Gary Locke urged support for Foundation of Hearts

HEARTS manager Gary Locke has written to 65,000 people on the club’s database urging them to support the efforts of the Foundation of Hearts, writes Stuart Bathgate.

On Thursday Hearts administrators BDO appointed the Foundation as preferred bidder for the club, with the aim of agreeing a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA) to take it out of administration. So far around 6,000 fans have backed the Foundation by agreeing to set up monthly direct debits, and Locke has urged other supporters to follow suit.

“Yesterday, the joint administrators of Hearts announced that the bid submitted on behalf of the Foundation of Hearts would be preferred bidder,” Locke wrote in an email. “This is a very important announcement and one all the staff were hoping for. It is an important milestone in the process to get Hearts back on its feet, particularly because it allows the Foundation and the club the opportunity to work together to promote the importance of direct debits.

“So far I am told 6,000 supporters have signed up to a monthly commitment from just £10, but to deliver a supporter-controlled Hearts the reality is the more subscriptions the Foundation has, the better it is for the club. For that reason today I am asking, if you are able, to sign up to a monthly direct debit for the Foundation of Hearts, if you’ve not already done so.

“We’ve seen the incredible unity of the club in recent weeks following a very difficult summer. There’s now a real opportunity to create something very special – a moment in Scottish football history.”

The first direct-debit deductions are due at the start of next month. The Foundation has already improved its initial offer for a CVA, but will need to negotiate further before reaching agreement with Valnetas, the Lithuanian administrators of Ukio Bankas, the club’s biggest creditor.