In this month’s newsletter there are updates on our governance, including the upcoming AGM, and the #StopExploitingLoyalty ticketing campaign as well as information on recent and future European fixtures and an upcoming 6-a-side tournament. There’s also detail on how to get involved in the Forum.
Chair to stand down
Trust Chair, Martin Buhagiar, has announced he is stepping down as both Chair and board member.
Martin was elected to the Board in February 2016 and became Chair in May 2023. He will step down following the THST Board meeting on December 3, 2024.
He said: “It has been both an honour and privilege to serve as a THST board member and to then be elected to the position of Chair.
“In 2022 I left my previous employment and set up my own businesses. It has become extremely difficult to juggle the demands of my working week with this role. I am also a father of three boys – all Spurs fans of course – and, after almost nine years of doing this, need to also adjust my work life balance so I am fair to my family.
“Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust remains in extremely safe hands with a committed team of volunteers and a group of individuals who work more closely as a board than at any other during my time on the Trust.
“They are committed to holding the Club to account and to working hard on behalf of Spurs fans everywhere.
“I will always remain a friend of the Trust and will stay in touch with Michael, Tristan, Anthony, Stephen, Rachel, Jo, Rob, James and Henry. They do phenomenal work on behalf of you all.”
THST AGM
As a Community Benefit Society, registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, we are required to hold an AGM each February. The meeting will be held on Monday 3 February 2025 at CMS, Cannon Place, 78 Cannon Street, London EC4N 6AF. Please look out for a formal Convening Notice, which will be sent via email to all Full and Life members in the coming weeks. We will be looking for members to stand for election to the Trust Board. If this is something that interests you, please get in touch with the Secretary tristan.foot@thstofficial.com to arrange an initial discussion. As always, full communication will be posted on our dedicated AGM web page throughout the process.
#StopExploitingLoyalty
At the start of the month, THST and VillaTrust, with the support of Save Our Seniors, jointly organised a campaign event outside the stadium ahead of the match between the two teams. This was the second event over consecutive weekends in the FSA’s Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign against ticket price rises and the erosion of concessions, and followed similar action with Crystal Palace Independent Supporters Association ahead of the match at Selhurst Park the week before. Over the two matchdays, protests took place at most PL games, and also followed action organised by SOS and a number of West Ham groups, supported by THST, the week before.
Despite TV money and sponsorship income continuing to rise, fans are being forced to pay the most expensive ticket prices in history and the anger and frustration across all PL fan groups is growing. Football has a spending problem, not an income problem, and it shouldn’t be down to fans to pick up the tab. The FSA campaign will continue and THST will play a full part in further campaign activity.
Galatasaray & Rangers
The experience of Man Utd fans at Galatasaray last season raised concerns but thankfully the away trip to Galatasaray passed off uneventfully, with THST not receiving any reports of problems arising, even if the result wasn’t as we would have liked. This was in no small part due to the Club, upon our urging, publishing full details of the restrictive arrangements being imposed by Galatasaray/the Istanbul Police ahead of ticket applications, which at least meant fans knew what to expect and could make an informed decision on whether to apply (it seems far fewer did than normal). Nevertheless, travelling fans should not have to put up with the restrictions imposed in matches like this and it is important to resist the temptation to think that just because the arrangements work that they should be tolerated. THST works closely with the FSA and Football Supporters Europe to discuss fan travel arrangements and we will continue to state this view.
As at the time of writing, the Club has yet to share details of the arrangements for the game at Rangers with us, but we are told these are ‘straightforward’. More information will follow in due course.
We would like to take this opportunity to remind those fans that do travel to European away games to complete the FSE’s post-match questionnaire. The results are used to report back on problems to UEFA and provide a heads-up to fans travelling to the same venue in future as to what to expect.
Spurs Foundation football tournament
We are pleased to be taking part in the second of a series of football tournaments for Spurs fan groups organised by the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and aimed at raising funds for local community food projects. The 6-a-side tournaments are a great way to meet other Spurs fans, keep fit, and raise much needed funds. The next tournament is on Saturday December 7 at New River Sports Centre and we are looking forward to testing our skills against other teams such as Proud Lilywhites, Spurs Reach and Team South Korea.
We will be making a donation to Haringey Food Network and we would encourage anyone who feels able to to donate to this important cause to help local families this Christmas. You can donate money, specific items or volunteer your time. Find out more here.
Media log
Spurs have mastered their brand identity – but what does it mean?
Trust Forum
Full members of the Trust can access the Forum and discuss current issues relating to the Club. This month topics have related to pricing of tickets for the Carabao Cup: the lobbying for affordable prices by the Trust being well received. Indeed, the match against Manchester United has sold out, showing that with correct pricing, we can fill the stadium and create an electric atmosphere to spur the team on. However, we are disappointed that there were no concessions for seniors or young adults and believe that all concessions should be protected.
There are also conversations about the Club’s revamping of the logo and other branding, the timing and messaging around it. And in addition, there’s a thread where you can give your opinion on the Bentancur ban, appeal and how it has been handled. Have your say, or have a look to see what other fans are thinking here.
We wish all our members a very happy Christmas and a great new year.
