THST - Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust

[Don Diaz]

I'm not sure how many of us are members, or level of interest, but the THST does an awful lot of good work behind the scenes on behalf of fans and liaising with the club on many issues across the board. Daniel levy and other key figures fron the club regularly attend the meetings. It is cheap to join and something i would recommend considering depending on how involved you want to be.

I've just received their June email update as below, not sure if the link will work - I'm no techno guru as most will already know....


The June update from the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust is now available. Covering Premier League fixture scheduling, subsidised travel to away matches, an update on ticketing for next season including a reduced allocation for visiting supporters at White Hart Lane and much more!


We'd also like to thank the 1200+ of you who've taken the time to complete our End of Season Survey, which closes at midnight on Sunday, 3 July. We encourage as many of you as possible to participate should you not have done so already. It's a vital tool in gauging the mood of our members and shaping our campaigning priorities over the coming year. To take the survey, please click here. Many thanks in advance for your participation.


To read THST News for June, simply click here or on the button below.


Thanks, as always, for your continued support.


THST Board


30 June 2016

 

[skiathospurs]

Yeah I am a member,they arent perfect but some voice is better than none and there are limits with negotiating with Levy!!I think for where the organisation is at present they get concerns heard,whether that transpires to tangable results who knows,but any difference is worth it compared to dealing with lord shitelectronics sugar .
They helped when I grassed up part of stubhub in the USA selling spurs home tickets on their american platform $2200 for 2 NLD tickets ffs amongst pairs of tickets to every home game,fair play they passed it onto THFC,I saw THFCs reply to THST when they replied directly to me,and sure enough all spurs lisitings disappeared on that ebay/stubhub platform.
More that join even free as an associate member the more louder the voice becomes.

 

[skiathospurs]

One of the more pertinent areas from the trusts meeting

http://www.thstofficial.com/thst-news/thst-news-june-2016

5. Ticketing for next season: an update
We are still liaising with the Club to ensure that full and clear information on how ticketing will work next season is made available to fans. Of course, final decisions can’t be made until all details, including those about Champions League matches at Wembley, are known and we appreciate the Club wants to present the full picture rather than a partial one. We also appreciate this requires patience from supporters, but we are confident the information people need will be available in good time.

We’ve received a lot of feedback about next season’s ticket arrangements, with the majority backing the decisions taken. We’ve also spent time explaining the reasons behind the decisions and the implications of other options, and quite a number of fans who originally objected now see why the decisions were taken. We’d urge all supporters to familiarise themselves with the details, as it’s clear from some of the conversations we’ve had that some of the objections originally expressed are based on a misunderstanding of how the system worked before and will work in future.

We’d also emphasise once again that retaining the status quo was not an option.

Earlier this week, the Club announced it had been granted special dispensation by the Premier League to reduce the number of tickets THFC is obliged to provide visiting supporters at White Hart Lane next season. The Rule states that, for stadia above 30k capacity, 3000 away tickets must be provided for each Premier League fixture and for sub 30k stadia, 10% of total capacity must be offered. Owing to exceptional circumstances next season, THFC has special permission to offer between 2,336 and 2,467 to visiting fans dependent on the category of the match and the consequent segregation requirements. This means up to 600 extra tickets will be available for home fans, which is positive news.

Finally, we’ve been contacted by a number of fans concerned that home tickets are already being advertised at hugely inflated prices on some websites. There are only three places where tickets for THFC home games can be sold legally in the UK – through the Club, via Thomas Cook Sport as part of their official “Match Break” hotel & ticket packages and via StubHub, the official ticket reselling market place. Any other site selling tickets is unofficial and illegal. Tickets on other sites are often advertised on the basis that these agencies think they might obtain tickets, and the tickets they advertise and even sell often don’t exist at all. The Club ticket office deals regularly with fans who have been given emails or code numbers as ‘proof’ of ticket sale, only to find they aren’t valid on match day.

THFC works closely with Premier League solicitors looking at the big secondary sites like World Football Tickets as a class action on behalf of 5 or 6 clubs. These sites operate outside of EU regulations, usually via websites registered in Israel or Russia, which can make it a cumbersome process and when they do get shut down, they pop up again elsewhere quickly.

If you see tickets being advertised outside of the three official channels, please contact the Club or the Trust. The more detail we have, the more chance we have of stopping these sites ripping off fans

 

[Yid]

I've completed the survey...

Very comprehensive and a lot of important issues affecting the fans questioned on there.

Pricing was a huge slice of the survey as well as safe standing.

If enough Yids did that we could find ourselves fighting to reintroduce standing sections back into uk football.

Major coup for us if we showed t could be done safely.

 

[skiathospurs]

http://www.thstofficial.com/thst-news/champions-league-multi-game-packages-welcomed
Champions League multi-game packages welcomed
7/14/2016

We were delighted to see the details of ticket pricing for the Club’s Champions League games at Wembley announced yesterday. Multi-game packages on offer to Season Ticket Holders and One Hotspur Members mean fans can see all three Champions League group stage games for as little as £70, with concessions half price throughout the stadium
What’s more, with a 90,000 capacity available for each game, many more fans will now have the chance to go and support the team.

Accessible pricing has been at the forefront of much of our campaigning work over the last few years, and it is great news that the Club has listened to this and taken the decision to set prices at these levels. Right from the start of discussions over the games at Wembley, they have made it clear they wanted to get as many fans as possible in at a fair price. We have nothing but praise for the stance they have taken and the deal they have delivered for fans.

We will continue to talk to the Club about detail, including how Official Supporters Clubs and disabled fans are being catered for, and what options are open to Season Ticket holders with children in different membership categories. We're working with the Club on an FAQ sheet that will be available on the Spurs official website this side of the weekend, and we’ll continue to provide as much information as we can, and to work with the Club to address any issues arising.

We’re also delighted that the Club has specified a home end for fans who want to gather and create the atmosphere we know Spurs fans can create to back our team. And we hope that those blocks are just the centre of the support we can provide. We’ll be working with the Club and other fan groups in the coming weeks to ensure that, together, we deliver that atmosphere.

THST Board
14 July 2016

 

[skiathospurs]

http://www.thstofficial.com/thst-news/annual-survey-results-reveal-feel-good-factor
Annual survey results reveal feel-good factor
7/18/2016

It wasn’t only performance on the field, but off it too, that Spurs fans were pleased about last season. The results of our annual survey show there’s a positive mood about the way the Club is communicating with fans and the way it’s being run, as well as widespread satisfaction with the football itself.

Almost 1,650 fans filled in the survey, and this is the third time we’ve run what is a major project for the Trust. Answers from fans help us to decide our priorities and our policies. Topics covered this year included match day atmosphere, away travel, ticket pricing, safe standing and the new stadium.

And we were also encouraged that so many of you think we do a good job providing information, and that we get our dealings with the Club generally right.

The survey results are summarised in easy-to-digest format on the attached pdf – and thanks to our friends at FCB Inferno for volunteering their time to help produce that.

We’ll be looking at some of the findings in more depth over the coming week, so keep an eye on the site.

Martin Cloake Retweeted
The FSF ‏@The_FSF 11m11 minutes ago
66% of Spurs fans asked by @THSTOfficial in annual survey back the introduction of #safestanding at new stadium:

 

[Don Diaz]

Latest news from THST:
http://www.thstofficial.com/thst-news/thst-news-august-2016

 

[skiathospurs]

This is very disappointing and annoying!!

2. Home ticketing: StubHub
On Tuesday 16 August, THFC announced how the official resale platform, StubHub, would operate for home league games at White Hart Lane this season.
Contrary to our expectations, and the information we had been given in good faith by senior members of staff, the platform won’t remain closed to One Hotspur members, even though every game is anticipated to sell out to members as a result of the ballot system.
Rather, there will be a four day window at the start of any sales period on the platform for One Hotspur members to purchase tickets and, thereafter, anyone will be able to buy, regardless of membership status.
The inability of Stubhub to flex their offering further following fundamental changes to the home ticketing process at Tottenham only serves to underline why it’s imperative THFC takes any future ticket exchange back in-house or partners with an ethical, face value offering willing to adapt to any changes in primary sales mechanisms.
We want to take this opportunity to make our position on StubHub clear, just so fans are left in no doubt.
We objected to the original deal back in 2013 on the basis that it pushed prices up, and gathered evidence that 91% of tickets for Spurs matches on StubHub were being sold at above face value. We joined the Stop StubHub coalition in calling for a ticket exchange system that operated as a service to supporters, not a means of inflating prices or as a revenue generator for Clubs.
That early pressure secured significant changes to the system, including an end to the option to resell tickets on the platform (a practice known as ‘flipping’),and the first price cap to be applied anywhere in StubHub’s global portfolio (initially £200).
When the Club opted to renew the deal in March 2015, supporter pressure led to a reduction in the price cap ceiling to £150 and a significant donation to a Club-nominated community project.
We’ve taken a pragmatic position, looking to secure maximum possible benefit for fans while maintaining our call for an ethical, face value system.
When we discussed the ticketing system for this year, a year when there is unprecedented demand for home tickets and reduced supply, we did so on the basis that the ballot and loyalty points system previously announced for members would apply across the board.
While the four-day priority is better than nothing, the fact remains that majority of business on StubHub is done in the 72 hours before a game. So this is not much of a concession. And One Hotspur members who have been denied a reduction in their membership fee despite our requests, and who have missed out in the ballot, will now see tickets appearing on a so-called secondary ticketing platform where anyone with sufficient cash can purchase a ticket regardless of membership status.
The folly of signing this deal becomes clearer every day. All we can do is call again for Season Ticket holders not to list tickets at above the cost of sale – that’s face value plus admin fee – on StubHub. Don’t exploit your fellow fans.
To the Club, we say that, at the very least, the money gained from renewing the deal should be used to provide further resource to the already overstretched ticketing teams and infrastructure.

 

[Dorset]

Keep telling ya innit, Levy is a mangina and we are the cunts who pay, he gives zero fucks about the people who finance the TH Corporation - that's us by the way, I ain't not never calling it a club no more because it ain't not one of them. Clubs are owned and run by the members who are respected not treated like shit by the management then by once again by the season ticket holders who sell their tickets at inflated prices to other supporters.

You can poke your cheap scarf and crappy postcards up your backdoor Levy, you are never getting invited to tea at the Dorset household.

Just in case anyone is in any doubt I DON''T want levy out like some folks, because the new boss would probably be worse, football is fucked and who can blame owners for making a quid, a faceless foreign owner who wanted too change our name to Tottingham Weasels would be a pain. so although I will bitch like a little girl about Levy, who I dislike intensely, I would not back any campaign to out him - unless it was a supporter buyout to turn the corporation back into a club and that ain't never, ever going to happen.

 

[skiathospurs]

http://www.thstofficial.com/thst-news/thstthfc-board-to-board-meeting-19-september-2016

2. Transfer window and the 2016/2017 campaign

• Reflections on the window

KS noted Pochettino’s comments of 9 September on the window but flagged the lack of a written ‘window wrap’ as delivered previously, alongside DL. DC explained that MP had been away when the window closed so chose to share his thoughts in the lead up to his press conference on this occasion.

• Priorities for this season

With so much focus on the Premier League and Champions League, KS asked for THFC’s attitude towards the domestic trophies. DL confirmed that the increased squad strength made fielding strong teams in domestic cup competitions very achievable this season. Team selection is down to Mauricio Pochettino.

• Departure of Paul Mitchell

With many members expressing concern and surprise over the departure of Paul Mitchell, KS asked what the plans were for replacing him. DL explained that PM was one of a number of staff involved in recruitment and, when he left, they would be open minded as to whether they replaced like for like. That would be a discussion for DL and MP. It was felt that PM’s departure would not affect the structure or the transfer/recruitment policy in place.

• Academy

KS asked whether it was likely more home grown, academy players would make progress this season to offset those who had departed in the window. DL said he felt this was something fans should expect and that the balance of homegrown and experienced players was about right at the moment.

• Fan interaction with players

Positive player interaction with fans was encouraged and praised. Recent signings, GK Nkoudou and Victor Wanyama, were singled out as examples of good fan interaction across social channels. DC felt they had a young, social media savvy squad at Spurs and the biggest challenge was making sure they didn’t spend all their time on there!
Q&A sessions on Facebook and Twitter had worked well.
DL was encouraged to participate more.
The suggestion of a podcast was floated.

• Premier League B teams in EFL competitions

MC thanked THFC for declining to participate in the EFL trophy this season and. THFC confirmed there were no plans for Spurs to submit B teams in such competitions in the near future.
3. Northumberland Development Project

• Update on build programme

As THST’s rep on the Stadium Construction Liaison Committee, MB asked whether the build was on schedule and what fans could expect to see this season. DL explained that work was now 7 days a week on the site and the build was more or less on schedule. DC told of plans for creating a walkway across the actual site in October to enable matchday access for fans.
Once again, the complexities of the project were stressed. Completion on time was also dependent on other factors such as the transport infrastructure and public realm provisions being in place for the anticipated opening in August 2018.
MB stressed that communication was key here. DC elaborated on the new part of the website dedicated to the build, complete with fully upgraded webcams.

• Latest on stadium planning applications

There are a number of upcoming minor planning applications relating to the new stadium, but none are seen as obstacles to scheduled progress.

• Latest on TFL/ LOROL’s plans for White Hart Lane station

Ensuring the new station at White Hart Lane was ready for the opening of the new stadium was essential. The plans were still that the work would be done during Tottenham’s season away, but there were concerns that this project, owned by TFL and LOROL, was considerably behind schedule.
It was understood that a planning decision would be made next month (October 2016).
The need for this to dovetail with the stadium is clearly apparent.

• Latest on Haringey’s High Road West plans

Haringey Council’s HWR plans were also significantly behind schedule. It was now looking likely all work would happen after the new stadium opens. Masterplans had been issued, however, and both the High Road West and Northumberland Park projects were now at the public procurement stage. THFC meet monthly with Haringey to discuss progress, as the stadium is at the centre of these masterplans.

• Funding

AB questioned how the project was tracking against budget. DL responded that Brexit hadn’t helped. Costs have risen as a result of the weakened pound, and the increased 7 day work schedule. But the financial model was in good shape. DL stressed they were pushing all possible resource to ensure they were ready to move out in the summer and that only 1 season away would be needed.
AB referred to a member question around the value of the NFL tie up. DL confirmed that the NFL provision had not added much cost and would provide ongoing rental revenue. The NFL has also contributed greatly in terms of knowledge and input into enhancements to the stadium design and build and was a very valuable partner in that respect.

• Naming Rights

DL stated that this process was in the early stages and any reports otherwise in the media were factually incorrect. DL confirmed that THFC would consider any potential brand and the sector and any sponsor would need to be a good fit for Tottenham Hotspur.

• Plans for final match at WHL

DC confirmed that plans were in hand and there would be a build up over a 3-4 month period to maximise the campaign. No celebrations would stretch an entire season. Ideas were being considered.

• Removal of the NE corner of WHL

MC highlighted the issues caused by the removal of 4000 seats from the NE corner of the stadium. THST felt the decision to remove the corner should have been communicated earlier to fans. THFC remain of the opinion that this wasn’t possible owing to the complex nature of the construction issues and because they wanted to be totally sure it was absolutely necessary. THST stressed the need to keep fans informed and said it was always better to communicate possibilities than say nothing. 4. Ticketing

Home ballots:
KL opened up by asking THFC for their view on how the home ballots were working in practice and what had been learned so far. IM felt the Club had been potentially over cautious in how many seats were sold for the first 2 or 3 games. This had led to more tickets going on sale later than desired and empty seats in some sections of the stadium.
KL questioned whether the late release of tickets ahead of the Sunderland match had been as a result of the ballot. IM stressed partner, staff, sponsor, player returns had always come back late in previous years and this season they were keen to provide as many seats as possible for fans, but that this was nothing new. And not a result of the ballot.
IM stated that the ballot was leaving the Club with more single seats than they’d like, which are harder to sell on.
The ballot was a different challenge. It had its operational issues, of course, but there was now more familiarity and comfort with the process. IM stressed that the ballot had removed the pain of 19 huge on sale dates with large volumes of unhappy fans and felt the ballot was the right call to have made.
KL stated that when the Club approached THST towards the end of last season to tell them the sales mechanism was changing to a ballot, the prime reason given was to remove the pinch point of thousands of Members all attempting to purchase a significantly reduced number of tickets and potentially missing out. But the ballot figures are relatively low: c 7,000 applications for c 5,000 seats. Why did IM think this was the case? IM thought there was still a lack of understanding around the ballot which meant fans either didn’t know how to apply, were put off applying or thought they wouldn’t get a ticket so didn’t bother.
KL shared THST’s views on the reasoning for lower figures than anticipated. The first being Price. The ballot encourages fans to price higher than they normally would to stand a better chance. There's only so many times a season you can do that. So people are being selective.
The next reason was the issue of Concessions. KL explained that, because of the very restricted number of seats available at a concessionary rate, parents were cautious about being forced to pay full rate for their kids. KL requested that concessions either be extended further around the stadium this season or that all concessionary members successful in the ballot are prioritised into existing concessionary stands.
A discussion followed where THFC expressed caution at the financial impact of opening up concessions around the ground. KL suggested the increased revenue from the 500-750 seats taken from the visitors allocation at White Hart Lane could be used here, as those seats were now selling at higher than the £30 away price. IM reminded KL that the loss of over 4,000 seats in the North East corner had resulted in a significant loss to the Club already. IM, DC and DL to discuss internally and report back to THST.
The next issue was the inability to select between North and South stands in the ballot. Each stand has its own personality and none more so than Paxton and Park Lane. Appreciating the restrictions members would be placing on themselves by selecting only one of those stands in the ballot, THST wanted to explore the practicalities of separating those out. IM agreed to explore and report back.
KL flagged the inflexibility of the StubHub platform as a major problem when allocating tickets at primary source via a members only ballot and asked for assurances other providers would be consulted prior to their contract expiring in May. IM confirmed that no decision had yet been made about secondary ticketing beyond this season and that THFC would explore all oprions.

