Latest news with #AnnBudge
Scotsman
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Ann Budge to step down at Hearts - why she is leaving, Tony Bloom impact, tributes and what comes next
'Queen of Hearts' will end 12-year tenure at end of year Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Ann Budge will stand down as Hearts chair at the end of the year, explaining why it is the right time to step away from the role. Budge has been at the helm of Hearts for more than a decade after riding to the rescue back in 2014 to help save the club from going out of business. However, following the recent fresh investment from Brighton and Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom and continued support from the Foundation of Hearts, she has informed the Tynecastle board of her intentions to vacate the post. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'This is something I have thought long and hard about,' Budge said as Hearts announced the news on their club website. 'Having discussed this with the board, I feel now is the right time to confirm that I intend to step down later this year. Ann Budge will vacate her role as Hearts chair at the end of the year. | SNS Group 'When I first got involved with the Foundation of Hearts in 2013, I could not have envisaged the journey it would take me on. Initially, the aim was to stabilize the Club before even thinking of growth. Now, 12-years later, as I look at where the club stands, I can allow myself to feel a sense of pride at what we have achieved. 'With Tony Bloom's investment now complete, and the supporters ensconced as custodians of the club, I believe I have done what I set out to achieve. 'The appropriate time for reminiscing and saying goodbye will come after the AGM in December but until then, my full focus will remain on what it has always been, and that is doing my very best for Hearts and our fans.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Queen of Hearts' but also protests Labelled as the 'Queen of Hearts' for her impact on the club, Budge has played a hugely significant role during her 12-year involvement, including multiple Scottish Cup final appearances, third-place finishes and European campaigns. The 77-year-old also oversaw the construction of the club's new Main Stand and has had a major impact on the wider community. Despite being one of the major players in allowing Hearts to be saved following the Vladimir Romanov era, her tenure has not come without criticism, with some Hearts fans protesting against her reign and the way the club has been run under her watch. Budge will continue to hold a seat on the Hearts board through her shareholding but her decision to call time on being chair is another major signpost of change at Tynecastle following the arrival of Bloom, whose £9.86 million investment gives him a shareholding of 29 per cent. Paying tribute to her spell at Hearts, chief executive Officer Andrew McKinlay said; 'It cannot be overstated just how much Ann has done for Heart of Midlothian and on behalf of everyone at the club, I extend both my thanks and my gratitude. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'As we get closer to December's AGM we will update our supporters on our succession plans, but for now we will continue to enjoy and benefit from working with Ann until the end of her tenure as the club's Chair.' Foundation of Hearts Chairman Gerry Mallon added: 'Ann will leave a remarkable legacy when she departs the club and we are extremely fortunate to have had 12 years of her knowledge and experience at the helm of Hearts. Ann Budge helped save the club more than ten years ago. | SNS Group 'In particular, her participation during the birth of the Foundation of Hearts can never be downplayed, neither can the instrumental role she played in saving the club from the abyss and taking it back up to the top end of Scottish football.
Scotsman
03-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Why Hearts fans should raise glass to their Queen despite some Ann Budge grumblings
Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... All reigns must come to an end and Ann Budge, the Queen of Hearts, has decided this year will be her last in the Tynecastle hotseat. When Budge spearheaded Hearts' escape from oblivion following administration in 2013, perhaps not even she envisaged 12 years at the helm. Her ultimate goal was to get the Tynecastle side on a solid footing following years of financial mismanagement under Vladimir Romanov before handing over to the Foundation of Hearts. When she stands down as chair this December, that goal will not have been merely achieved - she leaves as one of the most influential figures in the club's history. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It has been quite the tenure for Budge. In no particular order: three third-placed finishes in the Scottish Premiership, three Scottish Cup finals, two Championship title success, numerous head coaches, director of footballs, a controversial relegation, a new stand and being at the forefront of Scottish football. A lot has happened at Hearts under her watch. Ann Budge revealed on Monday that she will vacate her position as chair come the end of the year. | SNS Group The most recent development likely made up Budge's mind to vacate her position. Brighton and Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom last week acquired a 29 per cent shareholding of Hearts in exchange for £9.86 million. Change is coming at Tynecastle. While the Foundation of Hearts remains front and centre, there is reinforcement from Bloom's Jamestown Analytics company and his expertise. His goal is to 'disrupt' Scottish football. Many believe these are exciting times for Hearts, yet there would not be such anticipation if it was not for Budge. Now 77, she has done so many good things at Tynecastle. Her legacy is set in concrete with the club's plush Main Stand and hotel, which is one of the best football structures in the country. Perhaps more construction work should be carried out in the shape of a statue. After all, if it was not for her, Ian Murray and other key Foundation of Hearts players, this conversation may not be happening. Nevertheless, there will be a cohort of Jambos who will feel this decision is more than overdue, that Budge should have vacated the premises before now. