Tony Bloom reiterates vow to 'disrupt football dominance' with £10m investment in Hearts

Tony Bloom has reiterated his vow to “disrupt the dominance in Scottish football” as his £10m investment in Hearts has been completed.

An Extraordinary General Meeting held at Tynecastle last week rubber-stamped the proposed investment, which sees the Brighton owner take a 29% share of Hearts.

Bloom previously told majority shareholders Foundation of Hearts that he wanted to “disrupt Scottish football” with his involvement in the Edinburgh club.

The club’s board issued a new tranche of non-voting shares for Bloom to buy, and also Hearts’ articles of association were also updated.

On Wednesday, the club confirmed Bloom’s investment has been completed, which had already been approved by the Scottish FA.

As owner of Brighton and of Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise, his involvement in the club needed to be rubber-stamped by Hampden bosses.

While there is no barrier to multi-club ownership, the Scottish FA ensures that there is no conflict of interest that could affect Hearts’ ability to play in Europe.

Bloom’s data analytics company, Jamestown Analytics, has already been advising Hearts on player recruitment and the selection of head coach Derek McInnes and his predecessor Neil Critchley.

The club have now confirmed James Franks will join the Board as a non-executive director, and Bloom’s representative.

Franks, who has been a legal and strategic business consultant to Bloom for two decades, is said to have a “deep knowledge of football governance”.

Bloom told the club’s website: “I am absolutely thrilled to be investing in Hearts.

“I firmly believe in the club’s ability to disrupt the pattern of domination of Scottish football which has been in place for far too long.

“This great club has a bright future and I look forward to seeing that unfold in the months and years ahead.

“The appointment of James as my representative on the board underlines the importance I attach to my investment in the club.

“James has been a trusted associate of mine for many years and I believe that his wealth of experience in the football industry and strong business acumen will be a tremendous asset to the board and to the club.”

Chief Executive Officer Andrew McKinlay said: “It is with great pleasure that I can now, on behalf of everyone at Heart of Midlothian, officially welcome both Tony and James to the club.

“Today’s announcement is the culmination of our fans’ belief and support, and I thank them for their backing. When Tony’s investment proposal became public in May, it captured the imaginations of our supporters, as demonstrated by Foundation of Hearts members voting 98.5% in favour of it.

“A tremendous amount of hard work has gone on behind the scenes to turn a proposal into a reality and I’d like to thank everyone involved for delivering what is a hugely significant moment in this club’s history.

“Again, I speak on behalf of everyone at Hearts when I say we are eagerly anticipating working with Tony and James as we embark on this journey together.”

James Franks added: “I am honoured to become a board member at Hearts. From my first visit to Tynecastle in March 2024 as the initial step in the investment process, it was obvious to me just how special the club is.

“All of my subsequent visits and my interactions with the management team at the club and with the Foundation of Hearts have strengthened that feeling and I’m proud now to call myself a Jambo.

“I welcome the opportunity to play my part in an exciting new chapter in the history of this wonderful club.”