Away tickets:

• Impact of £30 price cap

MC asked for IM’s views on the impact of the away price cap. IM said they hadn’t seen the huge spike in applications some people were anticipating.

• Transferring of away tickets

MC flagged the transfer of away tickets across social media platforms. IM confirmed that where there was an explicit breaking of T’s and C’s, THFC would, and do, follow up.

• Subsidised travel

The removal of subsidised travel has caused some ill feeling amongst fans. MC stressed the national campaign which resulted in the £30 away price cap had been about reducing the price of going to football, not just ticket pricing. There was a feeling the Club had given with one hand and taken away with the other. THST had written to both THFC and Thomas Cook Sport to ask for the reintroduction of subsidised coaches.
THFC responded with their view that subsidising coaches for such a small segment of the fan base wasn’t fair or appropriate. Take up rates at full price were parallel with where they’d been last season at a subsidised price.
THST responded that it had been both fair and appropriate when it was THFC’s preferred method of spending the ASI over the previous 3 seasons. THFC said this was because it was one of several measures that had benefitted a wider spread of fans.
THFC confirmed it would provide trains for fixtures without an alternative public transport option but would not subsidise coaches again. The preference was to focus on favourable pricing for Cup games and Wembley as had been demonstrated.
THST expressed its disagreement with the decision and will investigate external sponsors for coach subsidy.

 

[skiathospurs]

Champions League at Wembley:
87,000 tickets sold for the Monaco match was a great success; the Trust thanked the Club for a progressive approach on pricing, making Wembley a home from home and setting the atmosphere at the game. The three match package has worked well. Breaking three home attendance records was also cause for congratulations. However, a couple of issues had arisen that needed addressing.

• Sales mechanism and process

KL said communication around the staggered release of blocks in the members’ sale window could have been better. Some fans felt they were misled about the seats that were available on Day 1 of the members’ window.
IM explained that this was the first time the Club had attempted to sell a game of this magnitude and there were a lot of moving parts. Some seats weren’t available for the group package, some areas were held back until others had sold out in case the take up wasn’t great – in agreement with Wembley National Stadium Ltd - some seats only became available after TV requirements and other stadium commitments had been confirmed. It was a complicated process and there was no desire to mislead.
It was agreed to improve ticketing communications in future so as to try to manage expectations.

• Ticketmaster

KL raised the failure of Ticketmaster to deliver an acceptable level of service on the opening day of the members’ window.
IM acknowledged the problems experienced by some fans and said detailed discussions have taken place with THFC and Ticketmaster subsequently with cast iron guarantees this would not happen again.
DC asked for THST’s support in urging fans to arrive in plenty of time for future Wembley matches. Large walk ups in the ten minutes before kick-off put severe pressure on Wembley’s ticket entry systems at the Monaco game.Season away:

• Season Ticket Amnesty

KL asked for a discussion around offering an Amnesty for Season Ticket holders at Wembley. THST’s latest survey had revealed that, while the vast majority of existing ST holders would not take the option of a year out, the majority felt there should be the choice of one. Therefore, THST needed to reflect that call.
IM and DC explained THFC’s current position: the fans had wanted a London venue, the Club had delivered Wembley and there was a concern about giving fans the option to drop out at exactly the time they needed ST holders to support the Club both financially and physically.
There was also concern around the practical implications and effect an amnesty would have on those at the top of the ST waiting list and when offering ST’s for the new ground.
KL was certain that those practicalities could be worked through if there was a will to deliver this. An amnesty would mean a ST holder freezing their membership for the year. So they’d effectively be non-members. That brought with it implications that would deter most unless there was a genuine reason for not being able to travel to Wembley throughout the season. KL stressed that no fan had asked for the Club to relocate and by moving for a season, THFC had fundamentally changed their terms of engagement.
After some discussion, it was agreed further internal discussion was needed and THFC asked that the matter be deferred to the next meeting with THST.

• New Season Tickets

IM confirmed THFC was still working through the details of offering new ST’s at Wembley but this was anticipated to happen once numbers and other considerations had been clarified.

• Fan migration

Given the problems at the London Stadium, KL asked for reassurance that the migration of our fans into Wembley and onto the new stadium would be better thought through than West Ham’s.
IM confirmed this was in hand and valuable lessons had been learned from the Champions League sales process and from East London.

• Pricing

KL stated THST’s call for price parity at Wembley – as in no fan should pay more to watch a match at Wembley than at White Hart Lane. Transport, catering and parking should all be considered in this.
JW explained that catering was run by Wembley and Car Park was currently operated by CSP on behalf of Quintain. JW confirmed discussions are ongoing over the provision of disabled parking for the season away at Wembley.
IM noted the comments on ticket pricing.

5. Safe Standing

• MC revisited our request for the Club to ask Richard Scudamore of the Premier League to confirm with the DCMS whether rail seating complied with current legislation.
• DC agreed to approach RS for clarification.6. Policing and Stewarding
  • MB asked ST for an update from the opening matches of the season. ST reported it had been a good start to the campaign, with very few stewarding issues, despite the difficulties with the relocation of the 4000 ST holders from the NE corner.
  • There had been only 4 ejections in 3 matches.
  • ST confirmed that THFC was taking c 50 stewards to Wembley for the Champions League matches. For the season away, Wembley would supply agency staff. ST was keen on our stewards working for that agency so as to retain good staff and retain the knowledge of our fan base and those individual relationships that had been established between stewards and supporters.
  • Looking ahead to the new stadium, there would be the need for up to three times as many stewards.
  • MC had attended the last meeting of the Haringey Safety Advisory Group on behalf of THST and ST confirmed THST will be invited again to the next SAG.
  • MC asked for ST to express the value of supporter input to Brent’s SAG looking ahead to the season at Wembley. ST agreed to do so.
  • The next meeting of the Police Safety Forum would take place on 3 October, as reported earlier.
  
  7. AOB
  • KF expressed his thanks to THFC for their support with the Antwerp Arms First Anniversary event, the THST End of Season BBQ and the Prostate Cancer Football to Amsterdam bike ride in the Summer. Special thanks were extended to JW for his ongoing support across all of these events and for staying late ‘in the office’ a couple of weeks ago to welcome the cyclists visiting all of London’s professional football grounds in one day to raise awareness of Football to Amsterdam 2017. The Foundation were also singled out for thanks.
  • The next joint project is the War Graves Commission: Living Memory Project in November. KF is looking forward to working with the Club on this again.
  • Other issues raised under AOB included questions from our members around merchandising – namely the fact that Spurs items are not available in Under Armour stores in Canada, which THFC will follow up on, and the prices at the catering outlets in WHL – especially £2.30 for a bottle of water, which will be addressed during THST’s meeting with the new caterers
  • 
    
  • The meeting concluded at 8.30pm.

 

[Don Diaz]

Octobers news here:
http://www.thstofficial.com/thst-news/thst-news-october-2016

 

[Liam]

Octobers news here:
http://www.thstofficial.com/thst-news/thst-news-october-2016

The drum will also be returning in the ‘home atmosphere’ blocks so this should all help towards a memorable atmosphere on the night.

The drum at the Leverkusen game. Been along tike since I seen that!!! YIDS!!!!!

 

[Don Diaz]

November News from THST...why not join, they're working hard for 'Yids like you and me...'

THST News - November 2016
11/29/2016

Updates on:

• THST Members’ Meeting – 15 November
• Burnley fixture change compensation
• Chelsea Police Meeting – 16 November
• FSF Premier League Supporter Organisations Meeting – 14 November
• Fixture change sub group meeting with Sky – 2 November
• Structured dialogue sub group meeting with the Premier League – 10 November

Other:

• Safe Standing update
• THST Q4 Board Meeting – 7 November
• Premier League Enterprise Challenge 2016
• Football 2 Amsterdam 2017
• Crowdfunding Spurs fan’s legal case
• Tottenham Community Press
• THST AGM preparations

1. THST Members’ Meeting – 15 November
Our latest Members’ Meeting took place in the William Blake pub at Old Street on the evening of Tuesday 15 November. Around 50 members took the opportunity to question the most senior ticketing executive at Tottenham Hotspur – Ian Murphy – on everything from the home ballot to Wembley pricing to the season away to plans for the new stadium. Head of Supporter Services, Jonathan Waite, was also present to answer any general queries. A full report from this session can be read here.
Thanks to those who took the time to come along and participate in a candid, frank and enlightening session. We’ll look to organise another Members’ Meeting in the New Year.

2. Burnley fixture change compensation
When the Club announced the rearrangement of the Burnley home game almost two weeks after the latest round of TV picks, we immediately contacted the Club to protest about the late notice, lack of consultation and inconvenience caused to supporters. Our colleagues at Burnley’s Clarets Trust informed us they had been told of the change a week earlier, and we were less than impressed to hear from our Club via the official Twitter feed.
We informed THFC we would be looking for compensation for those fans with tickets who had booked travel and accommodation for the original fixture, and made clear our feelings about any future late fixture moves.
We put out a call for fans who were out of pocket to contact us, and we passed those details on to the Club. The Club agreed to refund season ticket holders who sent proof of non-refundable travel and accommodation costs to them. We welcome that decision.
The Club did not, however, refund fans who had paid for travel and/or accommodation without match tickets. We have pointed out the realities of the travel market mean fans will often make arrangements before they have secured a match ticket, which is why we argue for firm decisions to be made and stuck to on fixtures at an early stage. We’ve made clear our expectations for the future on this subject.

3. Chelsea Policing Meeting – 16 November
Martin Cloake, Katrina Law and Kevin Fitzgerald represented THST at the Partnership and Planning Meeting ahead of the away fixture at Chelsea at the end of November. Hosted by CFC at Stamford Bridge, senior members of the Safety team from Chelsea, Spurs’ Head of Supporter Services, senior commanders from the Met and British Transport Police, London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea/ Hammersmith and Fulham, representatives of the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust and the Football Supporters’ Federation discussed the operational plans for the event. Much focus was placed on the arrival at Stamford Bridge and how best to encourage fans to arrive at least an hour before kick-off. A report from the meeting can be read here.
We were pleased to input into a constructive, well-organised session as genuine stakeholders and hope other clubs will follow Chelsea’s template when planning for high profile, high risk matches in future.

4. FSF Premier League Supporter Organisations Meeting – 14 November
Reps from fan groups at all 20 Premier League clubs met in London at a meeting organised by the Football Supporters Federation to catch up on a number of national issues. Reports of progress around fixture scheduling and the process of structured dialogue at national level called for in the Government’s Expert Working Group on Football appear below, along with an update on safe standing, which was also discussed. Other discussions were:
• Location of away fans in stadiums. The Premier League has announced a new rule saying away fans must be located pitch-side. The FSF is circulating details and club reps have been asked to monitor implementation. THST asked that attempts to implement the rule by splitting allocations were monitored and resisted.
• Concessionary prices for away fans. There was discussion around differing definitions of what age a young adult was from ground to ground. FSF was minded to push for u22 across the board, but a number of fan reps (including THST) thought that may be too high (excepting those in full time education etc.) THST also raised the point that concessionary prices across the board ranged from £11 to £27 for away tickets, with the higher end prices clearly not being in the spirit of the away price cap. We suggested compiling a full list of concessionary prices.
• Hull City Trust asked to be kept informed of pricing offered to away fans at their stadium.
• Man United Trust asked everyone to remain vigilant over any cuts in away allocations, and the FSF agreed to reiterate the message.
• Fan experiences at West Ham’s stadium were shared. West Ham fans were beginning to get organised, having realised they needed to get their own club to take concerns more seriously. And the FSF had an extensive dossier of away fan experiences at the stadium which they were using to try and get workable solutions implemented alongside the police and club officials.

5. Fixture change sub group meeting with Sky – 2 November
THST Co-chair, Kat Law, was one of three fan reps who met with Senior Sky Sports executives at the start of the month to discuss the impact of fixtures changed for broadcast on match going fans. The session was an FSF sub group meeting following earlier discussions at the Premier League meeting back in July. This was the first session in what is hoped will be an ongoing dialogue between fan reps and broadcasters as we look to ease the inconvenience caused by scheduling changes.
THST presented research on the volume of League matches moved for broadcast over the past 4 seasons, alongside similar statistics from the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust, which provided valuable context and highlighted the scale of the problem. 41.5% of Spurs’ matches have been moved for broadcast over that period. Special thanks go to THST member Peter Haine for working back through the fixture calendars and providing the statistics for us.
A statement following the meeting can be read here.

6. Structured dialogue sub group meeting with the Premier League – 10 November
THST Co-chair, Martin Cloake, was one of three PL club supporter reps, along with Supporters Direct and the FSF, to meet with the Premier League’s Communications Director and customer services staff to discuss progress on implementing the proposals on structured dialogue made by the Government Expert Working Group on Football. In plain English, that means the recommendations that clubs must meet regularly and meaningfully with their fans at least twice a year. (The THFC Board currently meets THST three times a year).
Many fan groups, THST among them, wanted to see firmer requirements come from government but the deal eventually agreed by SD and the FSF only saw recommendations issued. At the initial meeting of this group, the PL indicated it would be introducing a rule requiring clubs to meet regularly with fans, and we were hoping this meeting would begin to address the practical details of how this would happen, and what details – particularly financial – would be shared. At the moment, information about club ownership and finances is too often too hard to find.
The PL’s stance at this meeting had changed, with reps told the PL was now looking only to introduce “guidance” for clubs, and that it preferred achieving consensus through demonstrating good practice works rather than imposing rules and requirements.
THST was among those who expressed dissatisfaction with this position. But the reality is that, with little enthusiasm at government level to legislate, we have to work at a pace dictated by the PL. The sub-group will continue to push for best practice, particularly around financial reporting.

Other:

Safe Standing update
After years of pressure, the PL clubs finally discussed their approach to safe standing. The FSF statement on those discussions is here. THST had asked the Club to raise the issue and seek clarification on current legislation, and we understand that THFC helped put the issue on the agenda. As the clubs never disclose who said what at these meetings, we can provide no further information on the part THFC played.
We’re pleased the issue has been raised and that more clubs, including THFC, seem to be actively considering the arguments around safety, choice and atmosphere with safe standing. We’re pleased too that discussions are moving on, although much of the information that would be obtained by the “scoping out” the PL speaks of is already known. We will, alongside other supporter groups, keep this issue live at a national level, while continuing to put the case for safe standing in the new stadium should a way be found to allow it.

THST Q4 Board Meeting – 7 November
The Board of THST held their Q4 meeting on the evening of 7 November. All Board members were present for an update on finances and membership numbers, a ticketing round up, discussions around the potential renaming of White Hart Lane station, an update on Trust representation at national level, finalising plans for the Members’ Meeting, preparatory work for the 2017 AGM and progress with the NPD. All Board members reported back on activity over the last quarter. The next meeting is scheduled for 25 January 2017.

Premier League Enterprise Challenge 2016
Each year the Premier League sets a business challenge to secondary school pupils working with their local club. Tottenham Hotspur Foundation is working with five local secondary schools to help teams of five students on this year’s task, which is to propose ways in which clubs can attract new fans from the USA.
For the third year running, THST will be involved with the Foundation by providing one of the judging panel that will decide on 15 December which is the best team to go forward to the regional contest and then, hopefully, to the national final in March 2017.

Football to Amsterdam 2017
Can the Cycle On You Spurs team surpass this year’s table topping effort? Will you be joining them on the ride? Will you be there in spirit with a donation?
Things are looking good. To date we have 15 riders signed up to leave the Olympic velodrome on 9 June. This is one more than last year’s final total and puts us top of the league again. If you ride a bike, want to get even fitter, have a great time on the road, ride with Les Ferdinand and arrive at Ajax’s Amsterdam Arena on 11 June, then celebrate in Dam Square (and who could ask for more?) here’s what you need to do. Sign up by Orange Friday, midnight, 2 December and get £25 off your signing up fee.
Or if you want more information or questions answered then email Kevin Fitzgerald.
If this is not one for you, how about a donation? Prostate Cancer effects 1 in 8 UK men at some point in their lives, including many riding to Amsterdam and even more of their loved ones. So every donation, however small helps fund the research so necessary to combat this disease. The Cycle On You Spurs team fundraising page is here.

