HUST CHAIRMAN’S NEW YEAR MESSAGE TO SUPPORTERS 2018
A Personal View by Richard Tomkins
This time last year we were talking about an electric atmosphere against Evesham. Our FA Cup exploits against Eastleigh, Telford and Fleetwood have surpassed that. Thanks to all Hereford FC fans near and far for their sterling efforts for our club. Because of you, and our football team, once again the Hereford name is in the sporting calendar.
Much work goes on behind the scenes at Hereford FC and I pay tribute to all those involved. We have a club that could grace the Football League but it must currently be run on a low-costs basis. It is a young club which is still evolving. I was personally sad to see UITC’s operation changing, but HUST continues to remain on good terms with both UITC and HFC, and will endeavour to help the new academy and UITC. I believe that together, the Football Club, HUST and UITC can continue to develop pathways that will strengthen football in the county.
I am particularly proud of our links with Supporters Direct, and the compassion shown by Hereford fans for other clubs who are struggling. There will never be a shortage of struggling clubs, but if the supporter family can influence the Football Association in the appointment process of persons running clubs, others might avoid the pain we endured at Edgar Street.
For us that’s history now, but we have an ongoing opportunity at Edgar Street to build a club with a large supporter stake-holding. The door is open for the Supporters Trust to purchase shares in our football club and I continue to believe we should firmly embrace this principle. HFC has a unique ownership model that offers some protection from a return to those previous dark days which we never want to relive.
We have shown in the past year that the Trust is an integral part of keeping football at Edgar Street. Success on the field has led to increasing needs for off the field assistance. We continue to develop the ‘pool’ of Hereford supporters out there who have skills, talents and ideas that can be tapped into. Further opportunities will arise and I am convinced that with everybody working together our club will maintain its prosperity.
HUST is driving forward with fund-raising initiatives, events and promotions. The longer-term lease is now available to the club, and I look forward to it being triggered at the opportune time, enabling other projects to get under way.
May I wish all HFC supporters a Happy New Year.
Let’s be ‘Forever United’.
Richard Tomkins
Chairman, Hereford United Supporters’ Trust
