Community ownership imminent?

[RIP]

New CEO with Well Trust/Community Ownership background

PK putting a business plan to Sir Tom

Petrie staying in role purportedly to work on Sir Tom's family trust and HFC holdings model

Working Together framework now has 100% of all Hibs organisations round the table with the Board

More clubs going down the CO route

Hearts out of administration and business plan to move to fan ownership within 5to10 years?

Supporters Direct conference in Stirling on Sunday

Is this the Wind of Change about to blow through our club?

[rcarter1]

New CEO with Well Trust/Community Ownership background

PK putting a business plan to Sir Tom

Petrie staying in role purportedly to work on Sir Tom's family trust and HFC holdings model

Working Together framework now has 100% of all Hibs organisations round the table with the Board

More clubs going down the CO route

Hearts out of administration and business plan to move to fan ownership within 5to10 years?

Supporters Direct conference in Stirling on Sunday

Is this the Wind of Change about to blow through our club?

Would support this, but would require a lot of thought as to how best a fans group could manage the club given the potential for clashes of opinons etc.

[bigwheel]

Imagine if the type of chat on this board would actually result in team and/or management decisions....that is a frightening thought ! :)

[Weststandwanab]

New CEO with Well Trust/Community Ownership background

PK putting a business plan to Sir Tom

Petrie staying in role purportedly to work on Sir Tom's family trust and HFC holdings model

Working Together framework now has 100% of all Hibs organisations round the table with the Board

More clubs going down the CO route

Hearts out of administration and business plan to move to fan ownership within 5to10 years?

Supporters Direct conference in Stirling on Sunday

Is this the Wind of Change about to blow through our club?

More chance of me being pope tonight imo

[Peevemor]

More chance of me being pope tonight imo

Will you be asking people to kiss your ring?

[greenpaper55]

Will you be asking people to kiss your ring?

depends which one i suppose !.

[PatHead]

Hope not. Think it would take a lot of planning.

PKs sole mandate is to work on removal Of RP nothing else.

[RIP]

The business models are mostly there and provided we followed a steady pathway, say 20 % stake initially then 10% per year it would only take 5 to 7 years to create a club where the ownership would be shared part supporter-owned with the other part split between a number of corporate trust and private investors.

This would give us s bigger stake whilst getting the right people on to the board. Evolution rather than revolution. A managed transition of power away from Sir Tom and Rod.

Personally I think we start with Rod's 10%

[Keith_M]

I'm honestly not sure how these things work in practice.

How does the Board of Directors take decisions that keep the owners (the fans) all happy?

Going by the example on here, most of us couldn't even agree on the colour of the notepaper :wink:




p.s. This is a genuine question, I really would like to know how it works in practice.

[blackpoolhibs]

I'm honestly not sure how these things work in practice.

How does the Board of Directors take decisions that keep the owners (the fans) all happy?

Going by the example on here, most of us couldn't even agree on the colour of the notepaper :wink:




p.s. This is a genuine question, I really would like to know how it works in practice.

I think 100% of us would agree the toilet paper should be burgundy. :wink:

[Devilstorment]

New CEO with Well Trust/Community Ownership background

PK putting a business plan to Sir Tom

Petrie staying in role purportedly to work on Sir Tom's family trust and HFC holdings model

Working Together framework now has 100% of all Hibs organisations round the table with the Board

More clubs going down the CO route

Hearts out of administration and business plan to move to fan ownership within 5to10 years?

Supporters Direct conference in Stirling on Sunday

Is this the Wind of Change about to blow through our club?

I'm not sure why this is a separate point and not included in the one above it? Is Hearts' business model of special significance to us?

Personally I am against fan ownership though, still not proven it can work in Scotland (at least not to my knowledge)

[RIP]

I'm not sure why this is a separate point and not included in the one above it? Is Hearts' business model of special significance to us?

Personally I am against fan ownership though, still not proven it can work in Scotland (at least not to my knowledge)

I was talking about a community ownership model.

What do you mean by fan ownership!

[Jack]

Of all the things I think Leeann has been brought in for I doubt the Well Trust, that's about to collapse around around its ears, is on the list.

What would getting a fan/supporter on the board actually achieve?

The current board is full of Hibbies of many, many years standing. They have overseen the steady decline of our club and have been unable to arrest it.

As an example. Since the [new, 18 months ish from memory] director with communications expertise came in, pre Leeann, communications actually became worse with one of the first decisions being not to reply to each email/letter but to respond generally on the website. Well the first part happened, yet to see anything on the website.

Having said that each of our directors has a fantastic history of success outside Hibs, as does our owner. Make of that what you will.

[Turkish Green]

Personally I am against fan ownership though, still not proven it can work in Scotland (at least not to my knowledge)

I am not totally against fan ownership but the club would needs a certain minimum number of 'members' to be able to make the finances to run a competitive team. Somehow, I cannot see it working for a club that has European aspirations, unless like Barca the fan base is massive.