Crowdfunding Spurs fan’s legal case
We’ve been asked to make supporters aware of the following crowdfunding appeal, conducted on behalf of a Spurs fan who cannot be named for legal reasons, who was assaulted outside the ground in 2011. It’s a slightly complex case, so please read the appeal carefully. Thank you.

Tottenham Community Press
This is the title of a new community newspaper recently launched in Tottenham, with the first issue of 10,000 free copies distributed to local libraries, cafes and pubs in November. It is a Social Enterprise UK backed initiative, with plans to produce and distribute copies every two months, next issue January 2017, with the aim of becoming a monthly.
Alan Fisher, the Tottenham On My Mind blogger, is writing a regular column for the paper and the Trust will maintain contact regarding matters of mutual interest.

THST AGM 2017
THST is due to deliver its’ Annual General Meeting before the end of February 2017. We are finalising a suitable date with our regular hosts, Nabarro LLP, and will inform full members of arrangements a minimum of 6 weeks in advance of the meeting, in line with the guidance in our constitution. Anyone wishing to stand for election or vote on any of the resolutions at the AGM needs to be a full (paying) member by 1 January 2017.

Finally - a reminder…

iSpurs information portal
The Club has also set up a new, dedicated information portal online which answers many of the questions we are frequently contacted with. We’d urge fans to read and familiarise themselves with the details available on the portal as we continue to receive a high volume of questions asking for this information.

For more exclusive and live updates follow us on our social media sites:

Twitter: @THSTOfficial
Facebook: www.facebook.com/THSTOfficial
LinkedIn: Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust

 

[Don Diaz]

Here's the latest...a lot of interesting stuff this time around including a chance to own part of a pub.
http://www.thstofficial.com/thst-news/thst-news-december-2016
THST News - December 2016
12/21/2016

Updates on:
Ticketing for the FA Cup Third Round tie v Aston Villa, 8 January 2017
Ticketing for the Europa League Round of 32 v Gent at Wembley Stadium - 23 February 2017
Policing at the Arsenal, West Ham United and Chelsea matches – November 2016
February TV Picks – lobbying the Premier League
Request for subsidised train for Liverpool Away - 11 February 2017
Stadium Community Liaison Group meeting - 20 December 2016

Other:

• THST AGM 2017 - 13 February 2017
• Football Supporters’ Federation Awards - 5 December 2016
• Premier League Enterprise Challenge - 15 December 2016
• Antwerp Arms share issue
• Football to Amsterdam 2017

Media:

• Supporters’ Direct Weekly Podcast - 16 December 2016
• Celebrating Women in the Trust Movement, Supporters' Direct - December 2016

1. TICKETING FOR THE FA CUP THIRD ROUND TIE - SPURS v VILLA, 8 JANUARY 2017
THST was pleased to see the Club continuing with the accessible pricing policy for Cup games that we’ve enjoyed for the best part of 3 seasons now. With the FA Cup 3rd Round tie against Aston Villa forming the second cup voucher in the Season Ticket package, members tickets were priced at £20 for adults, £10 for seniors and £5 for juniors in any area of the ground.
We were, however, surprised to learn that THFC had opted to change the sales mechanism for this match from an ‘old style’ online sale to a ballot. We were under the impression that Cup games would be sold via an online sale, as per the League Cup match against Gillingham in September.
We were also disappointed to learn of this decision via the Club’s twitter feed, with no explanation for this seeming shift in approach.
We contacted the Club. They explained that a decision had been made to run this match as a ballot based on historical demand for FA Cup 3rd Round home ties and that they regarded this match as being no different to a mid-ranking Premier League game, all of which were being balloted this season. (6454 applications were received for this match with 5124 tickets available.) Should Villa request their maximum allocation, this would put further demand on the limited volume available to sell.
From the Trust’s point of view, running this match as a ballot with one price point around the ground simply removed the choice of seats from members and prevented existing Season Ticket holders purchasing tickets for juniors; this being a popular match for families, while doing nothing to alleviate the supply v demand issues.
We are still awaiting confirmation of Villa’s maximum allocation for this game having been informed THFC had dispensation not to offer the full 15% required under competition rules this season when the Premier League away allocation was reduced back in the summer.

2. TICKETING FOR THE EUROPA LEAGUE ROUND OF 32 v GENT AT WEMBLEY STADIUM, 23 FEBRUARY 2017
With the announcement of pricing for the Gent Europa League game at Wembley, THST is delighted to see THFC has continued with the widely-praised and successful pricing policy used for the vast majority of cup games in recent years. Accessible pricing has helped drive the huge attendances at our home European games so far, and we believe the message this sends about how to price the Club’s new stadium is clear.

We’re also pleased to see the Club has taken on board lessons from the previous sale and decided to stagger application windows, thus restoring some of the benefits of the depleted Bronze membership offering this season.

We are less happy with two other aspects of this announcement, however. The Club will be offering half-year One Hotspur memberships. This is something that has been done in previous years, but in the unique circumstances of this season the implications are different. Anyone purchasing a half-year membership in January will therefore be able to apply for European home tickets at the more competitive member prices, and will also be eligible to apply for tickets in the ballots for home Premier League games at the reduced capacity White Hart Lane.

With unprecedented demand already for tickets in this unique season, we question the wisdom of increasing demand in this way. The Club says it wants to continue to “grow the fan base”. We recognise the commercial imperatives, but feel there should be a balance between looking after existing members and attracting new fans. We do not believe this balance has been achieved in this case and would have welcomed fuller consultation. The Club has noted our comments but opted to go ahead anyway.

We are also concerned about the change in the way Loyalty Points are to be issued for the Gent home game. The decision to award points retrospectively only when the ticket is used represents a significant change to the principle of LPs and sends out negative messages about our fans.

We obviously do not support the practice of buying tickets simply to get Loyalty Points. And we know that some people do this. But our experience is that the vast majority of fans buy tickets because they want to see the team play. The Club has occasionally awarded LPs retrospectively in the past, but our understanding was that this was for security reasons due to the location of the ties concerned. Now, for the first time, the Club is explicitly stating that it will use LPs to incentivise attendance. It is also making a basic assumption that most fans will buy tickets just for the points unless incentivised to do otherwise, an assumption we find disappointing, to say the least.

We are also concerned that making changes to an already contentious system opens the door to an overregulated approach to issuing match tickets in future. Fans do sometimes miss games for genuine reasons. Let’s hope no Spurs fan who purchases a ticket for this game gets ill or has a last-minute emergency to deal with. There will be no refunds for non-attendance.

Issuing LPs retrospectively will also inevitably lead to complaints from season ticket holders and members who apply for other tickets between the closing of the Gent window and the date of the game who will assume, in line with what has been normal practice, that their points will be credited immediately.

We believe the negatives outweigh the positives here. The Club has told us it thinks the current system works well. And yet at the same time it says the current system needs to be changed. We are at a loss to follow the reasoning and would have preferred to take part in full consultation over the scheme as a whole if the Club was so sure changes had to be made.

If any fans have problems or issues with these changes, our advice is to contact the Club directly by email and to copy us in.

3. POLICING AT THE ARSENAL, WEST HAM UNITED AND CHELSEA MATCHES – NOVEMBER 2016
As reported in last month’s newsletter, THST attended a pre meeting ahead of the away match at Chelsea at the end of November and liaised with the Metropolitan Police and THFC’s Safety team ahead of both Arsenal away and West Ham at home in what was a busy month for high profile, increased risk fixtures. A combined debrief session was arranged for Thursday 8 December which, owing to workloads, was cancelled by THFC. We requested a written report back from the Club and the Met on all three matches in lieu of a face to face meeting and are now sharing those details below:

Arsenal (away fixture) – No problems that THFC is aware of, minimal damage to property, 26 THFC stewards in attendance, plus Head of Supporter Services, Safety Officer and 2 access stewards. The Police operation outside was markedly different from previous matches and worked very well in the view of THFC, with all fans in well before kick-off. Arsenal Safety Officer was very pleased with the day. 15 PSU’s on duty with 6 arrests in total, 4 Arsenal and 2 Spurs (public order offences).

Chelsea (away fixture) – 6 THFC stewards in attendance, plus Head of Supporter Services, Access Officer and an access steward. No issues that THFC is aware of. Turnstiles worked well again and all in at least 5 mins before kick-off. Chelsea thanked THFC and THST again for our support in planning. 6 PSU’s present – 12 arrests in total, 10 Spurs (Possession of controlled substances, Drinking in View, Drunk and Disorderly and Assault) 2 Chelsea (Assault and Possession of controlled substances).

West Ham United (home fixture) – Planning with the Police started very early for this fixture and meetings were also held with senior personnel from West Ham to ensure their support and input for the game. West Ham agreed to send 18 Stewards to the game. These were integrated into THFC’s staffing operation in the away section. Police agreed to Officers on the segregation line from opening and this worked really well, setting the tone early on that THFC would not accept any inappropriate behaviour. The Police operation outside also went well from THFC’s viewpoint. All WHU supporters were inside before kick-off. Post-match, Park Lane/Bromley Road arrangements were in place to separate fans and again, this worked well and all stood down after 20 minutes. This was the best category CIR Matchday Operation THFC has witnessed for many years, with plenty of cooperation from the Police, who supported and assisted their staff throughout the day. West Ham officials were very complimentary of THFC’s operation. The report from the FA Security Officer was also positive and complimentary. 15 PSU’s present. One Metropolitan Police Dog Unit & Mounted Division. 23 arrests in total, 20 WHU (Public order, assault, drunk and disorderly, criminal damage) and 3 Spurs (Assault, Pitch Invasion, Public Order).

4. FEBRUARY TV PICKS – LOBBYING THE PREMIER LEAGUE
Last month, we reported on the first meeting between fan reps and Sky Sports executives to discuss the impact of fixture changes for TV broadcast on match going fans, which can be read here. The FSF subsequently issued a statement, which can be read here. One of the areas discussed was the importance of keeping TV pick announcements to the dates specified on the schedule provided by the Premier League, which can be viewed here. So we were disappointed to see the February TV picks announced a day late, keeping the record of every set of TV picks being announced after their publicised date so far this season.
We were equally unimpressed to see the picks for February the worst yet for travelling fans in terms of public transport options home, including THFC’s match at Liverpool on 11 February where the last train back to London departs at 19:48. THST Co-chair Martin Cloake drills deeper into the effects of rescheduling on match going fans in this article for Yahoo Sport.
THST has been in touch with the Premier League to press the point home that late announcements and the continued inconveniencing of travelling fans is an issue long overdue proper discussion.
The FSF is coordinating a further meeting with Sky Sports and we expect the Premier League to accept the invitation to field representation at this session.
We are working closely with our colleagues at the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust on this issue, also.

5. SUBSIDISED TRANSPORT FOR LIVERPOOL AWAY - 11 FEBRUARY 2017
As referenced above, the rescheduling of Tottenham’s away fixture at Liverpool for broadcast to a 1730 kick off on Saturday 11 February has left fans with no train options back to London that evening. THST has approached THFC to request a charter train to transport fans back to the capital, in line with their commitment to continue to provide subsidised alternatives where public transport is not available. We understand there are extensive engineering works planned for that weekend on the Liverpool to London line so it is not yet clear whether it will be possible to provide a Club train at this stage. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we hear either way.

6. STADIUM COMMUNITY LIAISON GROUP MEETING – 20 DECEMBER 2016
On 8 December, the Club hosted a construction-focused Jobs Fair at White Hart Lane as part of its continued aim to deliver employment opportunities on the site of its new stadium development. A total of 20 employers, including contractors and sub-contractors involved in building the Club’s new 61,000-capacity venue, offered jobs and training opportunities to around 500 local young people in attendance. By the time the stadium opens in August 2018, more than 3,000 construction jobs are expected to have been delivered with the Club aiming to ensure people living within the local area benefit from the employment opportunities created by the scheme.

The Club announced that Haringey Council’s planning sub-committee has given permission for the development of the new ‘Paxton Building’. The building will comprise of new ticket sales offices and ticket windows, covered queuing areas, retail space, administrative offices, a security centre and other ancillary uses. The development will also see the creation of two high quality associated public spaces, enhancing the setting and access to existing heritage assets. The Paxton Building will be housed to the north west of the new stadium, close to Lilywhite House. The application is still subject to a further legal process, detailed design works and agreement with the leaseholder. This application represents the first phase of the Club’s commitment to invest in and restore the Northern Terrace, which is a historic terrace of Statutorily Listed and non-designated heritage assets between 790 and 814 High Road. Further plans for the Northern Terrace includes creating an attractive and useable space and enhancing the heritage significance of the area. As part of that plan, the Grade II Listed 796 High Road, more commonly known as ‘Percy House’ is already undergoing restoration with a completion date of December 2017. It will become the new home of the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and a Community and Employment hub. The Northern Terrace also includes 810-812 High Road. The Club's proposals will ensure their sensitive restoration to bring them back into beneficial use, with plans due to be submitted to Haringey Council in the coming months.

Other:

THST AGM 2017 - 13 FEBRUARY 2017
As a formally constituted Friends and Industrial Provident Society, THST is required to hold an AGM before the end of February each year. The date for the 2017 AGM has been set for Monday 13 February 2017 and will be held at Nabarro LLP, 125 London Wall, EC2Y 5AL from 7pm onwards. Full Trust members will receive the formal convening notice on Friday 6 January, which will detail the resolutions to be covered at the meeting. In line with our constitution, we will also be holding elections to the Trust Board at our AGM. Anyone interested in standing for election should ensure they are a fully paid up member of THST before the process opens. Nomination forms will be included in the formal AGM communications on 6 January 2017.

Membership details can be found here for anyone wishing to join the Trust or upgrade their current membership.

THE FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS’ FEDERATION AWARDS 2016 - 5 DECEMBER 2016
The start of December saw the annual FSF Awards ceremony take place at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel. For the third year in a row, Tottenham Hotspur’s Head of Supporter Services, Jonathan Waite, had been shortlisted in the Supporter Liaison Officer of the Year category. Unsuccessful on both previous occasions, missing out to Stoke and Sunderland, we were delighted to finally see Jonathan recognised for his consistently strong work with and on behalf of fans at Spurs. Jonathan has a daily dialogue with THST and we are all fortunate to have such a dedicated, competent liaison officer working for our Club.
Immediately after receiving the award, Jonathan gave an interview to the FSF, which can be read here. His constructive and open approach will be very much needed as we enter a challenging period at Tottenham Hotspur with the move to Wembley and the opening of the new stadium on the horizon. Congratulations to Jonathan on this well-deserved accolade.

PREMIER LEAGUE ENTERPRISE CHALLENGE 2016
Along with Spurs fan and sports journalist, Emma Storey, and THFC's Supporters Club Operations Manager, Stacy Haley, the Trust’s Kevin Fitzgerald had the pleasure of witnessing and judging five local secondary school presentations at Lilywhite House earlier in the month.
In this year's Premier League Enterprise Challenge, each team of five 14-15 year old students outlined their proposals on the best way to generate interest and enthusiasm for THFC in the USA and thereby attract more new fans from the States.
The judges were impressed by the presentations of realistic and thoughtful business plans; selecting a winner was no easy choice. Enfield Grammar School's input was judged to be the strongest and their five students won the contest. They now go forward to the regional stage of the competition on 3 February at The Emirates. Most appropriate that it should take place at a library.
As a couple of extra treats for their efforts, all 25 of the students were taken on a stadium tour and then returned to meet and have photos taken with Spurs' USA player, Cameron Carter-Vickers, who also undertook a Q&A with Gareth Dace of the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.

ANTWERP ARMS SHARE ISSUE
As reported in our September Newsletter, community owned pub - The Antwerp Arms - agreed at its AGM to move ahead with plans for major improvements to the pub’s interior. As part of the financing, a new share issue has been launched. So, if you would like to have a share, or increase your share in the ownership of the pub, please click here for more details.

FOOTBALL TO AMSTERDAM 2017
Another five Spurs riders have signed up since last month’s Newsletter. So, we are now up to 20 cyclists for next summer's ride from London to Amsterdam and it's not too late to join us. Just click here. Set yourself the best New Year’s resolution there is: get cycling and help to raise money to combat Prostate Cancer.
If you’d like to give us some extra motivation with a donation, the 'Cycle On You Spurs' team's fundraising page can be found here.

A reminder…

iSpurs information portal
The Club has also set up a new, dedicated information portal online which answers many of the questions we are frequently contacted with. We’d urge fans to read and familiarise themselves with the details available on the portal as we continue to receive a high volume of questions asking for this information.

