‘I’ll make Hearts great again’ - Declares new MD
Newly-appointed Managing Director of Accra Hearts of Oak, Mark Noonan, has promised to use his expertise in football management and administration to lift the image of the club and to make it the most appealing brand in Ghana and beyond.
Mr Noonan said his main goal would be to steer the self-acclaimed “continental club masters” back to their glory days with a vision to ensure they became the number one brand on the continent.
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Making a presentation on the theme “Road back to Africa starts here” to the club’s board of directors last week, Mr Noonan, an American and a former advisor to the Chairman of New York Mets, said he wanted to commercialise the Hearts brand and lift it up to a level that would make the followers proud.
He promised uplift the standards of the 2000 African champions and their finances such that profits would not only be shared among teams and supporter but also would trickle down to the community.
Meanwhile, addressing the players and some leading officials of the club at a private dinner organised last Friday for the playing body at the residence of the club’s Board Chairman, Togbe Afede XIV, the newly-appointed Hearts chief again assured the gathering that the Phobians’ gloomy days were over, calling all hands to be on deck for the transformation of Ghana’s oldest existing club.
“I am truly honoured to join Hearts of Oak and I would like to thank Togbe and the entire Board of Directors for the confidence in selecting me to lead this great club,” Mr Noonan said.
“I promise to do my best to make this club great and most appealing brand but I humbly ask for the support of all true Phobians as we embark on this exciting chapter in the history of the club.”
“We must all do well to have one Hearts in order to succeed,” he added.
Mr Noonan, a former Global Chief Commercial Officer in the World Surf League, comes into his new job with vast insights and experience in sports management and sports business having previously worked for the Major League Soccer.
Speaking at the event, Togbe Afede XIV charged the players to work hard to win the upcoming league's title to end the club's eight years silverware drought.
While encouraging teamwork among the players, the Hearts boss — who is also the Agbogbomefia of Asogli state — also pledged the board’s support to the players to ensure they succeeded in their individual careers.
Meanwhile, the Graphic Sports has learnt that the hearts board chairman has released GH¢450,000 to pay for the newly recruited players, as well as settle salary arrears of the players ahead of the 2017/2018 Premier League season.