But a community club developing its own players through a youth system, then yes it could work. If th fans are not expecting success every year.

My big concern is: what happens when the team has a bad patch and the 'members' withdraw their DD payments?

I would prefer if there was some sort of joint ownership (local business + supporters groups) with the fans having a seat (even two) on the Board. But 100% fan ownership, no.

[Phil D. Rolls]

New CEO with Well Trust/Community Ownership background

PK putting a business plan to Sir Tom

Petrie staying in role purportedly to work on Sir Tom's family trust and HFC holdings model

Working Together framework now has 100% of all Hibs organisations round the table with the Board

More clubs going down the CO route

Hearts out of administration and business plan to move to fan ownership within 5to10 years?

Supporters Direct conference in Stirling on Sunday

Is this the Wind of Change about to blow through our club?

It's part of the downsizing of Scottish football. Clubs that could compete in the UK, and Europe, are now having to make do with being small community owned enterprises. A bit like junior football, IMO.

[RIP]

It's part of the downsizing of Scottish football. Clubs that could compete in the UK, and Europe, are now having to make do with being small community owned enterprises. A bit like junior football, IMO.

I would like Hibs to change our business model in this way. I live in Perth and the Saints model is a good one. Replace paid staff and outsourced services with volunteer supporters who love the club

[Caversham Green]

I'm not a great fan of community ownership - there's potential for a lot of problems as I think the yams will find out in due course - I actually like the ownership model we currently have, even though the execution has failed in recent years.

What I would like is for the club to become a Community Interest Company - it's somewhere between a charity and a business, you should Google it rather than have me try to describe it. I believe Stenhousemuir, Clyde and now Dunfermline have gone down this route as a result of their various crises.

[Spike Mandela]

Absolutely hate all this crap.

Just give us a decent team to support on the park and cut out all the other flannel.

Community ownership, fan representation on board, head of football strategy, Spartans link up blah blah blah.

[LancsHibs]

Absolutely hate all this crap.

Just give us a decent team to support on the park and cut out all the other flannel.

Community ownership, fan representation on board, head of football strategy, Spartans link up blah blah blah.

:top marks

[Phil D. Rolls]

Absolutely hate all this crap.

Just give us a decent team to support on the park and cut out all the other flannel.

Community ownership, fan representation on board, head of football strategy, Spartans link up blah blah blah.

At one time, fans wouldn't know who the manager of their team was.

In the 80s we saw the rise of the celebrity chairman.

Then commercial managers became heros.

Nowadays we waste time talking about constitutions, and escrow accounts, and infrastructure. And the stupid thing is, most of us are as poorly placed to talk with authority, as we are to criticise managers.

[Golden Bear]

Absolutely hate all this crap.

Just give us a decent team to support on the park and cut out all the other flannel.

Community ownership, fan representation on board, head of football strategy, Spartans link up blah blah blah.

:top marks


We seem to have an ever increasing number of tiny splinter groups who may or not be representative of the Support as a whole. Hopefully we're not in danger of losing sight of the main objective which is success on the park with a team that plays both a winning and entertaining brand of football.

Let's get back to basics please.

[Phil D. Rolls]

:top marks


We seem to have an ever increasing number of tiny splinter groups who may or not be representative of the Support as a whole. Hopefully we're not in danger of losing sight of the main objective which is success on the park with a team that plays both a winning and entertaining brand of football.

Let's get back to basics please.

I've got a mate who will landscape the car park, if he can get his picture in the EEN. :agree:

[greenginger]

I'm not a great fan of community ownerxt.ship - there's potential for a lot of problems as I think the yams will find out in due course - I actually like the ownership model we currently have, even though the execution has failed in recent years.

What I would like is for the club to become a Community Interest Company - it's somewhere between a charity and a business, you should Google it rather than have me try to describe it. I believe Stenhousemuir, Clyde and now Dunfermline have gone down this route as a result of their various crises.


Agree with the current ownership model but STF ain't going to live forever, 74 next month, we need a stable, planned transition to whatever comes next.

[Jack]

:top marks


We seem to have an ever increasing number of tiny splinter groups who may or not be representative of the Support as a whole. Hopefully we're not in danger of losing sight of the main objective which is success on the park with a team that plays both a winning and entertaining brand of football.

Let's get back to basics please.

I'm not sure what splinter groups you're talking about :confused:

Groups and associations have been about for a while, some represent their members i.e. the branches of, and the Hibs Supporters Association; the Former Players Association, Disabled Hibs etc. and there are those that as far as I'm aware don't pretend to represent anyone but work for the betterment of the club i.e. the Historical Trust, Hibernians, Leith Links. There are many others that do one or the other and some do both and there's dotnet and the Bounce.