Media:
Co-chair Martin Cloake on fixture rescheduling:
Supporters’ Direct weekly podcast, 16 December 2016
Co-chair Katrina Law on Women in the Trust Movement:
Supporters' Direct interview, December 2016

And finally…
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all THST members for their continued support throughout 2016 and wish you and yours a happy festive period and a healthy and successful 2017.

Up the Spurs.


THST Board
23 December 2016.

 

[Don Diaz]

If any of you want to ask Danny boy, or any of the board a question, now is your chance (or you can just email Donna Cullen like Bass did??!!) see below, if you're not a member send it to me and I'll do it on your behalf. Personally I'd like to know how many season tickets they expect to be available and whether you can choose, if you're lucky enough to get one, where you want to sit.


Your questions for the THFC Board, please

Dear

Our next formal meeting with Mr Levy and the Spurs Board is scheduled for Tuesday 7 February 2017. We'd like to invite your questions for this session by the end of next Tuesday, 31 January, please. This will give us sufficient time to consider all comments and shape the agenda accordingly.

Email us with any burning issues and we'll do our best to cover those off on the night.

All member questions will be collated into a pack and handed to each of the Spurs Board at the start of the session, too.

Many thanks,

THST Board

23 January 2017

 

[skiathospurs]

Like how much will those rotisserie chickens cost??

Joking aside I asked 2 years ago about televising the U23/18 matches and the question was put to the board.Thats seems to have slipped this season I may ask the same question again!!

 

[Don Diaz]

January News:

Updates on:

New Spurs Stadium
Away travel: Sunderland and Liverpool
FA Cup pricing and sales mechanism
Premier League Trusts Meeting with Supporters Direct
TV fixtures and broadcast picks
Home ballots and half season memberships
Catering

Other:
THST AGM – 13 February
THST Board Meeting – 25 January
THFC / THST Board Meeting
Football to Amsterdam 2017

1. NEW SPURS STADIUM
Inevitably, the new stadium and the belief that we have entered the last five months at the old White Hart Lane have been on the minds of many Spurs fans since the turn of the year. Over the past 18 months, we have made the Club aware that fans want to be informed about both the move to any temporary ground and the move into the new stadium as clearly and as early as possible, that we expect proper discussion on pricing and migration, and that there is a strong desire from a large number of fans to feed into the process of saying goodbye to our old ground.

We understand the Club does not want to make definite statements until it is absolutely certain about them. But we’ve also pointed out that fans are making travel and purchase decisions based on the belief that this is the last season at White Hart Lane. We’ve also reminded them the view that demand would be high for the last season at our old ground was partly behind their decision to introduce a ballot for home tickets.

At the beginning of this month, we asked if the Club would at least confirm the date by which a decision had to be made on where we would be playing next year. We were told that everything was in hand and that we were making an issue where there was none – a view that has been contradicted by the number of questions on this very subject we are receiving from fellow supporters. We also asked the Premier League for the date by which a club would need to inform them of any change in home venue. And we ran into a similar inability to provide a straight answer.

It eventually became clear through various comments in the media that the end of March was the date by which THFC has to take up its option to use Wembley for the 2017/18 season. We see no reason why the Club could not have told us this directly.

On 26 January, THFC released a joint statement with Wembley National Stadium Limited supporting WNSL in their planning application to the London Borough of Brent to increase the number of full capacity events at the stadium for the 2017-18 season, but fell short of confirming Spurs would actually be playing at the venue next season. It additionally raised a number of fresh questions that we are pursuing as this newsletter is being completed.

January also saw the press launch of the new stadium’s Premium packages, along with a more detailed view of what the new stadium would have to offer. This was generally well-received, although some of our American members did question why the Club chose Inauguration Day for such an important launch.

While we understand selling the Premium packages is key to continuing to demonstrate the stadium’s financial viability, we would like to have seen a little more about what the stadium will have to offer Season Ticket holders, Members and general admission fans. And, while the Trust has pushed for stretch pricing at the new stadium, the fact that Premium prices have been decided will inevitably have some bearing on the rest of the pricing structure. To date, the Club has held no detailed discussions around pricing at the new stadium with the Trust.

We know that members are keen to find out about pricing and migration into the new stadium, and prices and migration for next season. We will continue to press for the earliest possible discussion on and input into these key subjects, which we are reminded on a daily basis are uppermost in fans’ minds. We would hope to see an improvement in the level of communication with the Club here.

As referenced at our September Board to Board meeting, the long-awaited New Stadium website is now live, here.

2. AWAY TRAVEL
Our policy is always to push for help with transport when away fixture kick-off times mean public transport is difficult or impossible for fans. This was the case with the Liverpool and Sunderland fixtures, and we are grateful to the Club’s Supporter Services department for its efforts in securing a train for each game at a subsidised price.

We receive lots of mail from fans asking if trains and train times for such fixtures can be confirmed earlier. Securing these services depends on the willingness of the train companies to provide the service and their ability to fit them around existing timetables. So that means it’s often quite late before details can be confirmed. We appreciate the Club’s efforts in negotiating these services.

However, there’s one issue we will pressing for a better solution to. A number of fans who had booked train tickets for the Liverpool game were subsequently unsuccessful with their applications for match tickets. They were at first informed by Thomas Cook Sport that their travel would not be refunded. We told the Club this was not acceptable and, to the credit of both the Club and TCS, refunds were issued where appropriate.

We have asked that, in future, money for travel is not taken until match tickets are issued, or that the ticket application window is moved forward significantly. The ability to use a match ticket depends upon the ability to get to and from a match and it should be possible to acknowledge this in the sales and allocation process. We remain in discussion with the Club about improving this aspect of the system.

Details of the train services provided can be found here.

3. FA CUP PRICING AND SALE MECHANISM
Victory against Aston Villa in the FA Cup at the start of the month saw us in the hat for the fourth round, where we were the first ball out and drawn against Wycombe Wanderers at White Hart Lane, with the match scheduled for Saturday 28 January 2017. As always, we contacted THFC immediately after the draw had taken place to register our request for the continuation of the accessible cup pricing policy of £20 Adults, £10 Seniors and £5 Juniors, offering concessions in all stands and changing the sales mechanism back to an online sale for this game, restoring the Bronze booking window, also.

We were pleased when THFC announced the ticketing details with all of our requests in place. We believe the sales mechanism, especially, was the right call following our objections to the ballot used for the Villa match.

We had also asked for the visiting allocation to be in line with that granted to Aston Villa, which was 3,000. Wycombe Wanderers were originally offered 2,900 but pushed this up to 4,035 which resulted in some Season Ticket holders needing to be relocated for this match. In a break from normal procedure, THFC gave these fans a choice of where they wanted to sit for this game rather than automatically relocating them with no say, which we think was a positive move.

4. PREMIER LEAGUE TRUSTS MEETING WITH SUPPORTERS DIRECT
On 16 January, Katrina Law and Martin Cloake attended a meeting of Premier League Trusts as part of Supporters Direct’s Premier League Trust network. SD’s new Chief Executive, Ashley Brown, was present and there was a full and frank discussion about the work SD does with Premier League Trusts and how everyone saw the relationship developing.

SD still faces challenges with its funding, but a generally positive meeting identified some practical ways of working together, and renewed the focus on lobbying to improve the way the voice of fans is heard within the game.

5. TV FIXTURE RESCHEDULING
One of the campaign issues on the agenda at the above meeting with Supporters Direct was the work carried out by THST and the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust on the effects of fixture rescheduling. It was agreed that other Trusts would contribute to the research work, providing more examples of how rescheduling had affected fans.

The Football Supporters’ Federation also took this issue to their National Council meeting on 22 January and subsequently agreed to make this a priority campaign.

A further meeting is planned with Sky TV for February, and we will also be looking to meet with reps from BT Sport as well as the Premier League.

6. HOME BALLOTS AND HALF SEASON MEMBERSHIPS
The first two home ballots since half-season memberships were issued saw a marked increase in applications, up to 9,267 for the Stoke City game and 13,168 for the Everton game. The increase in demand could be down to the team’s continued success, the fact that the number of games left at White Hart Lane this season is diminishing, the increased number of members created by the half season offer, or a combination of all three. The feedback we’ve had from fans so far suggests the increased number of members is seen as the main reason. We are currently seeking confirmation of the number of half-season packages sold.
We advised the Club not to go ahead with offering half-season memberships. Their response was that it was no different from what they usually did. We pointed out that the circumstances of this season were unique, and this decision also undermined the basis on which the home ballot was put forward. The Club said they had to consider the commercial advantages. We are forced to conclude that commercial advantage was considered more important than looking after existing fans, a stance we find extremely disappointing.

7. CATERING
Following a positive meeting with caterers Levy Restaurants (no relation!) at the end of last year, we followed up on progress, noting that some of the improvements that had been discussed had yet to appear, and that complaints were still being received about various aspects of the service. We had to push a number of times for answers.
While we accept the limitations of the current stadium, we had hoped that some improvements could be made to the current service. There had been requests to reinstate the mobile bagel sellers in all stands, and Levy Restaurants had agreed to look at this, although they’d said few bagels were being sold. We replied that this was because no one knew where they were on sale, hence the request to bring back the mobile sellers. In following this up and reporting that the mobile bagel sellers still hadn’t appeared, we were told that few bagels were being sold. We will continue to make efforts to break out of the stage of this discussion that is as circular as the elusive bagels.
We’d also raised the pricing of small bottles of water at £2.30. We were told that the business model would not sustain a price reduction. This is clearly unacceptable, and we thought it might be worth trying to see how the business model would sustain receiving nothing for a bottle of water. So we are advising supporters who want water to ask for tap water, which there is a requirement to supply for free.

Other:

• THST AGM – 13 FEBRUARY

Much of January has been spent organising the THST Annual General Meeting, which takes place on Monday 13 February 2017 on London Wall. This unsexy but essential work can be incredibly time consuming and, as a result, a lot of our efforts have been focused internally over the past month.

Formal convening notices were issued on Friday 6 January, with nominations for candidates to the Board open until 17 January. Voting forms and candidate manifestos will be issued to full members on Monday 30 January, who are encouraged to vote on all resolutions by post, proxy or in person at the AGM itself. The dedicated section of our website will also display all the information necessary from 30 January.

In addition, we have drafted our Annual Report, which is currently being type set and art directed by THST member Justin Ford. This rather chunky but hugely informative document will be available to download from our website on Monday 13 February.

We have also prepared our presentation for the AGM, had our accounts audited and made sure there will be sufficient biscuits for our members on the night so please make sure the 13 February is in your diary if you’re a full member of THST with voting rights!

• THST BOARD MEETING – 25 JANUARY

As part of our AGM preparation, we held our Q1 Board Meeting on 25 January. This was a planning session for the report back on the night and an opportunity to catch up on internal work streams during this final meeting of the current Board.

The first meeting of the new Board has been scheduled for 1 March 2017, where positions and responsibilities for the coming year will be discussed and agreed.

• MEETING WITH EXECUTIVE BOARD OF THFC

With the next meeting with the Executive Board of THFC scheduled for 7 February, we opened up questions from THST members and the wider fan base on 23 January. These questions help sense check our proposed agenda against fan priorities and inform our approach and priorities at the meeting.

On 24 January, THFC informed us they needed to reschedule this meeting owing to a subsequent commitment with Haringey Council and we are, at present, pressing for an alternative date.

We’ll collate and send all submitted questions across to the Board of THFC in advance as a pre read and push for responses to the more timely issues accordingly.

• FOOTBALL TO AMSTERDAM 2017

Our ‘Cycle On You Spurs’ team now has 24 riders heading off to Amsterdam for Prostate Cancer UK on 9-11 June 2017. That’s ten more than our table topping team of 2016. And the good news is it’s not too late to join them. Not only that, but if you sign up during the January transfer window you get £25 off the registration fee. Information can be found here.

Sign up and you’ll be cycling with Spurs fans and, as if that wasn’t enough, with Sir Les Ferdinand.

The team would love to see donations coming in from Spurs fans. You can help Spur them on here.

Contact Kevin at THST with any questions.


A reminder…

iSpurs information portal
The Club has also set up a new, dedicated information portal online which answers many of the questions we are frequently contacted with. We’d urge fans to read and familiarise themselves with the details available on the portal as we continue to receive a high volume of questions asking for this information.


THST Board
27 January 2017

 

[Dorset]

Levy restaurants - no relation! Yeah right!

 

[Don Diaz]

Here is the annual report for anyone that's interested in what the THST get up to in their liaison with the club and do for you as a supporter.

http://www.thstofficial.com/uploads/9/2/2/6/92268578/thst_annual_report_2016-17_spreads.pdf

 

[Don Diaz]

February News - some interesting 'behind the scenes' stuff here, like THST lobbying both our club and also away clubs like Fulham in the FA Cup on ticket prices and allocations. Why not join....it costs £10.00 for a year, only a bit more than 2 pints of beer.

1. THST Annual General Meeting
We held our AGM on 13 February, and thanks to those full members who either turned up on the night or sent in proxy votes. Details are on the AGM section of our website, but all the resolutions were passed. This means that we welcome Pete Haine as a new board member, and welcome back Katrina Law, Keith Sharp and Kevin Fitzgerald. The Greene Partnership was reappointed as auditors.
We also published our Annual Report, which can be read here.
The first meeting of the new Board is set for 6 March, where positions and work streams will be agreed for the coming year.
It is also likely our regular hosts, Nabarro, will no longer be able to accommodate our meetings after the end of next month so should any members have office space they'd be willing to offer up in Central London, we'd be delighted to hear from you.

2. WNSL application to Brent Council
Wembley National Stadium Limited has applied to Brent Council to remove the maximum capacity cap on events at Wembley. This would enable THFC to use the stadium’s full capacity of 90,000 for more games.
As we compiled this newsletter, we have no further detail on what this would mean as the application was not due to be heard until the end of March.
In discussions with THFC, we have asked that full information on next season is communicated to fans as soon after the hearing as possible, and that information on the new stadium is communicated as soon as possible after that.

3. Sky TV meeting
Following an initial meeting of fan reps and executives from Sky Sports in November, reps from Chelsea Supporters' Trust, Spirit of Shankly and THST once again met with senior Sky representatives on 22 February to continue discussions around the impact of games moved for broadcast on matchgoing fans. In a constructive and positive meeting, Sky recognised that their customers and matchgoing fans were one and the same, and the need to balance selecting the most attractive fixtures for broadcast with the problems that need caused travelling fans.
Sky explained how they are now mindful of the impact of their selections and had flipped subsequent TV picks as a result of the previous meeting with fan reps in November.
There are limitations as to how many of the issues facing travelling fans Sky can reasonably resolve. The Premier League sets the fixture list each season with no input from the broadcasters and Sky are contractually obliged to show each team in certain slots a minimum (and maximum) time each season, meaning accommodating all fans at all times isn't possible. But we were encouraged by Sky’s enthusiasm to continue to build a working relationship with supporter representatives and the desire, from the top of the organisation, to reduce the frequency of matches which see fans travelling from one end of the country to the other at ungodly hours, often with no public transport options available.
The fan reps will now seek meetings with the Premier League, BT Sport, the train operators and individual Clubs as we look for a joined-up approach to ensuring fixture rescheduling for broadcast purposes has minimal impact on travelling fans in the future.

4. Fulham FA Cup tie
Immediately after the FA Cup Fifth Round draw pitched Spurs against Fulham at Craven Cottage, we lobbied THFC to push for accessible pricing, as always. Their impact is extremely limited in FA Cup
away games, where the host Club sets the pricing. So, we also contacted our peers at the Fulham Supporters' Trust to ask for their support in keeping the cost of attending the game down.
The pricing was acceptable at £30 for adults, given FFC's previous fondness of charging £49 for away fans at PL matches, but it was disappointing we didn’t get more of the neutral section in our allocation. We were also disappointed that Fulham charged £45 for neutral section tickets.
Thanks to our friends at Fulham Supporters’ Trust for putting the case for accessible pricing at this game.

5. Millwall FA Cup tie
As soon as the FA Cup Sixth Round draw was announced, as is our standard practice, we lobbied THFC for £20 adult tickets, concessions everywhere and no ballot. The Club makes the final decision on ticketing based on a number of factors, and we feed opinion into this.
We received lots of questions about whether tickets for this game should have been allocated by loyalty points. There were pros and cons for issuing tickets in this way or via a straight online sale. Issuing tickets via loyalty points would have meant losing the chance to choose a seat in a particular location, which we know from feedback throughout this season is an important consideration for many fans, perhaps even more so considering the opposition for this fixture, whereas an online sale doesn’t take loyalty point totals into account.
Pricing also has an influence, and we did not know the Club’s decision on this until it was announced on the official Club website. We’re pleased Spurs opted to keep tickets below the level it has previously pushed quarter-final pricing up to, and we also recognise the Away club will, realistically, have had some input into discussions even though the final decision on pricing is that of the host club. We’re particularly pleased THFC did not push the pricing into game categorisation, something that would have seen members paying a minimum of £47 for a top priced ticket in a location they may not have wanted had tickets been allocated on loyalty points.
We are pleased with the inclusion of a bronze member window in this sales period, considering the erosion of benefits to this level of membership seen this season. And we consider £25 for adults and £10 for concessions throughout the stadium to be satisfactory pricing.
As always, perspective on the fairness or otherwise of any ticketing system depends heavily on individual circumstance.

