Hibs deny 'feeder club' tag as Ben Kensell sets record straight over Bill Foley investment

CEO insists Hibs remain autonomous under Bournemouth umbrella

Hibs chief operating officer Ben Kensell during the club's AGM at Easter Road last month. (Photo by Ewan Bootman / SNS Group)

Ben Kensell insists Hibs will not be beholden to Bournemouth or anyone else as he reflected on the benefits from being part of a multi-club partnership.

It is now over a week since Bournemouth owner Bill Foley’s 25 per cent stake in the Easter Road club was approved by shareholders at an agm.

Chief executive Kensell is proud that Hibs are the first Scottish club to be permitted by the SFA to rubber stamp such a tie-up with an investor with interests in other clubs. Foley’s Black Knight Group also have stakes in French club Orient and Auckland in New Zealand.

Kensell denied that Hibs would be a poor relation to Premier League side Bournemouth, with Foley’s motivation for acquiring a stake in Hibs having been questioned by some.

“Feeder club is your words, not mine,” said Kensell. “Because we’re not a feeder club. We’re part of a network. No one is going to be feeding us because guess what? The Gordon family own the football club. They have control.

“So there is no such thing as a feeder club in this, and we’ve never used that terminology with Bill. There has been no such discussion about Bournemouth feeding anyone. It’s a collaborative relationship that we will benefit from and they will benefit from. And other clubs within the network will benefit from it.

“But, if we don’t believe that it benefits Hibs specifically, we won’t do it. And we’ll look outside of that network for the way forward, on the pitch or off the pitch. Simple as that.”

Hibs can now add being part of a multi-club network to their list of firsts, which includes their place as Scotland's first European Cup representatives.

“It’s pioneering, definitely,” said Kensell. "But we’re not doing it for that reason. We just happen to be the first club to do it. But we’re proud of that. And we want to continue being trailblazers – for the right reasons.”