In this month’s newsletter there are updates on: #StopExploitingLoyalty, a chance to attend the Fan Forum, the 6-a-side tournament, catering, the UEFA Working Group and the FSA AGM…..
#StopExploitingLoyalty
Campaigning to reverse the changes to senior concession season tickets
The Trust has launched the next part of its #StopExploitingLoyalty campaign to call on the Club to reverse its unfair decision to end new senior concession season tickets and to reduce the discount for existing ticket holders.
We’re asking all Trust members and supporters to sign and share our Change.org petition, which will be presented to the Club, Premier League, and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport, Lisa Nandy. Please sign and share our petition widely.
Martin Buhagiar, Chair of the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust, wrote in our campaign press release: “This misguided policy impacts the most loyal, long-term supporters, many of whom are on low, fixed incomes. It also sets a dangerous precedent in terms of other groups currently receiving concession season tickets, namely young adults and children. The Club receives the bulk of its income from television broadcasting rights and has recently been granted permission to use the stadium for 30 non-football events so there should be no need to penalise fans financially in this way.”
The petition calls on the Club specifically to deliver the following:
- reverse the removal of new senior concession season tickets;
- reverse the proposed decrease in concession to those who have hitherto received the senior concession season ticket;
- apply the concession rate to senior season tickets regardless of where they are located in the stadium;
- protect the concession rates on young adult and child season tickets.
Only with the continued and collective support across our fan base, can we convince the Club to roll back these changes and #StopExploitingLoyalty. We are asking all fans to support this campaign by:
- Sign the Change.org petition here and make your voice heard
- Share this page and the Change.org petition with your fellow Spurs fans
- Send in your thoughts and experience as a fan, if this directly impacts you, to info@thstofficial.com We’d love to share your story on our website and social media to remind the Club of how this unfair change in policy is punishing lifelong supporters. Please include a short account of how these unfair cuts will affect you, and if possible, please include a photo too!
We heard from many of you when this decision was originally announced, and we know that there are so many fans who have supported our Club home and away for decades and decades who will now be priced out of following the team they love.
In light of wider ticket price increases also announced earlier this year by the Club, the question we should all be asking ourselves is which supporters will be next to be priced out of following the team they love?
You can read more about our campaign here and here are some FAQs.
Your chance to attend the THFC Fan Forum at the stadium as a Trust guest
We have a small number of tickets, available to our full members, for the Fan Forum which will take place at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday 23rd September, 18:30 – 20:00.
Fans attending will have the opportunity to hear from a panel including Chairman, Daniel Levy; Men’s and Women’s Head Coaches, Ange Postecoglou and Robert Vilahamn; and both team captains Heung-Min Son and Bethany England.
The panel discussion will be hosted once again by BBC broadcaster and Spurs fan, Nihal Arthanayake.
Last year’s event was a memorable occasion with a wide range of questions asked from the floor, which gave everyone the chance to see how aligned in thinking the managers and captains were. A year on, there will be further questions to ask, including of course about team performances and Club policy on and off the pitch.
Fan Forum 2023
If you are a full member of Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust and would like to apply for a ticket via the draw please email us at info@THSTOfficial.com by Monday 9th September at 6pm. Successful applicants will be notified by email, by Tuesday 10th September.
THST’s near-glorious quest for Coles Park Glory
By Andy Bass
As the team stepped onto the pitch at White Hart Lane, a wave of anticipation washed over them. The lush green field shimmered under the bright sun, and for a moment, it felt like a childhood dream come true…yet, this wasn’t the hallowed ground of N17, but the home of our neighbours, Haringey Borough FC. While playing for the Lilywhites might remain a distant aspiration, we proudly donned the borrowed shirts of THST, ready to give it our all in the Haringey Community Food Network Fundraiser (HCFN) Tournament!
The Trust’s inaugural 6-a-side team, a hastily constructed, motley crew of wily veterans (and some who were perhaps a tad more seasoned), were bonded by a common love for Spurs (and AS Roma!), and focussed on a quest for glory. The pre-tournament atmosphere was electric, fueled by high expectations and lively banter, as we prepared to battle the Spurs community and food poverty in our borough on a scorching August morning.
Facing a formidable array of opponents, Spurs REACH, Women of the Lane, the Proud Lilywhites and the suspiciously sprightly Tottenham Foundation coaches as well as an unnervingly skillful Korean All-Star team, Sonny celebrations everywhere, our heroes battled valiantly. Goals from Matteo ‘Lamela’ Dughiero, Tom ‘Super Pav’ Fisher and Andy ‘Eric Dier’ Bass in the group stages helped us pick up sufficient points to navigate our way to the semi-finals through wins over Proud Lilywhites and narrow losses to the Foundation. Alas, the dream ended there as injuries and fatigue took their toll, and a heart-wrenching late winner from the Koreans sneaked past our superb stopper Luca ‘Cudicini’ Gunter in goal, and saw our dreams of lifting the trophy dashed.
But as the final whistle blew on our tournament hopes, the THST team left the pitch with heads held high. We may have been giving away a few years (and perhaps a few pounds) to some of our opponents, but we proved that the spirit of Spurs runs deep in all of us, and much credit has to go to Anthony ‘Steed Malbranque’ Morkos who helped pull the team together along with the support of Rachel and the THST. With some good interventions in the transfer market, there is the basis of a cup winning team for the future!
