This from HUST:
Hereford United Supporters Trust (HUST) is delighted to announce that former Hereford United star and current United In The Community (UITC) Under 18s manager, Rob Purdie, has joined the organisation’s board.
Rob was co-opted onto the HUST Board at a meeting on Thursday night and he has since explained how pleased he is about his new role and how much he is looking forward to getting even more involved in football in Hereford.
The former Bulls striker, midfielder and defender said: ‘I’m flattered to have been asked to join the HUST Board and it was a simple decision for me to accept the invitation. Through my work with UITC I know exactly how supportive HUST is of football locally and I’m looking forward to the chance to get more involved myself.
‘I’ve been settled in Hereford for quite some time now and really do class myself as a Herefordian these days. It was probably only when I spoke at one of the first HUST meetings that many people realised how much this place means to me and how keen I am for UITC to give the best possible grounding to its young players.
‘I am passionate about giving local youngsters the chance to develop their football careers and, with this week’s exciting news about Hereford FC securing the Edgar Street lease, I firmly believe the opportunity is there to create something special here.
‘If we can create a pathway from UITC that sees a number of local youngsters in the Hereford FC match day squad of 16 every weekend, it will be something for every local fan to be hugely proud of. There is nothing better than seeing a local player representing your club as it really does make you feel like you are supporting one of your own.
‘Our goal now must be to get local youngsters into the first team and I know the HUST Board is keen to see this happen too. Prior to the lease negotiations I also spoke to Jon Hale about Hereford FC’s plans and it’s great that he sees UITC as a huge part of what the club wants to achieve.
‘As I said earlier, I think we have a great opportunity to create something fresh and special in Hereford and I’m looking forward to playing as big a part as I can.’
Rob then moved on to give his thoughts on Hereford FC and any future involvement he may have:
‘I’m very keen to get involved at Hereford FC, but at the moment it’s clearly impossible to say what sort of role I might be able to play.
‘Whatever happens with my future involvement at Edgar Street – be it a big part or a small part – I will still look forward to seeing how the new club progresses and how it develops. It would be great to be part of an adventure that sees football in Hereford return to the level it deserves though.
‘I’m very hopeful I will play a part through either my role with HUST or more directly with Hereford FC itself, but, whatever happens, I feel confident there are some exciting times ahead and that’s the least football fans in Hereford deserve after the events of the past few years.’