6. Gent away Europa League tie
There were a few issues with travel to and entry into the stadium at Gent, and THST board members there attempted as best we could to liaise with THFC staff and get up-to-date information out to travelling fans via Twitter. We felt that communication from the home club at the gates themselves could have been better, and some of the travelling support did not gain entry to the ground until after kick-off.
Once inside the stadium, there was an inconsistent attitude to sitting fans in the seats specified on their tickets and we also found that the refreshment voucher token system we had been told would not be in operation was in fact in operation. At the end of the game, travelling fans were held back even though we had previously been told we would not be.
As always in these cases, we try to provide as much information as possible – communication is key – and we used the Trust Twitter feed to push information out once we had liaised with the THFC stewarding team.
We understand this was one of the largest travelling supports Gent have had to deal with, and acknowledge their communication after the game asking for feedback and apologising for any problems.
We’d also like to, once again, praise the efforts of our travelling stewards.

7. Gent at Wembley
Storm Doris caused widespread disruption to train services on the evening of our Europa League tie against KAA Gent at Wembley. That meant many fans were unable to get to the game. A number have contacted us after finding their loyalty points for this game would not be allocated, in line with the decision made by the Club to award points retrospectively on this occasion.
We strongly disagreed with the decision to award points retrospectively when the Club announced it would be making this change for this game. We understood the concern that the Club’s decision to price tickets very accessibly could mean fans bought tickets just to get the LPs, but our objection was based on two factors.
The first was that the vast majority of fans buy tickets to see a game. We’d argue that 80,000 people turning up on the night underlines that. The second was that there may be perfectly legitimate reasons why fans could not attend. And this proved to be the case, with travel disruption making it impossible for a significant number of fans to attend despite the very best of intentions.
Our advice has been for fans to contact the Club, but we understand the Club is sticking by its decision only to award LPs to fans whose ticket barcode was scanned on the night.

Other

• Observing the Southampton ballot

Following an open invitation from the Club to observe a ballot this season, co-chairs Martin Cloake and Katrina Law spent the 7 February in the Park Lane Ticket Office as the ballot was run for the Southampton home game next month. The process is overseen by the Ticket Office Manager, Beth Demery, with technical support from Ticketmaster. The ballot began at 11.30 with the West Upper allocation and concluded at 3.30 with the North and South restricted views, with seats being allocated live and appearing on members’ accounts immediately.
We were impressed by the smoothness of the process, despite the need for extreme concentration throughout, and thank Beth, especially, for her patience in answering our often very obvious questions and talking us through from start to finish. Running the ballot fairly is an extremely complex process, and it’s clear much thought has gone into how to do this to provide the best possible outcome for supporters.
There is no doubt they are run fairly and squarely, and the draw is entirely random.

• Subsidised train for Liverpool away

We were grateful to our Head of Supporter Services, Jonathan Waite, for once again arranging a chartered train to help our fans get back to London after the Liverpool match was pushed into a Saturday 5.30pm slot for broadcast purposes on 11 February. The last scheduled train departed from Lime Street less than 20 minutes after the end of the match.
However, some difficulties were highlighted with the coordination of the sales process between Thomas Cook Sport and THFC. At present, TCS will accept bookings on chartered trains and take monies ahead of the Club allocating match tickets. This inevitably leads to a situation where fans who have missed out on match tickets are left with train tickets they’ve paid for, with no option of a refund. We think this is unacceptable and while we managed to secure refunds for fans affected this time, have asked that the process be reviewed by both THFC and TCS to ensure there is full integration between the sale of train tickets and the allocation of match tickets moving forwards.

• Writing to David Lammy re: FA reform debate

We wrote to Tottenham MP, David Lammy, asking for his support in the debate on football governance in Parliament, scheduled for 9 February, and emphasising our view that formal representation for supporters needed to be part of any reform package. Mr Lammy replied, saying he supported our views but would not be attending the session because he had been at the Brexit debate throughout the previous two days.
The timing of the debate, coming after the Brexit vote, was not ideal and we recognise both that football governance does not sit quite as far up the scale as such a vital and contentious issue as Brexit, and that many MPs had put in long shifts in the debate in the preceding days.
Mr Lammy’s reply did state that he would follow up on the football governance issue with the Sports Minister, and we asked to be kept informed of any progress.
We also encouraged fans to lobby their MPs via the Vote Football platform ahead of the debate.

• THFC/ THST Board to Board meeting

The next formal meeting of representatives of the Club and Trust Boards is scheduled for Tuesday 28 February. As this session was rescheduled from 7 February, we have already shared members’ questions with the Club and will look to focus on key issues such as the plans for next season, commemorating White Hart Lane and moving into the new stadium during the session, always emphasising the need for clear, concise and timely communication with supporters and encouraging genuine consultation over issues that directly affect fans. We’ll publish a report from this meeting as soon as is possible after the session.

• Football to Amsterdam 2017

For the Cycle On You Spurs team of 24 riders the big day is getting closer, as training is underway for the ride to Amsterdam for Prostate Cancer from the Olympic Velodrome on 9 June. Once again, we’ll be the largest team to set out from Stratford, but if we are to be the biggest fundraisers again we need to see those donations rolling in.
Each rider has their individual fundraising page for friends and family. If you would like to give the whole team an encouraging push then please donate here. With one in eight men in the UK suffering from Prostate Cancer at some stage in their lives this is a vital cause to support.

A reminder…

iSpurs information portal
The Club has also set up a new, dedicated information portal online which answers many of the questions we are frequently contacted with. We’d urge fans to read and familiarise themselves with the details available on the portal as we continue to receive a high volume of questions asking for this information.

 

[Don Diaz]

There has been some news recently but I can't find it at present, from THST regarding plans for the last game vs Manchester United, selling seats off etc. and also that the cost of the new stadium is now £800m.....big stuff.

When I find it I'll post it.

 

[skiathospurs]

http://www.thstofficial.com/thst-news/thstthfc-board-to-board-meeting-28-february-2017-report
THST/THFC Board to Board Meeting, 28 February 2017 - Report
1. Outstanding action points from last meeting on 19 September
• JW to confirm arrangements for meeting with the caterers at the Man City match - done
• IM to update THST on internal discussions around concessionary areas in home ballots - done
• IM to update THST with decision on whether to split North /South stand in home ballots - done
• THST to explore finding a sponsor to subsidise away travel – no progress
• Discussion on an Amnesty for Season Ticket holders at Wembley deferred to the next meeting of the two boards
• THST to assist with Club comms re: early arrival at Wembley for remaining UCL matches – done
• DC to contact RS at the PL re: DCMS definition of rail seating - done

2. White Hart Lane and next season
Latest on new stadium build
• MB asked if the stadium build was on schedule. DL said it was always the case with schemes of this size that some areas were ahead and some behind. This was part of the ebb and flow of a complex project.
• DL stated this was the most complex private build project in Europe at this time so this was to be expected
• DL remained focused on the stadium being completed on time, ready for the start of the 2018/19 season in August 2018

WNSL application to Brent Council
• MB asked for further information on the application to remove the current maximum capacity events cap at Wembley lodged by Wembley National Stadium Limited (WNSL) with Brent Council last month. DC explained why THFC wanted the option of operating a full capacity venue for every match at Wembley. This was about atmosphere. And THFC want to create the best environment for football
• DC also explained how THFC will look at extra mitigation measures for the local community should the application be successful. THFC has already delivered some very successful community initiatives for Brent over this season and would look to expand this further
• MC asked why this application had been lodged so, seemingly, late in the day. DL stressed this was not the Club’s application. It was WNSL’s application, as were the timings. A decision is due to be made on 23 March.

Timeline for Wembley decision and fan communication
• KL asked when the Club would be making a decision on Wembley for next season. DL explained there are a number of factors associated with the move adding that once the Board takes the final decision to move away for one season everything ‘must be right’. That decision will mean the demolition of White Hart Lane so there is no margin for error. DL said the move was like a jigsaw with a number of pieces needing to come together (construction timetable/ public sector works/stadium financing). DL said the decision will be taken as late as possible so as to minimise the chances of making the wrong call.
• KL asked what Plan B was should the Club not move to Wembley for next season. DL insisted all planning is towards playing fixtures at Wembley next season but there is a need to plan for all eventualities should any major issues arise, which would mean another year at White Hart Lane before moving to Wembley for the 2018/19 season. THFC will not move away for two years so all conditions must be right before they make the call to move this summer
• DL acknowledged the inconvenience this would cause to fans and the Club’s staff but stressed it was important to get this right

Fan migration, Season Tickets and pricing structure
• KL asked for an update on current Season Ticket renewal plans and the fan migration to Wembley and then back to the new stadium. IM said talks were ongoing with the THFC Board with a further meeting due tomorrow (Wednesday) to discuss the various scenarios
• On migration, IM said that the current thinking was to move existing ST holders in blocks and provide a period for season ticket holders to accept their suggested seats or to choose another if this did not suit them. Blocks would be moved into areas as closely comparable to the current layout as possible. Away fans would be in the area where visiting fans were positioned for UEFA matches. This is down to police advice, segregation requirements and the capacity to increase the away area for cup games
• KL asked how the offer of season tickets at Wembley and the new stadium to Bronze members on the waiting list would be constructed
• There was some discussion on alternatives being considered which demonstrated all possible options were being explored
• DL and IM asked that discussion be deferred as the Club Board was currently in the process of considering options and it was premature to discuss further at this time. Date to be scheduled for mid April

Coach travel to away matches
• RM asked, with the Club potentially playing at Wembley next season, where the coaches for away games would be departing from? White Hart Lane or elsewhere? JW said discussions were continuing with TFL and Thomas Cook Sport (TCS) and the Club was looking at alternative pick-up areas in N17, N19, N9 and EN1. This would be communicated as soon as more information was available. The current arrangement cannot be sustained next year due to limited space and extended controlled parking zones around the stadium

Commemorating White Hart Lane
• MB asked for details of plans to commemorate White Hart Lane and the final game at the current stadium. DC explained that, while it was yet to be confirmed as the last game, plans were in place for the lead up to the Manchester United match so that all was prepared. The programme had been written. The book, The Lane, was on sale from booksellers and directly from the Club. There would be a call for fans to share memories starting with an 82 year old fan's recollections next week. A comprehensive documentary is being produced. A campaign identity has been agreed. All channels have been tied in. Fans are sending in ideas and thoughts and it would be a collaborative celebration
• DC confirmed that a team was in place for delivering an appropriate farewell ceremony
• The time and date for this match was yet to be confirmed which would determine certain aspects of the ceremony
• DC explained there were also plans for a time capsule and fans would be asked what they felt should be included in that.
• Fans should email futureplans@tottenhamhotspur.com with their thoughts and memories
• It was the current intention that a selection of seats would be available for purchase after the final game at the Lane

3. New Stadium
Update on premium sales
• KL asked for an update on Premium sales. Were they selling well? DL stated the take up was better than expected, with many of those on the ST waiting list choosing to purchase Premium seats. Over 50% of the 8,000 available have now been sold
• KL asked for clarification as to where these seats were located after being contacted by existing West Stand ST holders concerned they would not be able to sit in an equivalent GA seat in the new stadium. IM explained that some of the East and West central sections will be Premium seating areas but that there was so much more choice in the new stadium that it was not possible to offer any direct comparison with the current ground. There were more levels with more central areas available and some would be GA, some would be Premium
• DC said there would be more choice available for supporters. DL said the stadium is significantly larger with Premium seating in certain areas but more GA choices elsewhere
• KL asked that THFC articulate this clearly to fans currently sitting in those central blocks of the East and West as soon as they are ready to go out with the GA offer, explain the different offerings and why this experience will be different and offer much more choice. Fans are likely to be concerned, as details and plans for the GA sections have yet to be released, so they are working on limited knowledge right now

Timelines for GA communication
• MC said supporters had expressed concern that the Club appeared to be communicating information solely about Premium seating but not the general admission offer. DL said it was important to undertake the sale of Premium seats first and that the Club would look to communicate GA options and sales towards the end of the year
• He added pricing on GA tickets would not be influenced by corporate seat sales
• MC and KL expressed the hope that the need to pay for the new stadium would be balanced with recognition of the financial contribution fans had already made
• KL acknowledged DL’s commitment to ensuring families and younger adults could afford to attend matches and underlined the point that pricing needed to be accessible for them
• It was hoped the Club would be able to provide more information at the next meeting

Finance, naming rights and ancillary projects
• MB asked if all of the financing was in place to complete the stadium build. DL stated that the funds would come from different sources and that the cost of the stadium was now estimated circa £800m
• MC asked about the leaked email to Haringey Council, published in the Evening Standard last week, in which the Club was critical of the public sector support. DL said the Club was the only party to have delivered on their commitments thus far
• MC said that, while this was the first time the Trust had received no questions on transfer activity in the run-up to a B2B meeting, an interview in the media with Mauricio Pochettino in the last few days prompted some clarification. The manager had said the Club’s ability to compete in the transfer market would be constrained by the new stadium project, and MC pointed out that the Club line had always been that transfer funds would be ring-fenced
• MC asked if it was true to say that, while transfer funds would be ring-fenced, the amount that could be ring-fenced was, by definition, smaller than what could be ring-fenced if the stadium project did not need to be financed. DL said funds were available and it was always the case given the finances of the Club that we had to be realistic in the transfer market whilst still supporting the squad
• MB asked whether THFC would consider keeping White Hart Lane in the name of the new stadium e.g. The Sony Stadium at White Hart Lane. DL explained that would not be possible as it would have a commercial impact on any naming rights deal and Tottenham Hotspur is an integral part of the heritage of the area and Club is creating a new destination
• MB asked how far naming rights discussions were down the line. DL said that, rather like finding a shirt sponsor, it was about finding the right company with the right brand that were the right fit for THFC at the right time. THFC is talking to a number of companies at the moment but there is no timetable to sign a deal as yet
• MB asked when the Club would like to have a deal in place. DC reiterated that it was not unusual for naming rights to be agreed nearer the completion of a build programme

Ancillary projects – White Hart Lane station and infrastructure
• MB asked for an update on the station rebuild. DL responded that the work was behind schedule but THFC believed the station would be functioning if not fully fitted out by August 2018. The Club is pressing TfL for timings
• MB asked for the latest on potentially renaming White Hart Lane station. DL and DC said discussions were still ongoing
• KL asked DC to keep her informed as to the timings, especially the public consultation period, for any proposals
• Regarding other transport issues, JW met with Abellio last week to explore options for Park and Ride schemes for the new stadium and will feed back once information is available

Safe standing
• MC thanked DC for contacting Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore, after the last meeting in September and asked if the Club would be prepared to be part of a pan-PL approach advocating the introduction of safe standing areas this summer. DC and DL asked if this could be discussed at a later meeting when the issue has been discussed within the League
• DC said Richard Scudamore was not surprised the Club had contacted him about safe standing and believed it had moved up the PL agenda after the Club had agreed to THST’s request to raise it.

