that, we can enjoy the European trips, Cup runs, and success in the league. Off the pitch, we can support the Academy and its development of our young players. We can continue to see our stadium enhanced so that it generates additional funds for our club and is home to the evocative Museum and Memorial Garden. We can drive forward community-led initiatives such as the Innovation Centre and the Maroon Mile. And we can take pride in the work of our charity, Big Hearts. Pledging what you can afford gives us the edge over our rivals. You can make the difference for Hearts. This year, as you know, we celebrate Hearts’ 150th anniversary. Without the supporters, this milestone would not have been reached. Our club would not exist. So today, we celebrate the past but more importantly we look ahead and put plans in place to help to ensure long-term success for Hearts. It’s not every football fan that can say they own their club. But thanks to the amazing supporters of our club, every Heart of Midlothian fan can, if they choose, do just that. And with your help, this is what the Foundation of Hearts is aiming to achieve. So my request to you is this. Be an owner. Make the difference. Sign for Hearts. Thank you and enjoy the day. Gerry Mallon Chair, Foundation of Hearts

NEW TRIBUTE KIT LAUNCHED TO HONOUR OWNERS

Once again, we are delighted to announce the launch of a new tribute kit which will honour the owners of Heart of Midlothian. As with the hugely popular jersey produced in 2016, the new strip will carry the names of all current pledgers to the Foundation. Gerry Mallon, Foundation of Hearts chair, said: “This new jersey is another fitting way to pay tribute to the wonderful supporters who have signed up and whose contributions – incredibly, more than £17 million now - to the Foundation help us to make a real difference for the club: on the pitch, for recruitment, for the Academy, for our wonderful charity, for the stadium, for superb initiatives such as the Innovation Centre and the Maroon Mile. The list goes on. “The jersey will be available through the club store and everyone who is signed up to be an FoH pledger by 3 September will have their name on the shirt. As they say, you have to be in it to be on it, so if you want to make sure that your name is woven into the fabric of Gorgie, now is your chance. Sign for Hearts.” Here’s a short FAQ to answer some of the queries we’ve had about the shirt. I used to be a member but recently stopped my pledge. Will my name be on the kit? Unfortunately not, the kit will show current members (those have signed up to pledge by 3 September 2024) only. Can under 16s sign up to have their name on the kit? Yes, this can be funded by their parent or guardian. However, they will need their own email address and Foundation of Hearts account which can be set up on our website www.foundationofhearts.org What is the minimum monthly pledge to become a member? £10 is the minimum monthly pledge. Can a member change/swap their name on the kit? Yes, please email info@foundationofhearts.org stating the current name and the name change. I don't have a monthly direct debit set up but have donated one-off payments in the past. Will my name be on the kit? Please email info@foundationofhearts.org to discuss.

Maroon Mile Project Launched

Heart of Midlothian Football Club is happy to announce ambitious plans for a one-mile-long trail to celebrate the history of the club and the associated local area. The Foundation of Hearts and HMFC are delighted to announce that they have been successful in securing significant funding of £207,339.00 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for their planned Maroon Mile project. The announcement comes as Hearts Heritage Department unveils plans for continued celebrations of the Club’s Sesquicentennial. Hearts is celebrating its 150-year anniversary in 2024; a history and a future which was assured by the Foundation of Hearts, one of the most significant supporter-led movements in football. Heart of Midlothian has enjoyed iconic status in Gorgie and neighbouring Dalry since the late 19th century with a rich history that is interwoven with that of the local community. The Maroon Mile project will highlight, capture and share the history of this diversely rich and vibrant working-class area and explore and mark the role the Club has played in the lives of multiple generations. It will promote and reflect the enduring community pride which characterises the area, instilling a greater sense of belonging and celebration of place. Voices of the Mile will be captured in a wide-reaching, multi-generational oral history project which will record the intangible history of the area including songs, chats, stories and soundscapes. As well as uncovering previously untold stories from Hearts’ history, there will be a deeper dive into the history of Scottish Women’s football, pre and post ban, where Tynecastle Park has played a significant role. Hearts' history is strongly ingrained in the area's built environment, most notably in the War Memorial at Haymarket which is dedicated to the citizens of Edinburgh and to the Battalions who served. This roll of honour includes those Hearts’ players who enlisted for McCrae’s Battalion. The monument is a deeply cherished part of the capital's history. Sadly, due to major changes to roads infrastructure that have been introduced, its dignity has been eroded. A critical part of this project will be to begin to restore that dignity and to use the Monument as the starting point of the Maroon Mile. Hearts Heritage will create a mile-long heritage trail that focuses on the social, economic and sporting history of Gorgie and Dalry. Starting at the Monument, the trail will end at the Hearts’ Museum, where new multimedia equipment will be deployed to share a rich array of assets highlighting the history and heritage of the Club and the area since 1874. The trail will be created jointly with local community groups with physical signage and interpretation as well as an audio walking tour. New Heritage assets will be created by local pupils who receive free digital skills development in the Club’s pioneering Innovation Centre. The creation and sharing of project outputs will be accessible and inclusive and will reflect the interests of the community. Hearts Heritage will use part of the funding to create two new Heritage posts to manage and curate activities and outputs. The project will enhance points on the Mile and form part of a wider initiative designed to maintain the trail in the future. Traditional Skills Day workshops will offer pupils at local schools the opportunity to have a practical taster of disciplines such as stone carving and signwriting. The Maroon Mile project will be delivered over an 18-month period from March 2024 to October 2025. The Foundation of Hearts and Hearts wish to express their thanks to National Lottery Players and The National Lottery Heritage Fund for their support in delivering such a meaningful project that will touch the lives of all generations of citizens and supporters. Chair of the Foundation of Hearts, Gerry Mallon commented:“Heart of Midlothian is a club born out of this community 150 years ago, deeply rooted in Gorgie / Dalry and saved from oblivion by its supporters. We’re incredibly proud of the role the club and the community have played in supporting each other for a century and a half - and the Maroon Mile is a fantastic and appropriate celebration of that enduring relationship.” Chairman of Hearts, Ann Budge commented:“We are immensely grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for their generous support of our Maroon Mile initiative. It is fitting that funding has come through collaboration between the Foundation of Hearts without whom, Heart of Midlothian could never have reached the milestone of 150 years and our own Heritage Department. Their joint vision and the passion of all those involved will create a memorable and enduring legacy for the communities of Gorgie and Dalry and for generations of Hearts supporters now and in the future.” Caroline Clark, The National Lottery Heritage Fund Director for Scotland, said: “We are delighted that thanks to National Lottery players the Heritage Fund is supporting the Maroon Mile project. In addition to the heritage walk from Haymarket to the stadium it will create new opportunities to involve supporters and the wider local community in exploring, recording and sharing the heritage of Heart of Midlothian Football Club.”

