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As everyone knows I have, on behalf of Hull City, been actively seeking significant investment into the club for many months now in order to structure the club financially in a more flexible and varied way that befits a modern ambitious Championship club.
As the discussions have progressed it has become apparent that to attract the really significant finance into the club that Hull City needs to compete in a very strong Championship, that I must relinquish control of the club and the SMC. Investors quite rightly want the equity control if they are providing the ongoing finance to drive the club and the KC Stadium forward towards the Premier League.
Control has now been assumed by new Chairman Paul Duffen who has the financial wherewithal at his disposal to take the club and stadium to the next level in this league and beyond. If we are not able to invest the necessary funding required then ultimately we will fall back to where it took so long to escape from. We have come too far to allow this club to slip back into the lower reaches and this is why I feel it is now right to relinquish control and introduce a more structured traditional style football club Board to Hull City. I will remain on this Board going forward to provide continuity and experience of this club and league.
I have been very careful in the choice of new principal and feel Paul Duffen and his investment associates are right for the future of this club at this stage of its development. It became acutely clear last season that on my own I had taken the club as far as I could and really needed the support of a financially stronger Board. We now have that Board in place to take the club forward.
Personally I will obviously miss being Chairman of this great club, however last year relegation was too much of a threat, and it was a stark reminder that in football you are only as good and as strong as your last game. The last six and a half years have been extremely challenging, enjoyable and rewarding, and I feel we have really got the spirit and pride back into the football club through a strong all round team effort. We must now capitalise on our strong base position and start to drive the club towards the Premier League which has to be the ultimate goal for a club of this size.
The city of Hull, the supporters, the off the pitch team and of course the players and managers over the last six years have all come together to breathe life into a club that in March 2001 was dying on its feet and just about to topple into the abyss. The club came together at exactly the right time and we have stayed together through all the challenges of the last six seasons. Hull City is in great shape and I am proud of what the staff associated with this club have achieved over the last six seasons. We have no debt, good playing assets, two tremendous training centres and major brand sponsorship deals befitting of a Championship club. Everyone has played their part, no more so than off the pitch where Hull City is blessed with a team of people who have worked long and hard to establish the club back in the Championship. There are some real stalwarts behind the scenes who have been with this club for many many years, and they are the heartbeat of Hull City going forward. Chairmen come and go, but the key staff ensure the continuity, stability and character of the club are maintained throughout its ongoing development.
In March 2001 we were twelfth in League Two in a run down but traditionally endearing stadium. Derelict terraces, rats in the players tunnel and damp in the boardroom, it was not pretty. We had though a Council prepared to take a risk, who developed a magnificent stadium for the people of Hull on budget and on time. We must not forget the foresight of that decision from an often maligned City Council. It paved the way for a magnificent return to credibility for Hull City and we made sure we had the personnel and the desire to take advantage of the tremendous KC Stadium facility provided for us. The Council have continued to be proactively helpful to this club, and Jan Ormondroyd in particular is an Executive Council Officer who has used her political skills to enable the club to go forward with real optimism and hope once again.
I must also mention of course a major input from Peter Taylor and Colin Murphy. Peter and I had an excellent working relationship (apart from a month at the end when London was calling!) and still do today. The recruitment in his three and a half years allied to his undoubted coaching and man management skills meant this club secured unique back to back promotions, which is a great achievement by any manager. Peter has a very high position in the roll of honour when it comes to assessing the major achievers in the club history of Hull City. Peter and I worked very closely together in what was an exciting time for Hull City, and I will always recognise his massive input in the rebuilding of the club.
I would like to thank everybody for their outstanding support since I came to the city of Hull. At times it has been almost overwhelming and always genuinely appreciated. We have tried to build a club that belongs to its supporters and allows them through transparency and open communication to see the fabric and heart of the club. I hope now with new investment that the Hull City which has been revitalised over the last six years can be pushed on and once and for all achieve the holy grail of the Premier League. It will not be easy but it is a challenge that I am sure the new Chairman, Board and Phil Brown will relish together.
I will look back on the many special times we have had at Hull City for a long time to come, with Yeovil away perhaps the stand out moment for me. That was the game that got the spectre of failure off the clubs back and opened the way for future success. I am sure next season with a new Chairman, Phil Brown, Brian Horton and some very key playing additions that the club will move forward once again. We have some excellent players under an outstanding club captain in Ian Ashbee at this club, who have been with us a long time and genuinely care about the fortunes of Hull City. I know from the targeted new players that we are now talking to that the squad will be greatly strengthened for next season, and I am sure it will be a more enjoyable 2007/2008 campaign. We have all learned a lot from our two seasons in the Championship.
Once again thank you for your support, without which we could not have got the club to this very strong position, and it has been an absolute honour to chair Hull City for the last six years on your behalf. I now look forward as a member of the new Board to a very exciting 2007/2008 season under the new Chairman.
Adam Pearson
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