Ben Kensell dismisses Hibs ‘feeder club’ interest following Bill Foley investment

Ben Kensell has stated unequivocally that Hibs will never serve as Bournemouth’s feeder team.

Bill Foley, the billionaire owner of Bournemouth, received approval recently to invest £6 million in the team in exchange for a 25% ownership position. With Emiliano Marcondes thriving for the Hibees since his loan arrival in January, the team has already reaped the rewards of their newfound collaboration.

Concerns about how the Edinburgh squad will fit into Foley’s football portfolio have also been addressed by Easter Road CEO Kensell, who noted that the American also owns shares in the French club Lorient and is the license holder of a new A-League team in Auckland.

“We’re not a feeder club,” he declared. We belong to a network. Nobody is going to provide us with food because, hey? The football team is owned by the Gordon family. They are in charge. Therefore, there is no such thing as a feeder club in this context, and Bill has never heard us refer to it that way.

“There has been no such discussion around Bournemouth feeding anyone. It’s a collaborative relationship that we will benefit from and they will benefit from. And other clubs within the network will benefit from it.

“But, if we don’t believe that it benefits Hibs specifically, we won’t do it. And we’ll look outside of that network for the way forward, on the pitch or off the pitch.”

Kensell disclosed that other English clubs made proposals to the Gordon family, but they were turned down for complete ownership.

“Some wanted complete control, which would not be appropriate or permitted in Scottish football due to Article 13,” he continued. Thus, that was never discussed.”