BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Heart of Midlothian (original) (raw)

Hearts aim to expand their Tynecastle home

Hearts chairman George Foulkes has once again raised the possibility of the club moving away from Tynecastle.

"We must meet our fans' expectations and desires," Foulkes told BBC Sport after season-ticket sales reached record levels of around 11,000.

"And if we can't do it here, we would consult fans about the possibility of developing a suitable greenfield site.

"It would be a last option and only happen if it was totally impossible to develop the current site."

Former chief executive Chris Robinson was heavily criticised by fans for proposing the sale of Tynecastle before Vladimir Romanov took control of the Edinburgh club.

And Romanov revealed his vision of an improved stadium last month, with Robinson perhaps being used as a consultant.

The current Tynecastle capacity is 17,420 and Romanov would like to see that upped to 25,000.

"There are land ownership rights that need to be resolved before we can build a double-decker stadium with the corporate facilities we need," added Foulkes.

"We need to get planning permission and keep our neighbours friendly.

"And we need to make sure any development is financially viable."

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