Since we published our contribution to the conversation about change in the way our Club and the game in general is run, we’ve received a lot of support. The latest message backing our Fans and Football First campaign comes from Spurs fan and former chair of the FA, David Triesman, now Lord Triesman of Tottenham.
He says: “I support the statement and the message in the Dear Board film. It is a sensible way to move forward and while I know that club owners have not typically responded well to these kinds of ideas, they would be prudent to do so.
“Clubs are in a real sense bound together culturally with their supporters. It isn’t a matter of the shareholding alone. The fact is that THFC is a monopoly – it is the only entity which can supply Spurs to the supporters – we are in no position to shop elsewhere for Spurs; we have no choice about which club supplies Spurs to us. That is the cultural strength of football, and it is not a weakness if clubs embrace the reality.
“As someone who grew up actually in White Hart Lane, I could not feel closer to Spurs. Nor can I feel indifferent to the mistakes which would be avoided if the model THST has proposed were to be adopted. I cannot accept the view that only the owners have the financial acumen to look after the Club. Recent events do not suggest a monopoly of wisdom and there is good sense of broadening the knowledge and interest base.”
Lord Triesman’s comments come just after we were contacted by a THST member who is a partner in management and recruitment consultancy Campbell Tickell. Greg Campbell said the firm, which specialises in governance and regulation in sports and other sectors, was interested in the proposals we’d put forward and drew our attention to the consultancy’s own paper on English football regulation.
We’re pleased to get backing from figures with knowledge of how the game, and businesses within it, are run. We’ve also been pleased to get backing from a number of high-profile Spurs fans in the worlds of entertainment, politics and sport, including musicians Jah Wobble and Antony Costa, England cricketer Rikki Clarke, Hilary Benn MP, former BBC News correspondent Norman Smith, broadcaster Paul Hawksbee and former Daily Express sports editor Norman Giller.
We’ve also had a lot of backing from Trust members who have written to say they support and understand what we are doing, for which we are very grateful.
But we also know some fans have their doubts, and that others don’t see how something that sounds as dull as governance can have an impact on the sort of things we all come to football for. We’ll continue to explain and promote our case where we can, and we’d welcome any help members can give.
One of the biggest challenges we face is the idea that fans do not have the knowledge, the ability or even the right to make a contribution. The support we’re getting shows the strength of belief in the case for change.
THST Board
1 July 2021