THST News – February 2025

THST Board

04/03/2025

Newsletter

In this month’s newsletter there’s an update on our recent meeting with the Club, the results of our supporter survey on sentiment around the five key principles, we address the growing wave of fan protests and give details of the Quiz Night as well as lots of other information on refunds, games and events.

Meeting with the Club

On 25 February THST Board representatives met the Club’s Executive Director and Head of Supporter Engagement under the terms of the Trust’s Memorandum of Understanding with the Club.

The agenda covered the Trust’s Five Principles of Ownership, and our survey of supporters on these, its New Year’s Resolutions for the Club, pre-season tours and fixture scheduling.

The minutes are here. It was a robust and constructive discussion. The survey results are below.

Results of supporter survey on Five Principles of Ownership

We recently surveyed fans to see how they believe the Club fare against our five key principles for the owners (current and future) of THFC, and we will repeat this process prior to our three formal meetings with Spurs each year. We have shared and discussed these results with the Club. The Club confirmed that they share THST’s principles and are supportive of them. THST emphasised the strength of supporter sentiment on the Club’s performance against the principles. Even given the poor run of results in the league this season, the fan discontent and recent decisions such as the erosion of concession pricing, these results are damning.

Principle	Score out of 10
Commit to winning: Invest to the level needed to secure league and cup success.	3
Attract & retain talent: Build a transfer policy and competitive wages to secure top players.	3
Future-proof success: Develop elite youth talent to strengthen the squad and sustain excellence.	6
Lead with integrity: Champion ethical standards, strong governance, and financial sustainability—reinvesting in the team while keeping tickets affordable.	4
Fans first: Engage, consult, and collaborate with supporters and their representatives to build loyalty, passion, and success on and off the pitch.	2
1892 responses collected between 20/2/25 – 24/2/25 (76% were regular match attenders; 100% were Spurs fans & 46% were members of THST)

All five principles are interconnected and boil down to striving for excellence together, and valuing the roles that the Club, the staff, team and supporters play in achieving it. It’s built on mutual trust and respect, and seeking constant improvement on and off the pitch. It’s also about valuing and seeking to emulate the club’s heritage of winning trophies while playing attractive, attacking football.

It is clear that supporters currently do not feel heard or listened to and believe that fan loyalty is taken for granted. There is also a perception amongst many that season ticket holders are not valued and that occasional attenders and tourists who are likely to spend more money in the shop, are preferred. Albeit with the impact this can have on atmosphere.

The Club committed to continued engagement with THST on the principles and survey, reviewing updates together at each Club/THST meeting.

We’ve urged the Club to communicate directly with its fans, on a range of subjects, on a more regular basis. We want to hear directly from the decision makers: to understand the context and reasons for key decisions, as well as plans for the future.

For fan engagement to be meaningful, we have to be able to demonstrate impact, which means wherever possible, taking on board advice given through formal channels such as THST and FAB meetings. We urged the Club to listen to the fans, freeze ticket prices, reinstate senior concession season tickets, install the Bill Nicholson gates and to demonstrate that the impressive monies raised from concerts, NFL and other stadium events, are invested wisely in the team, to give us all the success we yearn for.

Fan protests

The Trust acknowledges and fully respects the passion and commitment demonstrated by supporters ahead of the home game against Man Utd. We regularly canvass opinion from the fanbase (members and non-members) on many issues including attitude towards the ownership.

The Trust reviews feedback received and always seek to reflect the majority. With a diverse fanbase it is perhaps inevitable that we almost always receive a broad church of responses. Following our review of feedback, we have derived five principles, which we think any owner should hold paramount when making decisions affecting the football club.

In our recent meeting with the Club, the Trust raised the strength of feeling within the fanbase which was fully acknowledged by the Club at that meeting.

We will continue to reflect the feedback we receive and will survey opinion prior to future meetings with the Club to ensure we continually project the views from supporters to the highest levels of leadership at the Club. We encourage all members and non-members to get involved with the Trust, to send us your views and help t continue to represent your views to the Club.

We reiterate that whilst we passionately believe in the right to freedom of expression, there are limits to this and expression must be non-violent and lawful. Importantly, the exercise of the right of expression must not impinge on the rights of others to lawfully express contradictory views.

THST Quiz Night 2025 – Test your Spurs knowledge!

7pm

Tuesday 15 April

Our friends at The Antwerp Arms are once again welcoming us into their home for the 2025 Trust Quiz Night, where you’ll have the chance to put your Spurs knowledge to the test against other teams.

Raising funds for local charities and organisations remains a key priority for THST, and we’re delighted to be supporting the wonderful Studio 306 Collective once again this year.

The evening will be hosted by Theo Delaney, from the popular Spurs podcast The Spurs Show, and promises to be a fantastic mix of friendly (or fiercely!) competitive quizzing, exciting raffle prizes, and even a special guest in attendance.

So, gather your team (or come alone and we’ll join you up), sharpen your Spurs trivia, and join us for an unforgettable evening filled with great company, top-quality food and drink, and plenty of fun!

Tickets available here – please book in advance as places are limited.

Meet the Journalists – A night of insight and debate

Over 80 passionate Spurs fans packed into the Sir Christopher Hatton pub in Farringdon for a sold-out and hugely engaging THST Meet the Spurs Journalists event. Hosted by the irrepressible Steve Cavalier, the evening featured expert analysis from Alasdair Gold (Football London), Dan Kilpatrick (Evening Standard), George Sessions (PA Media), and Jay Harris (The Athletic).

