Text at top (next game etc)

Next Game: Pre-Season

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

The Fans Have Won The Stadium Back Says Trust Chairman


Hereford United Supporters Trust Chairman, Chris Williams, has told BBC Hereford and Worcester that without the fans they won't have been able to get the lease of Edgar Street.

"It's a really good thing that has happened today, it's put a smile on my face, it's been two years of hard work," said Williams.

"Really pleased we've got the stadium back.

"It's not been easy, it's been a great challenge but we've got a really good team of people who have worked really hard to achieve this.

"We've done it because we want football back at Edgar Street.

"The one thing I would say tonight  - without the fans supporting what we did, today would not have happened.

"It's the fans that have won us the stadium back and HUST represents those fans.

"It's very humbling to have that degree of support from what is a local football club.

"Today one big thank you to all of the fans that helped us to achieve this.

"There was a boycott, a lot of the regular supporters didn't go to Hereford, interest wained, people found other places to go.

"We had a public meeting at the Welsh Club in January. 300 people turned up and the passion is still there.

"We've got to build on that momentum and provide a football club that is worthy of their support and the way we've set Hereford FC up, it's going to be that sort of club.

"We'll get good crowds at Edgar Street and hopefully if it all works out we'll be watching some good football.

"When we stop smiling the work starts.

"The talks went on all day, it wasn't just there we go the ground is yours.

"It was hard negotiations for a whole day but at the end of it we said now we've got a football club to run. Now the work starts.

"There were other interested parties but in terms of what we did yesterday I think that the degree of support that we had got we were the only game in town.

"The Council indicated other people were interested but using their criteria we have to carry the local support with us and we did that in shed-loads.

"Realistically we were the only game in town but it had to be set-up on a sustainable basis with sustainable income and it has to have a degree of openness and transparancy about it so the fans can see what we are doing.

"Hopefully we will get the passion back.

"Ideally we would have liked a longer term, we've got to encourage investment into the club, short-term investment, five years, isn't that long.

"But we've got a belief that what we are going to build is something that is really creditable and in doing so we will get support.

"As part of the deal we have got, we can go back to the Council as soon as we start playing football again and negotiate the next phase of our lease.

"Hopefully it will bring back this focal point of Saturday in Hereford where people come into the city, spend some money, have a meal, come to the game and enjoy a leisure activity.

"This could have gone the same way as the Racecourse, we could have landed up with yet another facility which is lost to the County.

"I have got to thank Tony Johnson, Chairman of the Council, for the way he stepped in . He believed in what we were doing and he encouraged us."