Hibs’ Chief Executive Leeann Dempster says that as soon as it became clear that Neil Lennon was interested in the post of Hibs’ Head Coach she did all she could to seal the deal and now she has set a target of 10,000 season tickets to help provide the funds to help achieve promotion by winning the Championship.
Season Ticket sales are currently sitting at 8214 however with the Hibs’ Board showing ambition by bringing in a Head Coach who has won three league titles and two Scottish Cups as well as reaching the last 16 of the Champions’ League, they are confident that supporters will rise to the challenge.
Ms Dempster and George Craig, Head of Football Operations, both met Lennon in person as they sought to make the deal happen and it soon became apparent that visions for the Club were shared by both parties.
Speaking to Hibs TV, Ms Dempster said: “The minute it became obvious that Neil was a possibility I did all I could to make it happen. George and I went to meet him and spent three hours with him, because it was important that we felt the same way about football and about the capacity and the opportunities here at this club.
“It was great meeting. After that, I did everything I could to make it to happen and I’m glad to say that we managed to get it to work.”
“The supporters, from the day I walked in the door, have been magnificent. They have been magnificent with me and George, and they’ve given us the time that we needed. Football clubs are big operations – it genuinely takes time to make the significant changes that you want to make. I can only credit them and say how supportive they’ve been.
“To have over 8,000 season tickets at the start of June is a brilliant number, so we’re targeting 10,000 this year. I think that is absolutely doable and I’d like us to open the season here and on the first day of the new league season having 10,000 season ticket holders.
“That is a big leap for us, it shows a big leap for us, it shows more support coming through the gates, but importantly the supporters, the players, the staff – everybody reacts to that. Everybody reacts to the numbers in the stadium. The more people that come the better the energy is in the stadium.
“The Championship is a difficult place to operate and every single person walking through the doors and the gates here makes a difference. I think it is important to realise that every single person does make a difference.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
