Defiant Dempster pushing on with Hibs’ fan buy out
LEEANN DEMPSTER knows it’s all about personalities but refuses to take it personally.
The Hibernian chief executive has vowed to ignore the noisy objections from what she calls a vocal minority of supporters’ groups and press on with proposals to move the club into fan ownership.
Both the Hands on Hibs and Buy Hibs groups are staunchly opposed to the imminent share offer, and a long-standing resentment towards chairman Rod Petrie and, to a lesser extent, owner Sir Tom Farmer is at the root of the stand-off.
Dempster, who joined the club from Motherwell last year, recognises the enmity but has vowed to push forward, insisting Hibs are committed to real change.
If fully subscribed, the share offer will see £2.5million invested by fans in return for a 51-per-cent stake held under the banner of Hibernian Supporters Limited (HSL). Chaired by MSP Kenny MacAskill, HSL’s board includes Proclaimer Charlie Reid and is backed by club legends such as Pat Stanton.
Yet, with Dempster also on the HSL board, there is a perception among sections of a dissatisfied support that the scheme is a vehicle to prop up the old regime.
Not so, insists Dempster, who states all monies raised will be ploughed into the club and not towards servicing old debt.
‘There are people, individuals and groups out there who will always be unhappy until particular personalities change,’ she admitted. ‘There is nothing I can do about that. My job is to drive this club forward on a footballing perspective, put it on the best financial footing possible and re-engage with supporters.
‘The supporters are going to get something back here — they get an opportunity to take a controlling interest in the club or take a significant minority interest until they get to that point. The money they put into the football club helps put better players on the pitch.
‘At some point you have to put your foot in the water and start that journey, you don’t go from zero to 51 overnight.’
Comparisons with Edinburgh rivals Hearts are inevitable and of no help to Hibs. The clubs were both relegated at the end of last season, but Hibs’ has been the more painful fall.
Hearts’ post-administration reboot felt like a new start and the fans rallied around a common cause. With Ann Budge’s consortium intent on transferring power to the Foundation of Hearts within five years, the fans have piled in with their cash.
By comparison, the Hibs support is factionalised. What unites the dissenters is their resentment at stagnation evolving into bitterness towards the fact their club is now operating in the Championship — and indeed trails their city rivals in the promotion chase.
Dempster may view the HSL plan as a clean slate but there are those who figure otherwise. A deal between the club, Farmer and the bank has halved the club’s total debt but there have been calls for greater transparency into the machinations of that deal.
Dempster strikes a conciliatory tone but insists confidentiality stops her from revealing more.
‘There is an element of that suspicion and, look, I know that people are hurting. I absolutely get that. Supporters always want to know more but sometimes a good thing is a good thing.
‘We don’t have to build a stadium or training centre — the money that comes in, we can spend on funding the football. It does not go back to the holding company. That’s an absolute fact.
‘I fail to see how this is not good news. The door has been widened for supporter ownership, I hope supporters walk through it.’
Dempster insists the bulk of fans she has spoken to are in favour of the scheme.
‘The statement has, on the whole, been received well,’ she said. ‘We have almost 700 people who have noted an interest in HSL. It’s a strong figure and we also have a number of current shareholders who have noted an interest.
‘You talk about the vocal minority but the overwhelming number of supporters I speak to have been positive. If you look back six or seven months, this is a significantly different club. The ownership structure of the club is fundamentally changing.
‘But there will always be people who have a position or a different point of view. You will just never convince them.’
The share offer opens on February 2 but first comes the club’s annual general meeting on Wednesday. It will be Dempster’s first since taking up her post and is likely to be a lively and possibly uncomfortable affair for the board.
The HSL initiative has been mocked by opposing factions and fly posters have been appearing around Edinburgh showing Dempster and Petrie at the head of a cast of cartoon villains.
‘I don’t take stuff like that personally,’ added Dempster. ‘If you do a job like this then inevitably some people like you and some people don’t.
‘I have ignored it. Supporters have told me they find it distasteful. Who am I to say? Let them get on with it.’