FOUNDATION LAUNCHES NEW TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM

With the Foundation setting ambitious new targets as it moves into a new phase of its development, a priority has been to dismantle any barriers which may prevent fans from becoming owners. To that end, there has been a focus on what is one of the most significant elements in how we work with our members and other Hearts fans, namely the upgrading of our website and our overall digital presence – and the culmination of that extensive project is the launch today of our new website and broader technology platform..“With improved technology,” said Foundation chairman Gerry Mallon, “we can communicate more effectively with the Hearts fan base and we can ensure that the pledging experience is simpler for members to update and manage.“More than that, we can reach a wider community, obtain better feedback from Foundation members, put in place details of new initiatives, and target our messaging to specific sections of the fan base. Many supporters will have seen that the club has moved all of its digital platforms in recent months and our work on the technology update brings us in line with this move. This includes a new mobile version of the website content so owners can manage pledges and get access to information from the Foundation on the go - something that was not available previously.“Through the new technology, we can also create integration with other systems, for example, linking season ticket holders to their club accounts. We are now able to link social networks and feeds back to the pledging platforms so that owners have a single place to find out about new activities and provide more direct feedback.”New authentication techniques connected to email and/or mobile numbers will mean improved security levels on the site, while the Foundation has also moved its cash collection platform to provide broader reach and flexibility. International pledgers are now able to pledge in local currency and no longer require a UK bank account - and pledgers will be able to use the same purchasing profile with that used for the club. “This project is a massive step forward for the Foundation and all members, creating increased inclusion, bringing more inspiration to and engagement with owners, and improving the reliability, security, and capabilities as we look to reach out and seek feedback,” said Gerry Mallon. “I am very grateful to my board colleague Andrew Brown, who has led on this initiative, and everyone associated with the project for their outstanding work.”

NEW TARGETS ANNOUNCED AT FOUNDATION’S AGM

The Foundation’s 2023 AGM saw chairman Gerry Mallon reporting on a number of key developments as the board’s new strategy begins to take shape. Among these is the vision for every Hearts fan to aspire to be an owner of the club and the setting of some key targets, including increasing the active pledger base to 15,000 pledgers and increasing the annual monetary contribution to the club to £2 million. To provide the foundations for us to achieve these targets, a number of initiatives have been put in place. “First,” said Gerry Mallon, “we will be launching new and much upgraded technology, including a new website, in the new year which will enable us to drive forward communications with owners in a greatly enhanced way. “Secondly, we have established a series of key target groups such as lapsed pledgers, young fans, overseas fans, and supporters who have never joined the Foundation, and over the course of the coming months, we will be in touch with them to ask them to help to drive our club forward by signing up to the Foundation. “In all of this, the board will be working closely with our marketing group, whose expertise has been greatly strengthened over the past months and which stands ready to support these initiatives.” Meanwhile, membership numbers have remained consistent with that of 12 months ago, with – at October 2023 – a total of 8,556 active members. Total donations passed the phenomenal milestone of £15m in March of 2023, with £1.627 million passed to the club during the course of the financial year to June 2023. In November, another massive milestone was reached when the £16m figure was reached and exceeded. Also at the AGM, Paul Cheshire was returned to the board unopposed for the specialist financial position, while, after an election, Gary Cowen was elected to the specialist legal post. Gerry Mallon paid tribute to Donald Cumming, who reached the maximum three terms of nine years on the board and so stepped down. “For many years,” said Gerry, “Donald has gone above and beyond the call of duty in his unstinting work in the service of Heart of Midlothian. He has been the quiet and diligent brain behind the Foundation, and his contributions in legal and governance matters for both the Foundation and the club have provided the structural bedrock for how we conduct our affairs.”

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