Catering
• RM asked, following the news that Levy Restaurants (no relation) had been awarded a ten-year contract, how they would convince fans that they had any intention of delivering a better service than is currently offered to GA supporters? JW asked for examples of any issues and RM said she would provide them. The Trust had taken the time to meet Levy Restaurants but nothing tangible had been actioned so far
• DL was very clear that he expected improvements to be implemented promptly. RM asked if a meeting could be arranged with Levy Restaurants (no relation) so regular discussions could take place. DL said this was a good idea and was keen to establish a productive working relationship. DL said in the new stadium the catering would work in a different way – it would be a service not a profit stream. He stressed the Club did not want to see fans being ripped off.
• RM also acknowledged the positive news that local producers would be included in the offerings at the new stadium

London Living Wage
• RM asked for clarification that THFC was paying all staff the London Living Wage. DC confirmed that all employees working within their London-based operations are paid, as a minimum, the London Living Wage or equivalent remuneration
• DC confirmed the Club has also participated in positive discussions with its main third party suppliers, and has a commitment from them to move towards paying their full time staff the London Living Wage

4. Ticket exchange for 2017/18
• KL noted the StubHub deal was due to expire in May and asked what the Club would be doing about the ticket exchange system from then onwards. KL reiterated the negative view of some supporters towards StubHub and stated that, with the Club playing in a potential 90,000 capacity stadium next season, the ticket market would be fundamentally altered. She reiterated the need for supporters to have a platform to exchange tickets
• KL said the Trust favoured taking the exchange back in house, where it could be tailored according to circumstances and would give THFC complete control
• IM said StubHub was under contract until May and no decision will be taken until the end of that period
• DL added this was part of the wider ticketing conversation to be completed in a few weeks’ time

5. AOB
• ST to brief THST on police approach and plans for the Millwall game ahead of the FA Cup Quarter Final
• ST/ JW to arrange a pre meet with the police and WHU ahead of the away match at West Ham United
• JW to confirm dates for pre meet with AST, AFC and the police ahead of the home North London Derby
• ST to confirm when in May the next formal meeting of Haringey Safety Advisory Group will be held. MC to attend as THST rep
• JW to follow up with KF of THST regarding the bucket collection for Prostate Cancer UK ahead of the Southampton match - DONE
• IM confirmed that loyalty points for Gent at Wembley would be credited to accounts on Weds 1 March - DONE
• JW to confirm whether a chartered train is possible for the away Premier League match at Swansea ahead of the application window closing on Monday. Or IM to explore extending the application period

Action Points
1. Deferred discussion on how the Season Ticket waiting list will be handled for the season at Wembley until IM has presented scenarios to the THFC Board. IM to follow up with THST
2. Deferred discussion on an amnesty for existing Season Ticket holders for the season at Wembley until IM has presented scenarios to the THFC Board. IM to follow up with THST
3. JW to confirm arrangements for away coach pick up point(s) next season once finalised
4. DC to oversee Club communications re: appealing for fan input for the time capsule and wider commemoration of White Hart Lane
5. DC to keep THST informed as to the timings around proposals for White Hart Lane station, specifically the public consultation period
6. Further discussion on Safe standing deferred to the next meeting of the Board
7. JW to liaise with Levy Restaurants to secure a regular meeting with the opportunity for genuine input with THST. RM leading this for the Trust - DONE
8. Discussion on the ticket exchange from May 2017 onwards deferred until the next meeting of the Boards
9. ST to liaise with FIO (Noel Deady) and confirm police approach to and plans for the Millwall cup match with MC / KL
10. JW to advise MC / KL as to arrangements for the pre meet with AST, AFC and the police ahead of the home NLD
11. ST / JW to schedule a pre meet for THST with police and WHU ahead of away match at the London Stadium
12. ST to confirm date for next formal meeting of Haringey SAG with MC
13. JW to confirm with KL whether a train will be running for Swansea away before the weekend. Alternative is to extend the application window past Monday. IM to consider and action if necessary
14. Next meeting to be arranged for mid-April to agree outstanding points following Brent Council decision re: Wembley. THST and THFC to liaise

 

[skiathospurs]

Worth noting the club hedging its bets about "final season at the lane",
DL insisted all planning is towards playing fixtures at Wembley next season but there is a need to plan for all eventualities should any major issues arise, which would mean another year at White Hart Lane before moving to Wembley for the 2018/19 season. THFC will not move away for two years so all conditions must be right before they make the call to move this summer

If so,anyone want a man utd ticket

 

[Don Diaz]

Thanks, the new stadium stuff all under section 3 is also very interesting. 8,000 premium seats already sold.....these started at £2,500 each and have sold out. Lowest price now is £3,500 a seat.

 

[Don Diaz]

Bit of a quieter month this month here's the latest.....some of which we already know.

Updates on:

• THST / THFC Board to Board Meeting – 28 February
• THST Board Meeting – 6 March
• WNSL application to Brent Council – 23 March
• FA Cup Semi Final v Chelsea – 22 April
• Fixture rescheduling
• Fan conference ahead of Millwall – 8 March

Other:

• Subsidised train for Swansea away
• Burnley away allocation
• Blue Plaque for Bobby Buckle
• FSF Membership renewal for 2017/18
• Taking football to Amsterdam on bikes
• THST End of Season BBQ at the Antwerp Arms – 28 May
• Antwerp Arms second birthday party – 1 May
• Premier League Enterprise Challenge
• Casework

1. THST/ THFC Board to Board Meeting – 28 February
The Boards of THST and THFC met on 28 February for one of our regular meetings. Much of the discussion centred around plans for next season and details of those discussions and the rest of the meeting can be found on our website.
The stadium project is at a very delicate stage, and we understand the Club wants to be extremely careful about over-promising or provoking speculation. We also understand that, with the end of the season now very close, fans are anxious to be kept informed, as we believe they should be. So we are faced with maintaining a balancing act – pushing for the answers we believe fans should have while recognising the commercial and practical realities and sensibilities. And, of course, dealing with the Club’s natural tendency to play its cards very close to its chest.
Our main aim remains to ensure the views of supporters are heard when the Club is making key decisions. Our priorities have been ticket pricing and fan migration (the process of moving from White Hart Lane to Wembley and then the new stadium) – issues we believe we can have most influence on and which are important for fans.
As you’ll see from the report, a number of discussions were deferred until further conversation had been had at Club Board level, and until other decisions such as the Brent Council planning application had been made. That has meant we’ve continued discussions on, for example, issues around ticketing on a day-to-day basis as more information has become available.
The latest figure cited for the build cost also attracted some comment. We took some time after the meeting to put together a detailed set of questions about project financing which we sent to the Board, asking for a dedicated meeting to discuss them. The Club’s response has been to say that some financial detail will have to remain confidential, and that it intends to announce information on financing “at the appropriate time”.
We have replied saying that, while we appreciate the need for commercial confidentiality, we still believe supporters should be provided as much information as possible. We have also queried whether acceptable answers to questions around three key, general, themes would really compromise commercial confidentiality. Those three themes are:

• Is the level of debt sustainable?
• How much are the new costs of the stadium likely to impact on ticket pricing for the average fan?
• Does the increased cost of the project impact on the Club’s ability to remain competitive on the field and in the transfer market?

On the same basis, we have also asked for clarity on whether the latest figures quoted refer to the stadium itself or the wider stadium project, and for clear definitions of what is mean by ‘stadium’ and ‘stadium project’. We await a reply.
THFC released financial results to the year ending 30 June 2016 on 29 March. Headline figures can be read here. We’ll be picking up on pertinent points with the Club shortly.

2. THST Board Meeting – 6 March
At the first meeting of the Board of THST after our AGM, the following posts were agreed:
• Co-chairs – Katrina Law and Martin Cloake
• Treasurer – Adam Bailey
• Secretary – Pete Haine
Areas of work for the coming year were reviewed, with work on issues around the move to Wembley and the new stadium obviously the priority. We’ll also be looking at ways to maintain and improve our membership numbers.
It is also likely our regular hosts, Nabarro, will no longer be able to accommodate our meetings after the end of March so should any members have office space in Central London we would be able to use, we'd be delighted to hear from you.

3. WNSL application to Brent Council – 23 March
On 23 March, Brent Council’s planning committee approved Wembley National Stadium Limited’s application to increase the number of games allowed next season at Wembley Stadium at over 51,000. This means Spurs have the option to play 27 games with a 90,000 capacity.
Obviously, this has implications for the ticketing offer next season, and we continue to discuss options with the Club. The publicised deadline for the Club to activate the option to play at Wembley next season is 31 March, however it is understood WNSL are flexible on this date and that discussions are still ongoing around the option to play home matches at Wembley next season, and other items.

4. FA Cup Semi-Final v Chelsea – 22 April
We contacted the Club as soon as the draw for the semi-final of the FA Cup was made, and asked if information on ticketing could be shared. We worked together with the Club to produce an FAQ sheet to answer some of the most common of the many questions we received by email and via social media. That sheet has been updated regularly as we learned more information, such as which pubs have been designated for Spurs fans. The Club also produced an FAQ sheet.
We’re aware quite a few supporters again experienced problems with the online booking system when purchasing tickets for this match and we raised this with the Club, feeding back specific details of problems encountered. The Club pointed out that a large number of people did manage to buy the tickets they wanted but acknowledged that there was still room for improvement.
We appreciate the challenges of selling tickets in a manner that allows individuals with unique membership numbers and permissions to choose specific seats when there is intense demand, but we still feel Ticketmaster could and should be addressing some of the issues that come up time after time more successfully than they are. We’ll continue to work with the Club to suggest improvements and to ensure the fan experience is fully understood. We know the ticket office staff are as keen as we are to ensure fans’ experience is as trouble-free as possible.
There will also be a meeting with the Metropolitan Police, Chelsea Supporters’ Trust and Club officials ahead of the game. These meetings are standard practice ahead of semi-finals.

5. Fixture rescheduling
We continue, alongside our colleagues from the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust, to represent Premier League Trusts in ongoing discussions with the broadcasters about fixture rescheduling and its effects on travelling fans. We’ve made some good progress with Sky, and have just secured a meeting with senior executives at BT Sport for mid April.
Both the broadcasters and fan groups are anxious for the Premier League to accept an invitation to join and contribute to the discussion, but so far the PL has failed to participate. It did offer to make a presentation at the upcoming so-called ‘structured dialogue’ meeting with reps from all 20 PL club fan groups, but we have said we favour the proper, focused and practical discussion format that we have been having with the broadcasters. We don’t want to be talked at, but with.
The last round of discussions received widespread press coverage, including in the Evening Standard and the Mirror.
It’s now imperative the Premier League shows its commitment to this process by joining these discussions.

6. Fan conference ahead of Millwall – 8 March
We were invited by the Metropolitan Police and the FSF to a meeting ahead of the Millwall FA Cup quarter final, and attended alongside Millwall fan reps, the British Transport Police and THFC officials. This was a standard meeting ahead of a London derby, as we pointed out when calming some of the more excitable initial press reports.
Our report of that meeting is on our website. The Evening Standard also carried a report.
A “wash-up” meeting is being arranged as we wrote this newsletter, and we’ll report back on that next month.

Other

Subsidised train for Swansea away
THFC’s Head of Supporter Services, Jonathan Waite, once again put in a huge effort to secure a train for our away Premier League game at Swansea, something we had been asking for since the start of the season when the date was known. The Club also provided a one day extension on the application window while this was being confirmed after we’d been in discussion.
There are still issues around the booking of train and match tickets and we continue to ask the Club to come up with a solution. It’s worth reiterating what we said last month about this:
“However, some difficulties were highlighted with the coordination of the sales process between Thomas Cook Sport and THFC. At present, TCS will accept bookings on chartered trains and take monies ahead of the Club allocating match tickets. This inevitably leads to a situation where fans who have missed out on match tickets are left with train tickets they’ve paid for, with no option of a refund. We think this is unacceptable and while we managed to secure refunds for fans affected this time, have asked that the process be reviewed by both THFC and TCS to ensure there is full integration between the sale of train tickets and the allocation of match tickets moving forwards.”

Burnley away allocation
The away allocation for the Burnley game dropped to 2,400 this year, compared to 4,000 the last time we played at Turf Moor. We asked why. The reason we were given is that Burnley FC have segregated the Fishwick Stand to include home fans too, whereas in previous years it was given over in its entirety to visiting fans.
This is still more than 10% of a stadium with below 30,000 capacity, and so is within Premier League rules. So it was impossible for us to secure any more tickets for our fans.

Blue plaque for Bobby Buckle
We have backed a campaign to secure a Blue Plaque for Bobby Buckle, one of THFC’s founding members who played 54 games for the Club over 10 years. The plaque would be placed on the White Cottage at number 7 White Hart Lane. This was timely as three generations of Bobby’s family recently attended the Southampton match, including Trust member and Bobby’s grandson, Michael Mackman.

FSF Membership renewal for 2017/18
THST renewed its annual affiliate membership with the Football Supporters’ Federation this month. We continue to work on national campaigning initiatives around such issues as Safe Standing, and to lead sub group work on areas such as fixture rescheduling alongside the FSF.

Taking football to Amsterdam (on bikes)
25 ‘Cycle On You Spurs’ cyclists will be leaving the Olympic Velodrome on Friday 9 June, clad in Spurs team shirts - kindly donated by the Club - on the London to Harwich leg of their two-day ride to Amsterdam.
On Sunday 19 March, before the Southampton match, a group of these cyclists shook buckets and rattled the increasingly full receptacles in front of the North Stand and, two hours later, had raised the princely sum of £1,207.70. It has been donated to our team Just Giving page. If you haven't already done so, perhaps you’d like to make a personal donation here.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed so far.

THST End of Season BBQ at the Antwerp Arms – 28 May
Following the success of last season’s event, THST will once again be staging an end-of-season BBQ at the Antwerp Arms. Alongside the Antwerp Arms Association, we are jointly hosting this event to say thank you to Spurs fans for their ongoing support of the pub, to celebrate the end of the season and to wish all the riders who are cycling from the Olympic Velodrome to Amsterdam for charity on 9 June the very best of luck.
The event will take place Sunday 28 May (and is free to attend, but we are asking for donations to our charity for this year, Prostate Cancer UK). There will be free food and music and we are delighted to announce that THFC legend and former club captain Gary Mabbutt will be there as a special guest, accompanied by Paul Coyte.
You’ll need to book your place in advance on Eventbrite, which will be live in mid-April. We’ll make sure we pass on all the details closer to the time.

Antwerp Arms second birthday party – 1 May
Monday 1 May sees community owned pub, the Antwerp Arms, celebrating its second birthday with family fun, a BBQ, music, an auction and surprise guests from 14:00. The event will be raising funds for a local charity.
THST is helping run a ‘Secret Spurs History’ walk, starting at Tottenham Hale station at 10:30am.
More details and tickets will be available through Eventbrite very soon.

Premier League Enterprise Challenge
We were very pleased to hear that the team of six 14-15 year olds from Enfield Grammar, who we helped to select to represent Tottenham way back in the local rounds of the Premier League Enterprise Challenge last Autumn, eventually finished as runners up in the national final of the competition last week.
Working closely with the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, Enfield Grammar saw off competition from Arsenal, Chelsea, Bournemouth and Southampton before narrowly missing out to Derby County in the final.
Trust Board member, Kevin Fitzgerald, had formed part of the judging panel in the local round and we would like to pass on our congratulations to all of those connected with the Enfield Grammar team for a highly commendable performance.

Casework
We continue to undertake a growing casework load. Details of this work must remain, in most cases, confidential, but we can give a flavour of the issues we deal with.
In the last month we have dealt with a number of disciplinary issues around the buying and selling of tickets via unofficial platforms, secured some loyalty points for the Gent home game after a ticket failed to scan but proof of attendance was received, investigated help that could be provided for pensioners to travel to Wembley, and referred a fan with legal issues to the solicitor we use for these cases. We’ve also been talking to affiliated fan groups in the US about issues around the sale of tickets for this summer’s friendlies in that country.
This is just a flavour of the work we do, and we endeavour to help wherever possible, referring on where we can and attempting to secure just and transparent results where possible. We are grateful to the Club for, largely, working with us on these issues and to fans for their patience as we undertake this work around our day jobs.
We take ticketing offences as seriously as the Club and we continue to believe there needs to be a clearer, more transparent system in place that clearly outlines offences and sanctions, and provides a robust appeals process that everyone can have confidence in. Such a system is operated by some other clubs, and we continue to lobby the Club to introduce a similar one here.
If you have an issue you think we can help with, please do get in touch with us. Your case will be treated in confidence and all we ask is for your patience and full disclosure of the circumstances of your case.

Media

Two reports written after our last board to board meeting:
The Evening Standard
BDaily

A reminder…
iSpurs information portal
The Club has also set up a new, dedicated information portal online which answers many of the questions we are frequently contacted with. We’d urge fans to read and familiarise themselves with the details available on the portal as we continue to receive a high volume of questions asking for this information.

THST Board
31 March 2017

 

[Don Diaz]

April's News.......

Other:

• Football to Amsterdam 2017
• Antwerp Arms Second Birthday celebrations – 1 May
• US Tour – ticket accessibility and pricing
• Stadium Community Liaison meeting – 4 April
• CPZ extension
• Arsenal additional ticket offer – explanation
• Train for Leicester away – 18 May
• Issues with the Swansea train – 5 April
• FA Cup Semi-final – FAQ sheet and communicating Police messaging
• Leyton Orient bucket collection – 15 April
• Home for THST
• Ugo Ehiogu

As we finished this newsletter, the Club was preparing to announce plans for next season's venue. Obviously we'll be bringing news about and reaction to the plans to you in the coming days and weeks. This newsletter covers what we did last month. Next month is shaping up to be even more interesting.


1. Fixture rescheduling for broadcast – meetings with BT Sport and the Premier League
Alongside a colleague from the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust we met representatives of BT Sport and, in a separate meeting, the Premier League to continue discussions on how fixture rescheduling could be planned to take more account of travelling fans. Progress, as is so often the case in football when fans raise issues, is slow but there is a growing recognition from everyone concerned that more could be done to reduce the impact on travelling fans.

Giving fan reps more input into fixture scheduling is being examined, as are a number of options around arranging and subsidising transport for away fans. Options for next steps were tabled as one of the main items for discussion at the so-called ‘structured dialogue’ meeting with the Premier League, with one of those steps being getting all parties together in the same room to move on the discussions we’ve been holding separately with the broadcasters and the Premier League to date.

2. Premier League Structured Dialogue meeting – 25 April
THST was present at the second meeting with senior Premier League representatives following the call by the Government’s Expert Working Group on Fan Engagement and Supporter Ownership for improved dialogue between the PL and supporters’ organisations. The first was held last July and covered here.