They all get together as part of Working Together along with a few supporters who have just pitched up and give their time and effort to the cause. I'm not aware of any Hibs group that has not in some way been represented at the meetings in person, bar international branches some of which will have a tangible link through the HSA, and the meetings are always well advertised, including on here!

I don't think in our history the support has ever been so united. That's not to say they will all agree on all issues.

[IWasThere2016]

Absolutely hate all this crap.

Just give us a decent team to support on the park and cut out all the other flannel.

Community ownership, fan representation on board, head of football strategy, Spartans link up blah blah blah.

This.

[RIP]

Absolutely hate all this crap. Just give us a decent team to support on the park and cut out all the other flannel.

This has the been the mindset of Scottish fitba' supporters of our generation. I get it I really do. However, at Hibs our owner and board have got it spectacularly wrong these past ten or more years.


Fantastic infrastructure, Top four resources and year on year underachievement
Corporate business model instead of community football model
Two dominant majority shareholders
Supporters treated like customers with no voice and no vote
PR company recruited to manage 'arms length' engagement with board
2x CEO's and 8 coaching teams sacked or resigned
No leadership, vision, ambition or performance management in board, management or team
Culture of failure, graveyard for careers
Worst staff churn in the SPFL
Millions squandered in CEO, Coach and Player compensation that could otherwise have been spent on player wages
Atrocious PR, negative publicity
Long history of poor discipline on and off the park


Now whilst Leeann Dempster may fix some of issues above, without a change to the way our club is run we will always be at the mercy of the temporary owner/chairman/board/CEO or manager. In an industry where almost EVERY PENNY of a club's income comes from supporters or the community (ST income, catering, club shop, hospitality, local sponsors) is it really acceptable that we have so little say in the running of our own club?

Up until recently fans have run with blind faith in the 'powers that be'. Picture Rangers, Hearts, Motherwell, Dunfermline, Gretna, Livingston and Dundee. A seemingly endless list of fans paying little or no interest in how their owners/boards were running (or should that be ruining?) their clubs. Across Europe the fitba balance of power is shifting away from the millionnaires and suits back to the real custodians - the supporting community.

A Community Interest Company would provide a much more sustainable foundation for putting a winning Hibs team on the park that anything coming out of Farmer Petrie PLC

[Phil D. Rolls]

This has the been the mindset of Scottish fitba' supporters of our generation. I get it I really do. However, at Hibs our owner and board have got it spectacularly wrong these past ten or more years.


Fantastic infrastructure, Top four resources and year on year underachievement
Corporate business model instead of community football model
Two dominant majority shareholders
Supporters treated like customers with no voice and no vote
PR company recruited to manage 'arms length' engagement with board
2x CEO's and 8 coaching teams sacked or resigned
No leadership, vision, ambition or performance management in board, management or team
Culture of failure, graveyard for careers
Worst staff churn in the SPFL
Millions squandered in CEO, Coach and Player compensation that could otherwise have been spent on player wages
Atrocious PR, negative publicity
Long history of poor discipline on and off the park


1. Apart from the good seasons.
2. Why is this bad?
3. Surely one majority shareholder?
4. Compared to where?
5. Ok.
6. You've got a point.
7. Yes.
8. Destroyed Griffiths, Brown, Whittaker, Fletcher etc.
9. Source?
10. Millions - is this right?
11. You've already done this one.
12. Compared to - say - Dundee United, how do we stack up?



Now whilst Leeann Dempster may fix some of issues above, without a change to the way our club is run we will always be at the mercy of the temporary owner/chairman/board/CEO or manager. In an industry where almost EVERY PENNY of a club's income comes from supporters or the community (ST income, catering, club shop, hospitality, local sponsors) is it really acceptable that we have so little say in the running of our own club?

Up until recently fans have run with blind faith in the 'powers that be'. Picture Rangers, Hearts, Motherwell, Dunfermline, Gretna, Livingston and Dundee. A seemingly endless list of fans paying little or no interest in how their owners/boards were running (or should that be ruining?) their clubs. Across Europe the fitba balance of power is shifting away from the millionnaires and suits back to the real custodians - the supporting community.

A Community Interest Company would provide a much more sustainable foundation for putting a winning Hibs team on the park that anything coming out of Farmer Petrie PLC

A lot of what you are using as evidence is nothing more than supposition.

Can I ask you this? Why did Hibs fans keep buying season tickets if things were so bad?

Also, I would be quite happy for the team to replicate what happened when Mowbray was in charge. I very much see those years as successful.

I am not saying that change isn't needed, but lets not paint the past to reflect the argument we want to make today.

I honestly don't want fans to run the club, because so few of them have the ability to take a dispassionate, long term approach. Quite honestly, they'd be out of their depth.