Former Hearts chair Ann Budge savours becoming an OBE in New Year Honours

Ann Budge said being made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) was a “very nice” way to wrap up her “incredible” time as Hearts chair after she was honoured for her services to sport and the community.

The 77-year-old Edinburgh businesswoman has been recognised in the New Year Honours along with former Celtic full-back Jim Craig and ex-Celtic owner Fergus McCann.

Budge led her beloved Hearts out of administration in 2014 and helped galvanise the club behind the scenes before ending her 11-and-a-half-year reign as chair earlier this month while the team sat top of the William Hill Premiership.

“It couldn’t be much better, could it?” she told the Press Association as the end of her Tynecastle tenure coincided with becoming an OBE.

“It’s a very nice recognition. It’s not something I would have ever expected to see coming my way, so I’m very pleased.

“When I first got involved in sport I was very much a football supporter who went along on a Saturday and then forgot about it for the rest of the week.

“So the last 12 years or so have been incredible. But one of the things I’m glad that was mentioned is everything we’ve been able to do for the community which I think is the best of what football can offer.”

Budge said her becoming an OBE should serve as recognition for the hard work of everyone who helped Hearts re-establish themselves as a force on and off the pitch since their financial implosion more than a decade ago.

“It’s not really about me, it’s about the whole group of people who’ve helped do what we’ve done both for the football club and for the community, so I think it’s a great thing for them too,” said Budge, who admits it is still to sink in that she is no longer at Hearts.

“It’s also nice for the supporters because they’ve been so kind to me. It’s great that it’s being acknowledged that the club has done something nice.”

Craig, who becomes an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), was one of the Lisbon Lions who became the first British team to win the European Cup when Celtic beat Inter Milan in the Portuguese capital in 1967.

The 82-year-old joined Celtic from Glasgow University Football Club, where he was studying dentistry, and continued as an amateur until signing professional in January 1965. He made his first-team debut at the age of 21 while still studying.

Craig, who came from Govan, made 231 appearances for Celtic and won 15 major trophies. He later played for South African club Hellenic and Sheffield Wednesday and had a short spell as Waterford manager before becoming a full-time dentist.

McCann, 84, who is made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), grew up in Kilsyth before emigrating to Canada, where he built a successful golf holiday business.

He made several attempts to invest in Celtic before leading a takeover in 1994 which rescued the club from serious financial peril and ended the long-running ownership of several family dynasties.

Celtic only won three trophies during McCann’s five years at the helm but he redeveloped the stadium and modernised the club before selling his shares for a healthy profit, leaving a platform for the Glasgow club to dominate Scottish football as he returned to live in North America.