Facilitated by the Football Supporters’ Federation, the agenda covered fixture scheduling, disabled access, permitted standing, ticketing, match day travel, equality and diversity and a review of the structured dialogue process at club level.

With over 30 people present, under two hours to work through a packed agenda and Chief Executive Richard Scudamore only present for the last hour, this wasn’t the format for detailed debate and discussion, with the key work continuing to be undertaken by focused sub groups on specific topics throughout the year. And we were disappointed that some of the PL delegation did not seem to be aware of briefing information from these sub-groups that was circulated before the meeting. In our view, there is still some way to go before the PL’s commitment to making this forum works matches that of the fans.

This did, however, provide an opportunity for the Premier League to update the fan reps on various issues, report back on work streams and share a presentation as to how the fixture schedule is compiled.

Some progress was made on the issues of safe standing, concessionary pricing at Hull City FC, fixture scheduling and away travel.

One commitment from the meeting was to space future meetings more evenly across a season, with March and October being identified as likely months moving forwards.

Both the Premier League and the Football Supporters’ Federation will publish minutes of this meeting and we’ll share those as soon as we have them.

3. Financial Analysis of THFC’s Annual Results
Tottenham Hotspur Limited issued its financial statements for 2015-16 at the end of last month. We’ve taken the time to carefully examine those statements, using the financial expertise we have, and posted the commentary on our website, along with a number of questions. We also sent the material to the Club’s Board.

As you’ll see from the full report, we are looking for much greater clarity and a more detailed level of conversation about the financial performance of the Club and its parent company to be provided to supporters. While we don’t hold significant equity in the club, we believe the unique customer loyalty of supporters to clubs that operate as distinct micro-monopolies means we should have a greater degree of involvement than customers of a business in a competitive market are afforded.

We will keep you updated on any feedback we receive.

4. Virgin Media subsidy for Leicester Away – 18 May
Fans who obtain match tickets for the rearranged away game at Leicester City on 18 May will be able to claim up to £10 of the price of their match ticket back, thanks to an initiative by Virgin Media and the Football Supporters’ Federation. The move comes as a result of the Twenty’s Plenty for away tickets campaign that has been running over the past few years.

The original hope was that this scheme would be administered centrally, with Virgin Media providing the money for clubs to reduce ticket prices down to £20 for this round of fixtures. The Premier League, however, decided it would not provide that central backing, meaning individual fans have to apply for the discount AFTER being charged full price by the clubs. That’s meant THST has had to communicate how the deal works and how fans can claim the discount, with the Club asking us to make it clear why fans are being charged the full price.

Fans can claim their subsidy by visiting www.virginmedia.com/twentysplenty, downloading the form and posting it, along with their ticket, to the address provided on the form. A cheque will then be sent by return in the following weeks.

5. West Ham United policing meeting – 11 April
We met with the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police, the FSF, West Ham fan groups and reps from both Clubs and from the stadium operators in advance of the derby at the London Stadium at the start of May. As this was the first time this tie is being played at the London Stadium, this was a lengthier meeting than usual, with THST asking for information on transport and policing and stewarding arrangements in and around the ground, as well as any other factors fans should bear in mind.

We will publish a clear set of notes from this meeting in the days running up to the game. Please watch out for those notes on our website and across social media.

6. Arsenal at home – police messaging
With time at a premium, all involved felt a dedicated meeting ahead of this weekend’s North London Derby wasn’t necessary and elected to communicate key messaging across email instead. We were awaiting information on key messages from the Metropolitan Police as this newsletter was being finished.

7. Meeting with the Board of THFC – 2 May
A meeting between the Boards of THST and THFC has been scheduled for the evening of Tuesday 2 May. This follows on from discussions at the last Board to Board meeting and is intended to focus on issues around ticketing and home venues for the next two seasons. Therefore, we did not ask for general questions ahead of this meeting.

The date was chosen on the assumption that a decision about where we will be playing next season will be made imminently after the 30 April deadline.

We will continue to push for consideration of supporters both practically and financially and will communicate as soon as we can following this meeting,

8. THST and AAA End of Season Party – 28 May
Last Spring Bank Holiday weekend, around 200 Spurs fans enjoyed our End of Season bash at the Antwerp Arms. Well, it’s happening again on Sunday 28 May from 12.00 till 21.00 at the Annie; Tottenham’s wonderful community owned pub. Once again, the day is jointly hosted by the pub - supplying free BBQ food to say thank you to Spurs fans for their support of the pub throughout the season - and the Trust, which has lined up a great afternoon and evening for you.

Special guest is Gary Mabbutt, accompanied by Paul Coyte. Live music will be provided for you by singer/ guitarist Tom Mitchell with sounds to get you dancing from DJ Alex. Once again, there is a bumper grand raffle: Top prize is a pair of VIP tickets to the 2018 Championship Play-Off final at Wembley, donated by Prostate Cancer UK. All proceeds from the raffle are going towards the fundraising of the Cycle On You Spurs team taking Football to Amsterdam on 9 June.

This is a free event but it is necessary to book your place via Eventbrite so we can regulate numbers. More details are available here.

Other:

• Football to Amsterdam 2017 #F2A17

Last year, the Cycle On You Spurs team of 14 of riders was the largest to leave the Olympic Park for Amsterdam. This year, we are top of the league again with a whopping 24 riders.

You’re welcome to come and cheer us off at 9am on Friday 9 June from the Olympic Velodrome or you can donate to the cause, Prostate Cancer UK.

As we go to press, the current total raised across the COYS team stands at c£14,000. Any help to push it up to £20,000 plus would be very gratefully received.

• Antwerp Arms Second Birthday celebrations

On Monday 1 May, the Annie will be celebrating its Second Birthday as a community pub from 2pm with a family fun day including giant games, kite making, sunflower planting, live music from Tom Mitchell and a BBQ (free when you buy a drink from the bar).

The event will be raising money for two local charities, Don't Forget The Kids and Tottenham District Charity. Both are small and give directly to people in N17.

Also in attendance will be Cliff Jones and Theo Delaney for a Q&A and a Charity Auction, including a signed Spurs shirt and tickets to a 2017 Jools Holland concert.

You are also invited to take part in a Secret Spurs History Walk to help us raise money for the two local charities, more information here.

• US Tour – ticket accessibility and pricing

We were contacted by a number of individual fans in the US about the pricing of tickets for the team’s summer tour. We sought to gain more information from those individuals, and then mailed all of our US-based member clubs to gather more facts and ask for their views. The concern was that supporters clubs had been given little time to apply for tickets and, most seriously, that prices were being raised after the strength of demand was revealed.

We contacted the Club with the information we had and asked them to investigate. They did this, contacting the third-party ticket agencies handling sales. We’ll bring you the conclusions of all this next month. In the meantime, we’d like to thank the many US-based clubs who replied to our appeal for information and gave us much-needed background information.

• Stadium Community Liaison meeting – 4 April

THST Board member, Martin Buhagiar, attended the Tottenham Hotspur Business and Community Liaison Group (THBCLG) meeting on 4 April.

During the meeting, a presentation was given by Neil Huddart - the LAMP lead for the NDP. LAMP is the Local Area Management Plan. Neil is seconded into Lilywhite House three days a week and will work on LAMP until the project is completed.

Further information was given with regards to planned road closures during the proposed demolition of White Hart Lane when the season ends.

Mace sent out a letter outlining what will happen this summer to residents living in the surrounding area earlier this month. This letter is working on the basis that the Club will trigger our season at Wembley and that WHL will begin to be demolished on Monday 15 May.

For full information of planned road closures around the stadium during the summer, click here.

• CPZ extension

THST took up with Haringey Council a member query as to why new match day parking controls in the Bruce Grove/WHL areas were introduced only in March, nearing season-end. The Council explained that the overall parking control zones programme was approved in 2015/16 for phased implementation. Funding comes partly from the London Mayor's office, a condition of which was the implementation of some zones before end-March.

The big picture, of course, is getting transportation and parking controls in place for the 61k seater stadium. We've asked to be kept updated on plans going forward.

• Arsenal additional ticket offer – explanation

We were alerted on social media by a number of fans asking why additional tickets for the game against Arsenal appeared to have been released for sale to all One Hotspur members as opposed to those with the requisite number of loyalty points who’d originally applied in the ballot. We sought immediate clarification from the Club.

To their credit, the Club explained that human error had meant that a small number of tickets had been made available to One Hotspur members who were not eligible to buy them, when what should have happened was that a small batch of returns should have been made available to members with the correct number of loyalty points who had applied for this game previously.

The Club had to honour the small number of purchases made before the mistake was discovered, and subsequently a further batch of returns was made available to members who missed out. Additional checking procedures have now been put in place to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

We asked the Club to communicate this explanation directly with supporters but that was not forthcoming, so we ran our own update online.

Any One Hotspur member who wishes to discuss this matter further is asked to contact the Tottenham Hotspur Ticket Office directly on 0344 844 0102 or via email at ticketoffice@tottenhamhotspur.com.

This was one of a number of events which, in our opinion, clearly demonstrates the need for the Club to run a dedicated customer service account on social media. We are, of course, here to help fans however we can but, as volunteers, we are often overwhelmed with requests for explanation and assistance when something like this happens. We, in turn, have to find out information from the Club before we can get back to fans.

Aside from questions about how much unpaid volunteers should have to do on behalf of a commercial operation is a basic question about the level of customer service fans should expect. In many aspects of its operation, the Club does an excellent job, something that has been recognised through, for example, the award of the FSF’s Supporter Liaison Officer of the Year title last year. We believe the people delivering this service at the Club, as well as fans, would benefit from establishing a dedicated social media account for customer service.

• Train for Leicester away – 18 May

Once the date and time for our rearranged match away at Leicester City was announced, we immediately lobbied the Club to provide a charter train to enable our fans to get back to London after the game on the evening of Thursday 18 May. The last service train departs at 21:58, which is extremely tight for a 19:45 kick off.

On Thursday, 27 April, THFC confirmed it has been possible to charter a train for this match. Details and booking information can be found here. The issues around coordinating train and match tickets we referred to in the previous two newsletters remain.

NB: the application window for match tickets closes at 5pm on Friday 28 April.

• Issues with the Swansea train – 5 April

With no scheduled train service back to London after the game at Swansea, THFC once again provided a subsidised charter train (via Riviera trains) to enable fans to get back from the match that night. This was always going to be a long journey, with an estimated arrival time of 0400am back into Euston, but a series of further delays resulted in the train eventually pulling in at 0457am.

Thomas Cook Sport, THFC’s official travel partner, apologised to fans the following morning and refunded £10 of the £20 fare as a goodwill gesture. However, we were contacted by several Trust members who felt an explanation was warranted, alongside the refund. We asked the Club to confirm and Head of Supporter Services, Jonathan Waite, obliged and here is the response:

“There was some confusion and miscommunication between internal departments at Network Rail in signalling the unusual path back into London Euston (Paddington being closed due to CrossRail work during engineering hours).

“Timetabling of specifically trained drivers to work the normal ‘freight only’ curve running between the Great Western Mainline and the West Coast Mainline through Willesden Junction and Old Oak Common freight yards was incorrectly passed to Riviera Trains. Subsequently, this was incorrectly passed onto Thomas Cook Sport and then, of course, onto THFC.

“This was only flagged once the return journey was underway so, unfortunately, there was no way of relaying that information beforehand to fans. As a Club, we are not happy and, as a provider, Thomas Cook Sport were very good and proactive in communicating with and offering a gesture of good will to affected fans the same morning as the return.”

Thanks to Jonathan for providing such a thorough explanation.

• FA Cup Semi final – FAQ sheet and communicating Police messaging

After discussion with the police, the FSF and Chelsea fan reps it was decided that no dedicated meeting before our semi-final game was required. Key messaging, particularly on transport and the pub split, was sent out by fan reps, the Clubs and the police, and we pinned an FAQ sheet with information about the game, including ticketing news, to our Twitter feed for the week leading up to the game.

• Leyton Orient bucket collection – 15 April

Our friends at Leyton Orient Fans Trust contacted us to ask if they could collect for their club’s regeneration fund before the home game against Bournemouth. Knowing not only of the club’s dire situation but of the many close links between the two sets of fans, we were only too pleased to help.

The THST Board had already made a donation in response to LOFT’s initial request for help when the regeneration fund was set up, and the bucket collection on the day raised in excess of £7,600.

We also contacted Bournemouth’s Cherries Trust, who agreed to support the collection.

As this newsletter was being finished, the situation at Leyton Orient was still very serious, and we remain prepared to offer whatever help we can.

• Home for THST

Following appeals in our last two newsletters, we are very pleased that our existing hosts, Nabarro LLP, have now confirmed their ability to continue to host our regular meetings and our AGM in their new Cannon Street offices, as well continuing to act as legal counsel on constitutional matters.

We would like to express our thanks to Gary Green for his help in reaching this very pleasing conclusion.

• Ugo Ehiogu

Along with the rest of the football community, we were shocked and saddened by the death of U23 team coach, Ugo Ehiogu. We published a brief mark of respect on our site. One of Ugo’s final acts was to tweet his support for #dosomethingkind as he donated money to a homeless person, and we made a donation of £100 to homeless person’s charity, CentrepointUK, in his memory.

Media

Board members featured on a number of podcasts and radio spots this month. Kat Law took questions on matters on and off the field as a guest on the e-spurs podcast after the Swansea match and Martin Buhagiar went up against the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust to preview the semi-final for BBC Radio 5 Live on the morning of the game, to mention but a couple.

A reminder…

iSpurs information portal
The Club has also set up a new, dedicated information portal online which answers many of the questions we are frequently contacted with. We’d urge fans to read and familiarise themselves with the details available on the portal as we continue to receive a high volume of questions asking for this information.



THST Board
28 April 2017

For more exclusive and live updates follow us on our social media sites:

Twitter: @THSTOfficial
Facebook: www.facebook.com/THSTOfficial
LinkedIn: Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust

 

[skiathospurs]

http://www.thstofficial.com/thst-ne...record-thst-survey-response-reveals-fan-views
Pricing the key concern as record THST survey response reveals fan views
8/7/2017

The biggest ever response to THST’s annual survey has revealed Spurs fans are happy with what’s happening on the pitch, but harbour some concerns about what’s happening off it.
Over 3,200 fans took part in the survey to gauge fan opinion on a wide range of issues. The survey, which ran from 23 June to 9 July and is now in its fourth year, plays a major part in influencing how THST works over the coming season.

Notable findings from the survey were:

• Accessible pricing remains very popular – 72% backed the Club’s cup pricing policy and an overwhelming 84% expressed satisfaction with the pricing of Champions League packages.

• Despite the controversy over the home ticket ballot system last season, just 24% said they were unhappy with it.

• 41% backed THST’s successful push for Category A tickets to be allocated by loyalty points. Only 14% disagreed.

• Over half the respondents, 53%, said the £30 away price cap had not influenced their decision to apply for away tickets, with 45% backing the cap and only 8% opposed to it.

• 64% said they had been inconvenienced by matches being moved for TV throughout the past season, with 88% agreeing that far more consideration should be given to match-going fans when scheduling matches for broadcast.

• 41% of existing season ticket holders were not happy with the pricing for our year at Wembley, with 28% of Bronze members unhappy and 48% of Bronze members disagreeing with the decision to remove the two cup vouchers from the season ticket package.

• Over two thirds of season ticket holders and Bronze members surveyed felt there should have been an amnesty, or sabbatical, for the Wembley season. And nearly half those surveyed said they will have to pay more to travel to Wembley.

• Some 97% of those who held a season ticket before July this year intend to continue with their season ticket in the new stadium.

• When considering purchasing or renewing a season ticket at the new ground, price is the most important factor, coming in at 68% overall.

• 60% of season ticket holders expressed a preference for sitting in the single tier South stand in the new stadium, compared to 68% of the overall figure.

• 85% thought retaining tradition and heritage in the new ground was important, with 63% wanting to see the stands named after players and managers.

• Bill Nicholson, Jimmy Greaves, Danny Blanchflower and Ledley King topped the polls for names for stands.

• 63% disagree with any plan to rename White Hart Lane station.

• Support for the introduction of a safe standing area if the law changes still runs high, with 86% in favour and only 7% disagreeing.

• 67% would consider buying a season ticket in a safe standing area, with 63% believing it should cost less than a regular seat.

• 55% were happy with the way the Club communicates with fans. But the number who thought communication had improved over the last five years, while still high at 62%, was down on last season’s 67%. And we must point out that the survey was completed between 23 June and 9 July, before a significant number of complaints over ticketing in particular and communication in general were made.

• Over two thirds of respondents want to see the Club report back to fans at an AGM-style meeting, 91% wanted to see better customer service platforms, and only 18% were aware of the role of the Club’s Supporter Liaison Officer.

