Motherwell and Hearts supporters to champion fan ownership

Motherwell and Hearts supporters will come together during their team's Scottish Premiership meeting on Saturday to celebrate fan ownership.

Hearts' majority shareholder Ann Budge made her investment last year having been part of the Foundation of Hearts, a non-for-profit organisation started in 2010.

The Foundation's ultimate aim is to take on Budge's stake after working in partnership with her in order to ensure Tynecastle supporters can influence what happens at their club.

Motherwell fans - through The Well Society - want to do the same thing in the long run at Fir Park and have forged a close relationship with their Hearts counterparts.

Their objective is to become majority shareholders in the Lanarkshire team by 2020 and followers of both sides will mark their respective efforts when the teams play each other.

Hearts will also wear their new third kit for the first time, something which features the names of each of the 8,000 fans who have pledged money to the FoH.

Brian Cormack, a director of the Foundation, said: "What we wanted to do is give acknowledgement from the Foundation of what it means to the fans.

"The tribute shirt just one of a list of fans rewards we have. It's great to see it being launched on Saturday. For a Hearts fan to have the team wearing their name on the strip is just incredible.

Tom Feeley, secretary of The Well Society, added: "I would hope with the success Hearts have had, if we can begin to get that same quality of success in the years to come it will develop further."

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