Tony Bloom insists Hearts can “disrupt” the dominant forces in Scottish football after his 拢9.86million investment was formally confirmed on Wednesday morning. Bloom has received a 29 per cent stake in the Tynecastle club in non-voting shares after supporters group, The Foundation of Hearts, voted overwhelmingly in favour of the proposal. The deal also entitles Bloom to a seat on the Hearts board, with the Brighton chairman nominating long-term business partner James Franks to act on his behalf as a non-executive director. Bloom, a gambling entrepreneur who also owns Brighton, adds Hearts to a portfolio of clubs which includes Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium and Melbourne Victory in Australia. His recruitment company, Jamestown Analystics, has been in partnership with the Edinburgh club since last year and is helping them in the transfer market through the use of data to identify signing targets. Bloom believes his involvement at Hearts could be the catalyst to mounting a challenge to the 40-year dominance of Celtic and Rangers, who have shared the Scottish title between them since 1985. It comes after USG clinched their first Belgian title in 90 years last month on the back of his 2018 investment. 鈥淚 am absolutely thrilled to be investing in Hearts,” Bloom said in a statement. “I firmly believe in the club鈥檚 ability to disrupt the pattern of domination of Scottish football which has been in place for far too long. This great club has a bright future and I look forward to seeing that unfold in the months and years ahead. “The appointment of James as my representative on the board underlines the importance I attach to my investment in the club. James has been a trusted associate of mine for many years and I believe that his wealth of experience in the football industry and strong business acumen will be a tremendous asset to the board and to the club.鈥 Franks has been a legal and strategic business consultant to Bloom for nearly two decades and played an integral role in brokering the Hearts deal, as well as the investments in USG and Melbourne Victory. 鈥淚 am honoured to become a board member at Hearts,” Franks stated. “From my first visit to Tynecastle in March 2024 as the initial step in the investment process, it was obvious to me just how special the club is. All of my subsequent visits and my interactions with the management team at the club and with the Foundation of Hearts have strengthened that feeling and I鈥檓 proud now to call myself a Jambo. I welcome the opportunity to play my part in an exciting new chapter in the history of this wonderful club.鈥 Hearts chief executive officer Andrew McKinlay added: 鈥淚t is with great pleasure that I can now, on behalf of everyone at Heart of Midlothian, officially welcome both Tony and James to the club. 鈥淭oday鈥檚 announcement is the culmination of our fans鈥 belief and support, and I thank them for their backing. When Tony鈥檚 investment proposal became public in May, it captured the imaginations of our supporters, as demonstrated by Foundation of Hearts members voting 98.5% in favour of it. 鈥淎 tremendous amount of hard work has gone on behind the scenes to turn a proposal into a reality and I鈥檇 like to thank everyone involved for delivering what is a hugely significant moment in this club鈥檚 history. 鈥淎gain, I speak on behalf of everyone at Hearts when I say we are eagerly anticipating working with Tony and James as we embark on this journey together.鈥