Field of Dreams... Hearts chairwoman Ann Budge reveals that her £12million plan for Tynecastle won't eat into playing budget

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There was more than a hint of Kevin Costner’s Field of Dreams as Ann Budge outlined her bold plans for a £12million redevelopment of Tynecastle. When it comes to the revamped 21,000-seater ground, the Hearts chairwoman’s message to the fans this week was simply: ‘If we build it, you must come.’

Speaking on the night that Leicester City proved there should never again be a glass ceiling for ambition in sport, Budge promised that no money would be diverted from Robbie Neilson’s playing budget to pay for the new-look ground.

On the contrary, the IT tycoon hopes a larger, more modern stadium could lead to increased investment in the first team – provided the rank-and-file rally to fill the extra 3,600 seats.

Hearts chairwoman says £12million development of Tynecastle is necessary if club is to move forward

Budge even voiced hopes that her very own Field of Dreams could perhaps one day help secure the kind of Hollywood ending as Leicester, after the 5,000-1 fairytale English Premier League champions showed everyone what can be achieved.

‘Our plans for the stadium are ambitious and they will only work if the supporters get behind the club,’ warned Budge.

‘We are in this position because we have been selling out Tynecastle week after week. We’ve been selling out hospitality and selling record numbers of season tickets.

‘So the gamble, if we are going to call it a gamble, is whether the supporters will continue to back their club. And I’ve seen nothing to suggest they wouldn’ t do that.

She said her plans for the stadium are ambitious and they will only work if the supporters get behind the club

‘But, clearly, for that to happen, we would have to keep the performance up on the pitch. So I would definitely assure the supporters that the stadium plans won’t affect Robbie’s playing budget.

‘That would be shooting ourselves in the foot. There’s no point robbing Peter to pay Paul. That would be crazy. We have got to carry on doing what has been successful and that’s investing in the team and developing young players to maybe sell on in future.

‘A new stand with extra capacity could help the team progress. We need the team on the park to do well so the other areas of the business does well. Then what do we do with that money? We reinvest it in the team and in youth. That’s the way ahead.

‘Do I feel there is a chance this move could take Hearts to the top? Yes, but we have got more to do. We have to get better. Robbie says it all the time that we are still a young outfit and we are learning all the time.

‘But Leicester’s story is amazing. It’s such a great achievement. Is there any reason why Hearts couldn’t do something like that? Absolutely not. None whatsoever.

‘I genuinely believe it’s not all about having a bottomless pit of money to throw at it. It’s about getting value for money.

‘You recognise there is a limit to what you can do financially but you’ve got to get the very best value that you can within these limits. I don’t believe in throwing money at anything. It’s got to be about value.’

As Budge outlined the redevelopment plans to supporters in the Gorgie Suite at Tynecastle on Monday night, the mood was far removed from previous meetings at the stadium in the recent past.

As Budge closed her Q&A event,there was a warm round of applause from supporters appreciative of the exceptional job she has done in healing Hearts in her two years in charge.

Her first season saw Robbie Neilson’s men canter to the Championship title by Easter. Her second will see Hearts finish third in the top flight with Europa League football back at Tynecastle next season.

Under her redevelopment proposals, which are subject to planning permission and Health and Safety approval, Hearts will have a UEFA-compliant 21,000-seater stadium with the new main stand due open in September 2017.

And perhaps most pleasingly for a club with its dark financial recent past, half of the £12million funding for the entire project is already in the bag, with Budge expecting the whole cost to be paid off by the day of opening so Hearts remain debt free. If she pulls this off, Aberdeen - with their years of talk of moving to Loirston Loch - will be wishing Budge had grown up a Dons fan.

While she may be feted as the Queen of Hearts, however, Budge views the improvements to Tynecastle as payback to the fans who have paid nearly £4million into Tynecastle through the Foundation of Hearts since the group began collecting monthly cash from supporters in September 2013.

‘It would be fantastic if we could deliver this redevelopment of Tynecastle for the supporters to say thank you,’ she said.

‘They have been amazing. It’s largely because of the support we’ve had from the fans that we are in the position to build it. It wouldn’t have been possible without them. I think everyone recognises that.

‘This is not about going to the bank and borrowing. We should be able to reveal the details of how we are funding the project within the next couple of weeks. But I’m a very cautious person, so we just have to get all the i’s dotted and the t’s crossed first.

‘But I’ve been here two years now and we are definitely ahead of financial expectations. I’m pretty happy with the way things have gone. On the field we’ ve done well and off the field we’ve ticked a lot of boxes too.

‘We’re in charge of our own destiny now. A lot of things are falling into place. In terms of the business plan, we’re well ahead of schedule.

‘On the park, clearly things are going to change next season [with Rangers back] and I don’t want us to fall away and be a yo-yo club. Consistency is my watch-word for the new campaign.

‘If we were to finish third again next season, I’d be delighted.’