Kicking off at 7:30 pm, the night delivered lively discussion and debate on some of the biggest talking points surrounding the club. Key topics included:

Ange Postecoglou’s management style – his tactical philosophy, charismatic leadership, and why he stays so composed on the touchline.
Spurs’ ongoing injury crisis – are training methods to blame, or is it just sheer bad luck?
The club’s trajectory – is this just the expected turbulence of a ‘painful rebuild’?
Media treatment of Spurs – do journalists go easy on Ange, and why is the club’s trophy drought scrutinized more than others?
Potential sale of a club share – will financial priorities shift towards footballing investment or commercial growth?
Fan unrest over Daniel Levy’s leadership – how does the club perceive the growing dissatisfaction?
Ownership changes and investment – could Spurs fans see a shake-up at the top anytime soon?

With a mix of pre-submitted questions and live audience interactions, the conversation was candid, thought-provoking, and at times, surprising—offering fans a rare glimpse into the perspectives of those who cover the club day in, day out.

A standout moment came at 9:30 pm with the much-anticipated raffle draw, featuring some fantastic prizes. Special thanks to THFC’s Jake Heath for securing a first-team signed football, alongside a signed Hugo Lloris autobiography and a highly sought-after Beavertown bucket hat.

The overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees reinforced the value of these in-person gatherings, which continue to strengthen the bond between Spurs supporters and the journalists who bring them the latest club news. With enthusiasm running so high, we might just need a bigger venue next year!

Proceeds from the event will support Pancreatic Cancer UK and Prostate Cancer UK charities, in memory of former THST Board members Kevin Fitzgerald and Pete Haine. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed—whether by organising, speaking, or attending—for making the night such a resounding success.

Hoffenheim refund

UEFA regulations require that away fans at European club matches cannot be charged more than the lowest price charged to home fans. Thanks to our eagle-eyed friends at Football Supporters Europe, it was noticed that for the Hoffenheim game home supporters had been able to take advantage of a package for their Europa League games which meant that those fans had enjoyed a lower price than Tottenham fans attending the match. A refund will now be issued for the difference of £6.30.

The Trust has met with FSE and the FSA along with fan representatives of other English clubs in Europe ahead of each round of the European competitions to share previous experience and prepare for the matches ahead. The intervention of FSE to effect this refund shows the value of working together for the benefit of fans.

Ipswich away booking fee

On a similar note, the Trust was contacted by several fans who had been charged a higher booking fee for a restricted view seat than those in the same booking group who had been allocated an unrestricted view seat. The amounts involved were small but clearly it was wrong for a fan to pay more than a fan in a better seat. Upon notifying the Club, we were quickly advised that this was an error and refunds would be issued.

Alkmaar v Spurs

We wish everyone travelling to Alkmaar for this hugely important match a safe and enjoyable trip.

Early next week, we will share key information from our meeting with Head of Supporter Services, Jake Heath, via our social media channels.

Alkmaar away has posed significant challenges for other visiting supporters, and we are committed to working with the Club to ensure our fans are safe and treated with respect throughout the trip.

As always, we encourage supporters travelling to European away fixtures to complete the Football Supporters Europe (FSE) survey, helping to provide accurate insights into each venue.

If any specific incidents occur or support is needed, please email supporterservices@tottenhamhotspur.com, copying us in at info@THSTOfficial.com after the match.

For urgent assistance, Spurs fans should use the travel line number provided in the club’s official email to ticket holders. Stay safe and enjoy the game!

THST Board member attends VAR meeting at Stockley Park

At the end of January, THST Board Member and FAB representative Rachel Martin attended a special visit to Stockley Park to meet with the Premier League and PGMOL to discuss the current state of VAR. Representatives from 18 of the 20 Premier League clubs took part, providing a valuable opportunity to share perspectives and better understand the challenges and impact of VAR, particularly on match-going fans.

The official account of the visit can be found here: FSA Report

As with many aspects of football, communication is key, and we welcome the chance to engage with those responsible for making these crucial decisions. It is essential to appreciate the limitations referees operate under, such as FIFA regulations that prohibit live audio access to referee conversations with PGMOL. Equally, it is important that officials understand VAR’s impact on supporters.

Key Takeaways from the visit

The day began with a presentation from Simon Morgan (Premier League), who acknowledged widespread frustrations with VAR while reinforcing its core principles, including:

Maintaining the threshold for penalising challenges
Upholding on-field decision authority while ensuring player safety
Improving the in-stadium experience, focusing on reducing delays, increasing transparency, and ensuring accuracy and consistency

The @FA_PGMOL X (Twitter) account was highlighted as a useful resource for factual explanations of key decisions. Additionally, while some discussions were confidential, we gained valuable insights into trends in fouls, bookings, key match interventions, and overturns.

Feedback from club representatives was consistent regarding where expectations were and weren’t being met, and all agreed that the experience helped both sides appreciate each other’s perspectives.

Discussions with Howard Webb and referees

In the afternoon, we heard from Howard Webb and a group of referees, including Chris Kavanagh, who was responsible for the first-ever ‘referee-to-crowd’ announcement (Spurs vs. Liverpool). Kavanagh reflected on the experience, with a general agreement that such announcements offer little value for purely factual decisions—like disallowing Solanke’s goal—but could be more useful for explaining subjective decisions.