Congratulations to Harry Kane on Ballon d’Or win
The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust, alongside Spurs supporters everywhere, would like to congratulate Harry Kane on winning the 2026 Ballon d’Or.
This is richly deserved recognition of an amazing career and a remarkable achievement for a player who came through our Academy to become Tottenham’s all-time leading goalscorer. It was particularly special to hear Harry acknowledge the role the Club played in his journey, thanking Tottenham for the guidance and support he received from the age of 11.
Whatever shirt he wears today, Harry will always be one of our own. Congratulations, Harry!
Read more: Harry Kane wins the 2026 Ballon d’Or | Harry thanks Tottenham in his acceptance speech
Trust-Club meeting: Key updates
Members of the Trust’s Board met with senior Club officials on 6 October for the first formal Trust-Club meeting of the 2026/27 season. Discussions covered the latest supporter survey findings, ticket pricing and concessions, supporter services, matchday atmosphere, away ticketing and community work. While the survey suggests a more positive mood among supporters, several important concerns remain firmly on the agenda. Read our summary of the meeting and the full minutes to find out what was discussed and what happens next.
Read the summary and full meeting minutes here.
First XI Black Players
The Trust was proud to be represented at the event to celebrate the First XI Black players for Tottenham Hotspur at the stadium during Black History Month in conjunction with Show Racism The Red Card. THST had worked with the Club and SRTRC to identify the first eleven black players to represent the men’s first team in a competitive fixture.
The first was Walter Tull in 1909. It was a further 70 years before the second, Chris Hughton. Chris spoke at the event, as did Walter’s great-nephew, Ed Finlayson. They were joined by former Spurs players Garth Crooks and Brian Statham, along with Zoella Freeman, one of the first black players for the women’s first team.
The speakers addressed an audience of children from local schools and shared their stories of the racism they faced and how they overcame this to achieve their goals. These trailblazers paved the way for future generations of black Spurs players.
These powerful and inspiring stories were accompanied by a great video from SpursReach about the pioneering black players who have represented our club and form a proud part of our history and identity.
The message to the children at the event was clear: if you work hard and show dedication, you can achieve your goals. And that racism has no place in football or in our society.
The event was accompanied by an exhibition in the main lobby of the stadium, which could be seen on tours of the ground during Black History Month and also celebrated on the pitch before the home game with Coventry.
Barriers on the High Road
Supporters contacted us about the operation of the barriers on the High Road to the south of the ground following the Coventry game. We raised this with the Met Police Dedicated Football Officer (DFO) for Tottenham, who discussed the situation with the Club.
The Club confirmed the decision was driven by the local authority, as the High Road was overcrowded from Lansdowne Road to Bruce Grove. Near misses with pedestrians and vehicles had been reported. They had moved the barriers in the hope that it would push people onto the pavements and keep them there along the High Road
Both the club and local authority are going to review the situation in the coming weeks, and the barrier plan will revert to normal for the next fixtures.
FSE Supporter Survey on Dynamic Ticket Pricing & Resale Platforms
Our friends at Football Supporters Europe (FSE) are conducting a survey to understand supporters’ experiences and views on football ticket pricing and ticket resale. It wants to hear from supporters across Europe about the affordability and fairness of ticketing practices, including dynamic pricing and the resale of tickets above face value.
Responses will help build an evidence base for FSE’s work with UEFA, National Associations, European policymakers, including the European Commission and Members of the European Parliament, and other key stakeholders, on stronger consumer protections in football ticketing. With the owners at Leeds United recently floating the idea of introducing dynamic pricing, this work could not be more timely, and we encourage members to complete the survey here: FSE Ticketing Survey: Dynamic Ticket Pricing & Resale Platforms.
FSA opens public voting for its annual awards
The FSA has announced its shortlists for the 2026 Football Supporters’ Association Awards. There are 15 categories, nine of which are open to a public vote, with the rest decided by an FSA panel. Voting is open until midday on Monday 16th November and can be accessed here: Vote now in the FSA Awards 2026 – Football Supporters’ Association
Premier League Operations Meeting
The Premier League (PL) recently held its regular Operations meeting with representatives from the Football Supporters’ Association and from organisations representing supporters from each of the PL clubs, including THST. The meeting was led by the PL’s Director of Operations and his team, along with former referee Chris Foy on behalf of ProRef, the referees’ organisation.
The PL team explained the changes in interpretation implemented for Season 26/27, namely: clamping down on holding in the penalty area; greater clarity in relation to challenges on goalkeepers with no intent to play the ball; hair pulling; and towels not now being permitted for throw-ins.
They also explained the changes to the Laws, including those designed to speed up the game by requiring injured players to leave the field for one minute if they have received on-field treatment; a five-second countdown for throw-ins and restart reversal for delaying throw-ins and goal kicks; a 10-second limit for leaving the field when substituted; and an outfield player needing to leave the field if the goalkeeper has received on-field treatment. The other change adopted by the PL is to allow a VAR review when a player has been given a second yellow card (but not where a second card has wrongly not been given).
PL said that they wanted to maintain a high threshold for penalising challenges and for VAR intervention, with the emphasis on the on-field decision and the “referee’s call” on the pitch. VAR will apply the “clear and obvious” test and PL said that clear evidence is required to meet the higher threshold for subjective intervention by VAR.
PL added that they are seeking to improve the efficiency of VAR and the experience of VAR for fans in the stadium. The PL now seeks to give in-game brief explanations of VAR decisions as soon as possible after the decision. These are posed on social media and, where possible, shared on the big screens in stadia during the game – a recent example at Tottenham being the sending off during the Crystal Palace game. PL said that they are continuing to lobby the international football authorities for VAR audio and video to be shared with supporters.
Each week the PL Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel reviews contentious decisions and publishes a report the following week. Fans expressed scepticism regarding the use of RefCam during games.
The PL’s assessment following the first 7 sets of fixtures of the season was that time lost to stoppages had reduced, with the ball in play for a higher percentage of the game; that there had been fewer holding offences; that the high threshold for challenges had been applied; and that Semi-Automated Offside Technology was working well. At that point in the season, the KMI panel had deemed there had been two VAR errors while there were 16 correct overturns in the same period. Average time spent per VAT check had not significantly reduced.
Supporter representatives (including THST) expressed their frustrations and concerns regarding the operation of VAR, the time taken, the impact on the experience in the stadium; and the apparent inconsistencies between decisions. Questions were also raised about a lack of clarity on how the amount of added time is calculated and applied.
This is on ongoing process and THST, the FSA and other supporter groups will continue to convey fans dissatisfaction with aspects of VAR and refereeing decisions and to engage in dialogue with the PL with the emphasis on improving not just outcomes but importantly the experience for supporters watching the game, especially those in the stadium.