New book tells the story of how Hearts fans saved their club

Former
Foundation of Hearts chairman Ian Murray MP has suggested that full or partial
fan ownership could be a new model for Scottish football.

By June
2020, the supporters of Heart of Midlothian FC will become the majority
shareholder of the club, owning 79.9 per cent, having contributed over £10
million to the saving and rebuilding of the club.

Speaking at the
launch of This Is Our Story, a new book which tells the inside story of how
Hearts fans saved their club from extinction, Murray believes that ‘fan
ownership in some shape or form appears to be here to stay – whether it be to
save a football club, give an owner a feasible exit strategy, or to give
supporters a stake.’

A lifelong
Jambo, Murray was part of the efforts to wrestle the club out of the hands of
the former owners, prevent liquidation and defy the proposal to sell Tynecastle
Park. He details the ups and downs of the Romanov era – the famous 5-1 Scottish
Cup win against Hibernian FC, the sacking of George Burley and Romanov’s
proposal to change the club colours to green and yellow with a tartan
trim. 

The
Foundation of Hearts, supported by top professional advisors, has become the
vehicle to harness the power of the fan base. As Murray puts it, ‘the thrust
behind FOH was borne out of crisis but today, the Foundation is an example of
how fan ownership can work.’ 

This Is Our Story: How the Fans Kept their Hearts Beating is published by Luath Press.