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There have been protests. 'Heart of Midlothian, we're in the wrong hands,' was heard as recently as the spring when the team were toiling at the wrong end of the Premiership. During the Craig Levein and Daniel Stendel years, her judgment was questioned. Her loyalty to Levein in particular irked some supporters. Budge has done an excellent job financially at Hearts and has brought fresh investment to the table, whether it be Bloom or long-term benefactor James Anderson. Performances on the pitch have been up and down, although she will always rail against the club's relegation from the top flight when the 2019/20 season was cut short by Covid-19. Having visited Hampden multiple times, not winning one of the cups during her stewardship will be a source of regret. In announcing Budge's plans, Hearts were right to list so many of the good things she has done, not just within Tynecastle but in the wider community. Her charity work with Big Hearts, championing women's football and continually investing in grass-roots development is to be lauded. Budge takes pride from Hearts' position When Budge took over in 2013, her initial goal was to 'stabilise' Hearts before allowing it to grow. One of her first acts was to move away from a sponsorship deal with pay-day loan firm Wonga and used jerseys to highlight charities like Save the Children and MND Scotland. How the club carries itself, with decorum, respect and class, was important to her. She wanted things done the right way. 'As I look at where the club stands, I can allow myself to feel a sense of pride at what we have achieved,' she said on Monday. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With the winds of change sweeping through Tynecastle, this feels like a logical time for Budge to relinquish chair duties. She will retain a seat on the board unless she decides between now and December to sell off her shares. A devoted family woman, Budge will no doubt relish spending more time with her loved ones - although Hearts became an adopted child, given all that she put into nurturing it back to health. Leaving on a more positive note is often a wise move, too. Even a couple of months ago, Hearts appeared on a sticky wicket following the failed appointment of Neil Critchley as head coach. The spectre of relegation was not completely exorcised until matchday 35 of an arduous season. Sacking Critchley was a wise move, as is appointing Derek McInnes as his successor. There is genuine optimism that Hearts can fight for at least third place in the league next season amid a flurry of new signings. Ann Budge has been at the helm of Hearts for 12 years. | SNS Group 'Ann will leave a remarkable legacy when she departs the club and we are extremely fortunate to have had 12 years of her knowledge and experience at the helm of Hearts,' said the current Foundation of Hearts chairman Gary Mallon. 'In particular, her participation during the birth of the Foundation of Hearts can never be downplayed, neither can the instrumental role she played in saving the club from the abyss and taking it back up to the top end of Scottish football. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'For that, I will be forever grateful to Ann, as I'm sure Hearts fans everywhere will be too.'
The National
02-07-2025
- Business
- The National
Despite stick, Ann Budge's legacy is as saviour of Hearts
After an 11-year official association with Hearts, Tynecastle chair Ann Budge will step aside after the club's AGM later this year. Naturally, that has led to a poring over of her record at the club, and many a ponderance over what her legacy may well be among Jambos in years to come. Perhaps the most telling clue as to what the answer to that question may be has come in the overwhelming outpouring of thanks that has been expressed since the news of her retirement broke on Monday. For whatever opinions and dissenting voices there may be around the way that Budge ran the club, particularly over these past few years, the fact remains that without the intervention of the lifelong Hearts supporter, there was a very real possibility that there wouldn't be a club in Gorgie at all. It is sometimes easy to forget just how stark the situation was at Hearts before Budge (and of course, the wider fanbase and the Foundation of Hearts) rode to the rescue. The disastrous end to the chaotic Vladimir Romanov regime had left one of the game's great institutions on the brink. A creditor's meeting of his doomed Lithuanian bank Ukio Bankas had the potential to push them over the edge, despite the heroic efforts of The Foundation of Hearts and Budge's offer of £2.5m for the shareholding to parent company UBIG. Scottish football's very own celebrity administrator Bryan Jackson spelled out the peril Hearts were in in no uncertain terms, calling it the worst situation he had ever encountered. (Image: Ross Parker - SNS Group) 'We have to accept now that there is a threat of liquidation, and we are doing absolutely everything we can to avoid it,' Jackson said at the time. 'We need to look at 'can we fulfil fixtures until the end of the season?' Read more: 'To do that I would obviously be looking for help from the footballing authorities for any outstanding monies which may be due to the club. Unfortunately, I would also have to go back to the fans and the Foundation of Hearts and make the usual appeal. I know supporters have been stung time and again, but I don't think there will be anywhere else for me to go. 