And most importantly of all, we played our part in supporting the vital work of HCFN, helping to ensure that no one in our community goes hungry. So congrats to the THST team, not for the silverware they didn’t win, but for the positive difference they made for a great cause.
Meeting with the Catering Team at THFC
Ahead of the new season and changes to the menus for food and drink at the stadium, representatives from the Trust met with the Spurs Catering Team, along with other members of the Fan Advisory Board. It’s always a pleasure to meet with the catering leads, who consistently share a commitment to sustainability, minimising the impact on the environment wherever possible, and providing a range of food and drink that meets the dietary needs and tastes of a large fanbase. This was our first meeting with Chris Mullen, head of Catering at THFC.
The close season is a time for review and modifications, trialling dishes and preparing for the year ahead. The Trust’s priorities based on feedback from THST catering and end of year surveys, of which the headline results are:
| Price of food and beverage 40% very satisfied or satisfied |
| Availability of food and beverage 66% very satisfied or satisfied |
| Quality of food and beverage 65% very satisfied or satisfied |
| Choice of food and beverage 66% very satisfied or satisfied |
| Speed and standard of service 49% very satisfied or satisfied |
| Quality of beer cups and other serving receptacles. 52% very satisfied or satisfied |
As a result the Trust have lobbied for:
- a range of foods including top quality pies, sausage rolls, chips and burgers;
- healthy options including bagels;
- tasty menu items for a wide range of dietary requirements, including plant based, lactose and gluten free options;
- affordable prices;
- a range of soft and cold drinks with cheaper options as well as premium beers;
- attractive options for children including healthy options;
- speedy service;
- minimum waste and impact on the environment;
- support, where possible, for local community foodbanks;
- signposting to indicate where queues are shorter;
- signposting in concourses to indicate when the second half is about to begin;
- clear signposting for water fountains;
- more information on the app to indicate where different items can be bought, and to show which items are suitable for different dietary requirements.
Spurs have made several changes for the new year, some of which address the areas we have lobbied for:
- Tap Inn Express points being introduced, offering a restricted menu but a faster sale;
- greater capacity in The Chicken House as well as a new queueing system which should speed service up and minimise the frustration of seeming to pick ‘the slow queue’;
- the much lobbied for Bagel Bar, which was trialled last season by Block 101, has been a great success. There is now a second Bagel Bar too;
- a Feature Grill by Block 102 which will serve items such as Asian and Caribbean dishes, on a rotating basis, often aligned to major cultural events such as Black History Month;
- Waffle Fries also proved to be a success last season and these will be rotated with a variety of fillings including chicken popcorn and Indian and Greek dishes;
- initiatives designed to be more environmentally friendly, range from reducing the amounts of plastics used for ketchups and mayonnaise, to using stadium food waste for pig feed – for pigs that are then used for food at the stadium;
- there will be ‘hawkers’ selling cans of cider and lager during half time in the South Stand;
- the Club will be reopening the Corner Pin Pub and have now held a test event.
We were advised that one of the best places to buy drinks at half time is the Goal Line Bar as most people stay nearer to their point of entry to the stadium bowl. Do let us know if you find this to be the case.
South Stand Podium
Unfortunately, the South Stand Podium will have only two bars and one food outlet due to the new hotel build. We consider this to be a real shame as we had long lobbied for greater use of this podium and it was clearly such a success when this happened last season. It will continue to feature local pop up businesses – something to be welcomed.
Prices
We have been assured that price increases have been kept to a minimum and in line with increased costs of supply, fuel and staffing. While it is common knowledge that these costs have risen, and we are pleased that the cheapest beer price has been held, the increase to premium beers are considerable. So Amstel is £5.89 a pint, Heineken has increased by 30p a pint to £6.25 and Neckoil and Moreti are increased to £6.95 a pint.
As a Trust we have lobbied for prices to be kept as low as possible, but ultimately, supporters will decide whether the prices are palatable and whether they will, as a result, maintain or modify their existing match day habits.
As always, your feedback is welcome and we will pass comments on to the catering team where appropriate, as well as monitor the impact of the changes made.
UEFA Working Group
Following negative fan experiences travelling to European games in the past, Trust Vice Chair, Michael Green, joined other fan representatives of clubs participating in Europe this season in a virtual working group under the umbrella of the FSA and Football Supporters Europe (FSE). The working group will share tips and experiences to help travelling fans know what to expect from an away trip and use shared knowledge to lobby relevant authorities to improve the fan experience.
The meeting was attended by representatives of UEFA, led by UEFA Vice Secretary General, Giorgio Marchetti, who gave a presentation on the format changes to European competitions this season. That this took 30 minutes probably tells its own story, but UEFA insist that the intent is to reduce the number of dead rubbers that have been a feature of European competition. We’ll wait and see. The presentation included this video.
We will be sending out regular surveys to members after this season’s European away matches so that your views are fed back to the authorities.
FSA AGM
Trust Vice Chair, Michael Green, attended the FSA AGM at Wembley Stadium at the end of July, where he was joined by THST former Co-Chairs, Martin Cloake and Kat Law, and FAB Co-Chair, Chris Paouros. The AGM elected a new FSA Chair, Tom Greatrex, and received a speech from Stephanie Peacock, the new minister for sport, who reiterated the new government’s support for greater fan engagement and the creation of an independent regulator for football. Motions were passed on women in men’s football, sporting integrity, VAR, young children at matches, ticket costs and overseas matches. A round-up of the conference, including wording of the motions passed, can be found here.
