We Must Play At Edgar Street Said Tomkins

Richard Tomkins With Mark Nottingham

This is the second part of an interview with HUST chair Richard Tomkins.

HUST has been set up and Richard had taken over as chairman.

"I think with the Supporters Trust the ownership of the club was quite cleverly arranged.

"The more I think about the ownership rules as originally set out with part ownership by the Trust, part ownership by benefactors, part ownership by individual supporters. None of those individual elements has any majority. That was a tremendous thing to do.

"Complete ownership by a Supporters Trust isn't necessarily the best thing. 

"Look at Portsmouth FC, a big club by any standards, they were wholly owned by their Supporters Trust. They've quite recently given over some of their shares to a benefactor because the benefactor can bring in finance.

"Supporters Trusts can not always bring in the very large amounts of finance that are required. Lincoln City, Telford United are other examples."

At present what are the main aims of HUST?

"It's very important that we remain playing at Edgar Street. Every fan I've ever spoken to has said we are Hereford United or we are Hereford FC and we play at Edgar Street. That's the first and key thing.

"I'm very pleased that the ten year extension lease is available and I hope for further progress in those areas.

"It's a remarkable thing what the founding fathers of Hereford FC did and I pay tribute to them."

Most of HUST's income comes from the matchday 50/50 draw. 

"There are always on-going discussions about the mix but I think the club is appreciative of the effort we have put in to raise these funds and supporters do know that half of the funds go to prizes and the other half to buying shares in the club which is a fund that the club, in our opinion, can use for any purpose it so likes.

"There is no pressure (to change anything) as we speak. We are running with it until the end of the season then there will be a review. I expect to be able to go on with it."

Is Richard happy that the Trust has three out of the seven directors on the board? Would he like to see four Trust directors when the Trust owns 50% of the shares in the club?

"As things currently stand everybody at the club is a proper fan. I think that arrangement was carefully considered. There has never yet been any serious difference of opinion between the Supporters Trust directors and the other directors.

"Our recent HUST AGM discussed this topic. We are putting together a members vote on this principle but bear in mind it would simply be a principle. Any change of arrangement would need to be agreed."

So you would need the agreement of one of the club directors along with the three HUST directors to push that through?

"Yes, and I believe this would need shareholders agreement as defined by the Articles of Association."

Currently HUST only have one director, Chris Williams, on the HFC board as the other two have recently stood down.

"The situation is that we have formally requested people to come forward to fill the three HUST roles on the board.

"Those roles are an administration type post, a volunteers post and a community post. So we will field applications accordingly. 

"Two people have stood down. This is a matter of course. It happens over a matter of time. There will be a rotation. People can not expend the time to fill the posts indefinitely.

"I think we are running a Football League size club on a voluntary basis. It's always very difficult."

If you didn't run it on a voluntary basis would it be as viable?

"The football club board is trying to balance the books and oversee the full situation. It is looking for working directors on a voluntary basis as we stand.

"The Trust board is forming a recruitment sub-committee who will look at this. The Trust board has been elected by the Trust members. The Trust members expect us to manage things on their behalf.

"When appointments are recommended there is an objection process for the full membership for a small period of time. We'll say we are putting these people forward, if you have any objections please come back.

"It's in a similar manner to the couple of occasions when we've co-opted some people onto the Supporters Trust board. We said we would like to do this but you may object. We'll have a look at that if that be the case. I think Trust members are very content that we are doing the right thing at the moment."

Richard was asked if he might stand for the club board.

"No, the chairman of the Supporters Trust is precluded from standing for the football club board in so much as it's a key post in the Supporters Trust and you couldn't necessarily have that person doing those two appointments."

Would you like to go on the main board?

"Not just this minute, it's a matter of availability and I live about fifty miles away from Hereford. There may be candidates who are better placed than me."

Finally are there any others aims that Richard would like to see the Trust achieve?

"Continued progression of the club and to continue to put building blocks in place not for the now but for many years hence so that we can have a succession of people coming through the Trust working with the football club board in a harmonius manner." 

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