'We can just about make it to the end of the month. And if it is negative news next week we would have to operate very, very quickly – because money would be running out at some pace. 'I can't employ people beyond the end of the month if I can't pay them.' The only other people circling the club at that moment seemed to be doing so with vulturous intent. Former Livingston owner Angelo Massone, who took the Lions into administration previously, was among them. As too was retired shoe salesman Bob Jamieson, who was branded by a Foundation of Hearts spokesperson as 'a Walter Mitty character' who was indulging in an 'unfunded and fanciful rival bid' for the club. His plan included a proposal to move Hearts to a new stadium next to Murrayfield. Mercifully, the Foundation and Budge were named as the preferred bidders after administrators BDO decided that the alternatives could not provide proof of funding, and the rest is history. Has Budge got everything right? Absolutely not. While there are undoubtedly grumbles from certain, less enlightened sections of the Hearts support over a 'wummin' running their club, a lot of the criticism that she has attracted is not without merit. On the football side, there have been highs and lows, but it is hard to shake the notion that Hearts have underachieved over the past decade or so. (Image: SNS Group) A tendency to appoint people she is familiar with over the people who may be best suited for a particular role has drawn particular ire. Her close relationship with Craig Levein seemed to blind Budge to his own missteps, such as the appointment of Ian Cathro when he was serving as director of football, then inspired misplaced loyalty and far too much patience when he was also appointed as manager. See also the decision to later appoint Steven Naismith. Off the park, the building of the new Main Stand at Tynecastle can on the one hand be seen as one of the crowning achievements of her reign. But on the other, the involvement of JB Contractors in its construction, a firm with familial links to Budge and who Hearts have handed over £9.1m to since 2016, raised eyebrows. Indeed, the bungled delivery of the project, including Budge (initially) throwing herself on a grenade for chief operating officer Scot Gardiner after he seemingly 'forgot' to order the seats, became the stuff of infamy, and sparked pithy jokes this week over the issues Hearts may have now they are looking for a new chair. In time, though, these issues will likely fade from memory. What will never be forgotten is that in Hearts' direst moment, Budge stepped up and saved the club. Without her, there seems little prospect that Hearts would have come from such that perilous position, a veritable financial basket case, to where they find themselves now – the biggest fan-owned club in the UK, stable, and with much to look forward to. With the involvement of Tony Bloom, it feels like a natural time to have that break with the past and place the focus firmly on the future. But it is only because of Budge that Hearts have a future at all, and that will always be appreciated by every Jambo. She may never be revered in the same way as playing legends like John Robertson, Dave Mackay, Gary Mackay or Alex Young, for example, but it could be argued that Budge was an even more important figure in the history of the club than any of those greats. The naming of a stand after Budge may be a fitting way to mark her contribution. Even if, perhaps, someone else should order the new signage.
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
'Hearts should name stand after legend Budge'
Two announcements within seven days have indicated a changing of the guard at Heart of week, an extraordinary meeting of the fan-led majority shareholder group rubber stamped Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom's £9.86m deal to buy a 29% stake in the Scottish Premiership week, Edinburgh businesswoman Ann Budge, who had been instrumental in attracting the investment, announced she would be standing down as club chair at their December annual meeting - nearly 12 years after leading the club out of a financial Bloom threw down a challenge to Celtic and Rangers by vowing to "disrupt the pattern of domination which has been in place for far too long", Budge suggested "I have done what I set out to achieve".But what will her legacy be? 'Budge pivotal in driving club forward' "Pivotal" is a word that features regularly in Hearts' media release announcing that Budge's winter her role, working with the Foundation of Hearts and with the backing of the club's fans, in rescuing the club from financial adversity and enabling them to exit administration in in "driving Hearts forward" and their "resurgence" in the last decade."Under her leadership, and with the financial backing of fans, sponsors and benefactors - once again proud to be associated with Hearts - the club has reestablished itself both on and off the pitch," they stated."We have seen the delivery of a number of major infrastructure projects, including the museum, the memorial garden, a new state-of-the-art pitch and, of course, the magnificent new Main Stand, incorporating the Tynecastle Park Hotel."Hearts also point to "substantial investment in facilities" the "redevelopment of our youth academy" and of her being "totally committed" to the women's say they have "also reaffirmed its position as a community champion" under finished third three times during Budge's tenure, but while the appointment of Robbie Neilson as team boss proved astute, experiments with the youthful Ian Cathro, Daniel Stendel, Steven Naismith and Neil Critchley proved shortlived, while even the return of former Scotland boss Craig Levein was not so fruitful, with relegation coming in 77-year-old has taken more of a back seat since the appointment of Andrew McKinlay as chief executive and then Graeme Jones as sporting pivotal also describes her role in securing the tie-up with Bloom and his Jamestown Analytics recruitment company. 