Hibs fans' group HSL make largest ever monthly donation to club on back of surge in membership

Fans' organisation Hibernian Supporters Limited has made its largest ever monthly donation to the Easter Road club after raising nearly £24,500 during the month of June.

The group has seen a surge in pledgers in recent weeks as fans flock to support the fundraising effort after Hibs warned of the "unsustainable impact" the coronavirus pandemic was having on club finances.

HSL membership has rocketed to more than 3300 contributors, an increase of over 800 since the start of the pandemic, with the number continuing to rise towards the group’s 4000 target.

Initially set up in 2015 with the aim of purchasing shares to achieve a 25 per cent stake in the club – enough to have a say on major issues – a block on those aspirations following Ron Gordon's takeover last year means HSL funds are now being donated on a monthly basis with the aim of boosting the player budget available to head coach Jack Ross.

The group remains the club's second largest shareholder with a stake of 15.4 per cent.

In a tweet, HSL stated: "We are delighted to confirm our latest payment has been made to the club, the first since a recent rise in the number of contributors.

"Over £24,000 has been raised in June by the Hibernian support - an amazing effort by all. Let’s keep this going!"

HSL chairman Jim Adie has encouraged more fans to sign up for the minimum £10 per month subscription after Hibs chief executive Leeann Dempster confirmed that all donations will go straight towards the player pool.

He said: "An individual supporter may feel their £10 doesn't account for very much – that it's not going to go very far. But when you add up the £10s by the hundred, and by the thousand, it actually does stack up to a lot of money.

"Player budgets have been severely curtailed, therefore the amount that we can raise will make a difference. It could be the difference between adding two players to the squad, or adding zero players to the squad."