'Without Ann, there would be no Hearts' Asked for their views on Budge's pending departure and tenure, some bemoaned the lack of silverware, but most view her as a saviour of the club who should be remembered Budge should be held in the highest esteem by every loyal Hearts supporter, as without her intervention we wouldn't have a club to support. I sincerely hope that the board will announce an appropriate recognition of Ann's invaluable contribution to the long-term future of our club, for which we supporters will be forever Despite some lows, she's done some great work for the club in 12 years and has now pushed the Tony Bloom's investment through, which will help us so much in building for the future. Perfect high for her to leave We won nothing while Budge was in charge. That's the bottom line. She appointed multiple unsuccessful managers who were frequently sacked due to a variety of failings that should have been obvious. Relegated more than once. Last season was a debacle and she's turned a profit on her own money while at the club. Won't be missed by The timing of this announcement is really good. As we move into a new era for the club, we need fresh blood and new enthusiasm. It can't be overstated how important the role Budge has played in securing our future and, just as importantly, the values and behaviours she has instilled in the club. Jim: Great for our club. Between her and the Foundation of Hearts there wouldn't be a club. They should name one of the stands after her - a legend who only made one mistake, but we can't get it right all the time. Ryan: Absolutely phenomenal person, chairperson and Hearts legend. Up there with the greats. No matter what anyone may say, this woman saved Hearts and without her we would no longer have a club. Iain: Ann, you have over the years displayed a courage and conviction to not only save the club but to provide us with a stadium that is the envy of all. The facilities here are fabulous. Thanks for all you have We can't thank Budge enough for what she has done at Hearts. Our very existence is all down to Ann. She is the reason the Foundation of Hearts is in existence. Keith: Every single Hearts fan should be thankful for what Ann has done for Hearts. She was the one that stepped up and put the money in when Hearts were in the abyss. She will be remembered as a legend and the saviour of Hearts. JD: In a sea full of sharks, Ann captained the good ship Hearts through stormy seas and into a safe harbour. We are forever grateful and forever blessed with her steadfastness and Queen Ann has been simply wonderful for Hearts. I am just sad she wasn't in post when we won anything of note.
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Without Queen Ann, Hearts fans wouldn't have a club'
We asked for your views on the news of Ann Budge stepping down as Hearts what some of you said:Barry: Budge should be held in the highest esteem by every loyal Hearts supporter, as without her intervention we wouldn't have a club to support. I sincerely hope that the board will announce an appropriate recognition of Ann's invaluable contribution to the long-term future of our club, for which we supporters will be forever Despite some lows, she's done some great work for the club in 12 years and has now pushed the Tony Bloom's investment through, which will help us so much in building for the future. Perfect high for her to leave We won nothing while Budge was in charge. That's the bottom line. She appointed multiple unsuccessful managers who were frequently sacked due to a variety of failings that should have been obvious. Relegated more than once. Last season was a debacle, and she's turned a profit on her own money while at the club. Won't be missed by The timing of this announcement is really good. As we move into a new era for the club, we need fresh blood and new enthusiasm. It can't be overstated how important the role Budge has played in securing our future and just as importantly - the values and behaviours she has instilled in the club. Good luck Ann and thank you for everything you've done for Great for our club, between her and the Foundation of Hearts there wouldn't be a club. They should name one of the stands after her, a legend who only made one mistake but we can't get it right all the time. Well done, Absolutely phenomenal person, chairperson and Hearts legend. Up there with the greats. No matter what anyone may say, this woman saved Hearts and without her we would no longer have a club. Thank you, Ann you have over the years displayed a courage and conviction to not only save the club but to provide us with a stadium that is the envy of all. The facilities here are fabulous. Thanks for all you have We can't thank Budge enough for what she has done at Hearts, our very existence is all down to Ann, she is the reason the Foundation of Hearts is in existence. Thank you so much, The club should rename the main stand as 'The Ann Budge Stand'. This gesture would leave a lasting legacy to the woman, without whom, the club would not be in Every single Hearts fan should be thankful for what Ann has done for Hearts. She was the one that stepped up and put the money in when Hearts were in the abyss. She will be remembered as a legend and the saviour of Hearts. Thank you, In a sea full of sharks, Ann captained the good ship Hearts through stormy seas and into a safe harbour. We are forever grateful and forever blessed with her steadfastness and Queen Ann has been simply wonderful for Hearts. I am just sad she wasn't in post when we won anything of note. The new main stand should be named after her - it's the right thing to do!