• Just 22% agreed with Premier League B teams competing in existing competitions with Football League Clubs – a hardening of the position expressed last year. That made it all the more regrettable that, while the survey was being completed, THFC announced it would be competing in this season’s Checkatrade Trophy.

• A massive 97% were satisfied with the on field performance of the team over the last campaign: a ringing endorsement for the manager, coaches and playing staff.

• 54% were satisfied with THFC's transfer policy, with 96% satisfied with the Club's approach to progressing homegrown and Academy players. Again, survey responses were given at the start of the summer.

• 76% of respondents were satisfied with the work of the Trust, and that rating increased to 89% amongst THST members: the highest satisfaction rating we’ve had since relaunching four years ago.

We’ll be working hard to maintain and improve that level of support from fans in the challenging months ahead. And over the next few days, we’ll be looking in more detail at some of the specific survey results and sharing the conclusions we’ve drawn from them.

A PDF presentation of the full set of survey results, with graphics to make it all easier to digest, can be found below.

THST Board
7 August 2017

thst_annual_fans_survey_2017-2.pdf
Download File

 

[Dorset]

http://www.thstofficial.com/thst-ne...record-thst-survey-response-reveals-fan-views
Pricing the key concern as record THST survey response reveals fan views
8/7/2017

The biggest ever response to THST’s annual survey has revealed Spurs fans are happy with what’s happening on the pitch, but harbour some concerns about what’s happening off it.
Over 3,200 fans took part in the survey to gauge fan opinion on a wide range of issues. The survey, which ran from 23 June to 9 July and is now in its fourth year, plays a major part in influencing how THST works over the coming season.

Notable findings from the survey were:

• Accessible pricing remains very popular – 72% backed the Club’s cup pricing policy and an overwhelming 84% expressed satisfaction with the pricing of Champions League packages.

• Despite the controversy over the home ticket ballot system last season, just 24% said they were unhappy with it.

• 41% backed THST’s successful push for Category A tickets to be allocated by loyalty points. Only 14% disagreed.

• Over half the respondents, 53%, said the £30 away price cap had not influenced their decision to apply for away tickets, with 45% backing the cap and only 8% opposed to it.

• 64% said they had been inconvenienced by matches being moved for TV throughout the past season, with 88% agreeing that far more consideration should be given to match-going fans when scheduling matches for broadcast.

• 41% of existing season ticket holders were not happy with the pricing for our year at Wembley, with 28% of Bronze members unhappy and 48% of Bronze members disagreeing with the decision to remove the two cup vouchers from the season ticket package.

• Over two thirds of season ticket holders and Bronze members surveyed felt there should have been an amnesty, or sabbatical, for the Wembley season. And nearly half those surveyed said they will have to pay more to travel to Wembley.

• Some 97% of those who held a season ticket before July this year intend to continue with their season ticket in the new stadium.

• When considering purchasing or renewing a season ticket at the new ground, price is the most important factor, coming in at 68% overall.

• 60% of season ticket holders expressed a preference for sitting in the single tier South stand in the new stadium, compared to 68% of the overall figure.

• 85% thought retaining tradition and heritage in the new ground was important, with 63% wanting to see the stands named after players and managers.

• Bill Nicholson, Jimmy Greaves, Danny Blanchflower and Ledley King topped the polls for names for stands.

• 63% disagree with any plan to rename White Hart Lane station.

• Support for the introduction of a safe standing area if the law changes still runs high, with 86% in favour and only 7% disagreeing.

• 67% would consider buying a season ticket in a safe standing area, with 63% believing it should cost less than a regular seat.

• 55% were happy with the way the Club communicates with fans. But the number who thought communication had improved over the last five years, while still high at 62%, was down on last season’s 67%. And we must point out that the survey was completed between 23 June and 9 July, before a significant number of complaints over ticketing in particular and communication in general were made.

• Over two thirds of respondents want to see the Club report back to fans at an AGM-style meeting, 91% wanted to see better customer service platforms, and only 18% were aware of the role of the Club’s Supporter Liaison Officer.

• Just 22% agreed with Premier League B teams competing in existing competitions with Football League Clubs – a hardening of the position expressed last year. That made it all the more regrettable that, while the survey was being completed, THFC announced it would be competing in this season’s Checkatrade Trophy.

• A massive 97% were satisfied with the on field performance of the team over the last campaign: a ringing endorsement for the manager, coaches and playing staff.

• 54% were satisfied with THFC's transfer policy, with 96% satisfied with the Club's approach to progressing homegrown and Academy players. Again, survey responses were given at the start of the summer.

• 76% of respondents were satisfied with the work of the Trust, and that rating increased to 89% amongst THST members: the highest satisfaction rating we’ve had since relaunching four years ago.

We’ll be working hard to maintain and improve that level of support from fans in the challenging months ahead. And over the next few days, we’ll be looking in more detail at some of the specific survey results and sharing the conclusions we’ve drawn from them.

A PDF presentation of the full set of survey results, with graphics to make it all easier to digest, can be found below.

THST Board
7 August 2017

thst_annual_fans_survey_2017-2.pdf
Download File

Yeah but, 97% of people who complete surveys are cunts and the other 10% are mathematically illiterate - and some of us have a bit of a laugh and complete them in a slightly less than accurate fashion. The last survey I filled in showed me as a 125 year old black woman with 15 kids and an income of £1m per year who was a keen supporter of the Tory party.

 

[Don Diaz]

Updates on:

THST Annual General Meeting – 28 February
Champions League Round of 16 v Juventus
Metropolitan Police Fan Conference – 25 January
March Premier League TV selections
Next Meeting with the Board of THFC – 20 February
Ticket Exchange for Spurs v West Ham – 4 January

Other:

• Next THST Members’ Meeting – early notice
• Audio at Wembley
• FA Cup Fourth Round v Newport County – 27 January
• The One Show – 29 January
• Studio 306 Collective – THST’s new charity partner
• The Color Run – 8 July
• PCUK Football 2 Amsterdam – 1/3 June
• Zeelo coach travel to Wembley

1. THST ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – Wednesday 28 February
The THST Annual General Meeting is taking place from 7pm on Wednesday 28 February in the offices of Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP, 1st Floor, Cannon Place, 78 Cannon Street, London EC4N 6AF.

Full Trust members were sent the formal Convening Notice on Friday 19 January. This is also featured in the dedicated AGM section of our website.

We are opening up two places on the THST Board this year and full members wishing to stand for election had until the deadline of 6pm on Tuesday 30 January to return their nomination forms, as communicated in the Convening Notice.

Under our rules, we are obliged to hold our AGM before the end of February and had originally planned to hold this on Monday 26 February. Owing to Spurs’ Premier League match at Crystal Palace being moved for broadcast to this date, we took the decision to reschedule the AGM for the Wednesday of that week. However, should Spurs’ be involved in an FA Cup Fifth Round replay, there is a high chance the replay will be scheduled for 28 February. It’s possible we won’t know until after the Fifth Round proper across the weekend of 17/18 February (assuming the best in our replay against Newport). We’re working on contingencies should this happen and will contact all full members asap in this eventuality.

In the meantime, we’re busy preparing our Annual Report and auditing our accounts in advance of the AGM.

Candidate information and proxy voting forms will be issued to full members electronically on Friday 9 February and made available in the dedicated AGM section of our website.

2. CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND OF 16 v JUVENTUS
The subject of ID requirements for our game in Turin against Juventus led to extensive discussion on our Twitter feed and a number of emails direct to us. So we thought it was worth taking this opportunity to explain our general approach, and the particular circumstances surrounding this game.

Before every European away game we are in contact with the Club’s Head of Supporter Services and the Safety team, following up on their initial contact with the host club. It’s at this stage we get to hear if there are likely to be any issues, and make representations or suggestions if we forsee any problems. So, for instance, we were able to point out the advantages of allowing fans to carry small bags when we visited Real Madrid. And once we have information, we try to ensure as many fans as possible get to hear about it.

We’re aware that there have been many occasions when official advice has said tickets will be checked against ID, only for fans to find this has not been the case. We’ve pointed out to the Club that this makes it less likely fans will take notice of similar advice in future. And that’s been the case with this tie. However, we must reiterate we’ve been told in the strongest possible terms that ID checks will be strictly enforced on this occasion. We’ve also had feedback from Manchester City fans, over 200 of whom were left outside the ground when they played there after tickets were checked and didn’t match; from England fans, and from Fans Europe, the pan-European fan body, that this check will be strictly enforced.

It has, we’ve been advised by Fans Europe, been a requirement under law for the last 12-13 years in Italy that fans must show ID with their tickets. The fact that on previous visits to Italy over this period local police have chosen not to enforce the law doesn’t make it any less of a law.

We did ask the Club to raise the security issue of requiring ‘tourists’ to carry original passports at all times. They did, but could only succeed in getting the Italian authorities to accept photo driving licences as an alternative – also originals. In the end, neither the Trust nor the Club have any jurisdiction abroad, so we can only make representations.

In the current security climate, it’s our understanding that stadium ticket checks are likely to get increasingly strict. Our approach, after seeking to get the best possible outcome for fans, is to pass information on to fans so they are able to make informed choices.

We’ve had some requests for Italian fans to be subject to similar ID checks when they visit Wembley. We have never believed in a ‘tit-for-tat’ approach and continue to hold that view.

We’ve had relatively little feedback about ticket pricing and, at £40, we believe it compares well with the prices charged by Madrid and currently being charged by Seville and Porto for ties at this stage of the competition.

3. METROPOLITAN POLICE FAN CONFERENCE – 25 January
The Met invited reps from London-based supporter groups and the Football Supporters Federation to a meeting at Metropolitan Police HQ on 25 January. This was one of what are now established half-yearly meetings aimed at helping communication between the police and fan groups.

The Met were keen to share their latest thinking on counter terrorism (CT) measures and child safeguarding at the game. A dedicated CT unit is working with all London clubs on security at stadiums and the surrounding footprint to deal with the potential threats we are all too aware of. We’ll update fans on specific developments at Spurs as and when we can. Similarly, work on ensuring children are appropriately supported at games is also moving up the Met’s list of priorities and fans can expect to see an increase in awareness-raising publicity in the coming months.

Fan reps raised a number of issues. The Met was asked if there was any guidance or ruling around the filming of fans and how long that footage could be kept. We were referred to the case that sets precedent in this area, Wood v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis. One of the senior officers present said that the Met’s view was that fans should only be filmed if there was specific reason to believe it was needed, and that it was very much against the blanket filming of fans. It was viewed as often counter-productive and rarely useful.

Reps from THST and WHUISA also asked for clarification on what influence the police had on fixture scheduling. We pointed out that clubs and the Premier League often said games were scheduled at particular times because of the police, while conversations with our own police liaison contacts revealed police advice was often overruled. We asked for a clear and unambiguous statement of the Met police position to be drawn up and sent to FSF caseworker, Amanda Jacks, for circulation to fan reps. This would assist fan reps in our conversations with the football authorities as we attempt to find out who is ultimately responsible for deciding when matches go ahead, and hopefully also end the practice of using the police as convenient scapegoats for decisions taken elsewhere. The Met agreed to provide a form of words.

There was also some discussion on the importance of joined-up thinking between all the elements involved in staging matches, and on more formal representation for fan reps on local authority Safety Advisory Groups, with the successful model used on Merseyside referenced.

Finally, the Met agreed to follow up with arrest figures for ticket touting at Wembley this season on our request.

It was agreed these forums played a useful role in helping to improve the match day experience for supporters.

4. MARCH PREMIER LEAGUE TV SELECTIONS
We were pleasantly surprised when the March TV picks were announced a day early on 24 January considering the tardiness of recent announcements. However, that pleasure was short lived when it became clear that two of the three picks involving Tottenham were subject to further change, dependent on FA Cup and Champions League involvement. While we appreciate this is a busy time in the fixture calendar, that’s of little comfort to match going fans still left it the dark after the announcement.

For the third rearranged fixture, we understand there are engineering works on South Western Railway meaning trains will run no further than Southampton from London Waterloo on the day of our match at Bournemouth. More good news. And more evidence the Premier League, Broadcasters and Clubs are not liaising with transport colleagues ahead of finalising selections, as promised.

Regular readers of THST News will be aware of our involvement over the past year in the FSF’S Kick Off Times Working Group; focusing on the effect of fixture changes on match going fans. Throughout 2017, we met with the Premier League, both broadcasters and senior politicians to make our case and to work towards mitigating the impact on supporters. This culminated in addressing an All Party Parliamentary Group on this very subject before Christmas. We’re also in dialogue with the Rail Delivery Group to advance initiatives to assist travelling fans both financially and practically.

This is slow progress and it’s fair to say we had hoped to have made more tangible advancements by this stage. However, widening the discussion out from the Premier League and broadcasters to other influencers, stakeholders and decision makers will hopefully provide the impetus needed to make real inroads.

We are now entering into a key period where the Premier League will start negotiating the 2019-2022 TV contracts and it’s essential we have a collective strength of voice on this issue. You can play your part by signing our petition calling for the Premier League to adhere to its TV selection deadlines, for starters.

5. NEXT MEETING WITH THE BOARD OF THFC – 20 February
Following the postponement of the scheduled Board to Board meeting in May, we are now due to meet with the Executive Board of Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday 20 February. As always, we’ll be asking for your questions in advance of the meeting. We’ll open that up formally on Monday 5 February.

We try to focus on the bigger, strategic and financial issues in these sessions rather than the day to day, tactical ones so, depending on the nature of your question, it may be addressed in the meeting or be taken away and followed up on afterwards.

Headline topics will be the stadium build progress and related infrastructure, migration from Wembley into the new ground and ticketing for next season – both process and pricing.

As ever, we’ll endeavour to release a full report of the meeting within 72 hours.

6. TICKET EXCHANGE FOR SPURS v WEST HAM – 4 January
The long running saga of the derby match v West Ham was well documented in the December edition of THST News, so we won’t go into detail here. However, after moving the game THREE times and ultimately to a week night outside of the Festive period when many fans had returned to work, we felt the decision by the Board of THFC not to open the Ticket Exchange for this match was very disappointing indeed.

Evening matches present difficulties for fans at the best of times. Evening matches at Wembley with under three weeks’ notice present a whole different set of difficulties. We felt that the Club should have recognised the exceptional circumstances surrounding the scheduling of this match and allowed Season Ticket Holders the chance to list their seats for resale.

The resulting attendance of 50,043 comprises the number of fans actually in the stadium on the night, with Tottenham preferring to record attendances on actual attendance (unlike some other Clubs!) rather than on tickets sold. The empty Level 1 seats were, at least in part, a result of not opening the Exchange for this fixture.

We hope for a far fairer and more effective Ticket Exchange service next season, when the capacity is a third less than Wembley and the stadium will hopefully sell out more regularly. Ensuring there is a viable resale platform for Season Ticket holders who commit to 19 League games ‘blind’ each summer, when up to 70% of those are then subsequently rescheduled, is vital and is something we’ll be pushing for over the coming months.

OTHER:

• Next THST Members’ Meeting – early notice

Plans are underway for our Spring Members’ Meeting with the Trust Board finalising details for a Pub Quiz for members and friends. The date, venue and details will be announced shortly, so keep a look out for that over the coming weeks.

• Audio at Wembley

The start of the month saw a flurry of complaints into the Trust twitter account, @THSTOfficial, around the audio levels at Wembley. As previously reported to us, the sound for the pre-match music was too loud in most areas of the ground – Level 1 especially – and the spoken audio for interviews and announcements was too quiet.

We flagged again with Tottenham Hotspur who, in turn, discussed with Wembley’s sound suppliers – Vanguardia. While we accept it’s impossible to please everyone, feedback was more positive following the tweaks ahead of the AFC Wimbledon match, although the interviews and in-game announcements are still too quiet throughout large swathes of the South and West stands, in particular.

One outstanding item in terms of audio is our request for the start of the second half to be announced in the concourses. While the TV screens do display the ‘Please take your seats’ message, there is no indication that the game has actually restarted, causing fans to miss kick off. It is our understanding that Tottenham provide ‘the script’ for all Spurs game days, so we’d be grateful were that to be incorporated into the audio for our remaining time at Wembley.

• FA Cup Fourth Round v Newport County – 27 January

The FA Cup gods had us sweating during the Fourth Round draw as ball after ball was pulled out of the bag, leaving the seemingly inevitable pairing of Tottenham and Chelsea. Newport eventually intervened and we were delivered an interesting tie at a ground where we’ve never played a competitive fixture. In South Wales. In January.

Focus immediately turned to the likely visiting allocation at Rodney Parade, with several fans pointing out that Leeds United had been allocated just over 1000 tickets in Round 3. We were, therefore, delighted to learn that Newport County had decided to build a temporary stand in order to increase the away allocation up to 1640. We subsequently learned that Spurs had agreed to pay for half of the cost of the stand, which was a very decent gesture indeed.

Pricing was also reasonable for this match at £26 for adults and 5 different concessionary price points down to under 6 years of age.

We received positive feedback from visiting Spurs fans on the stewarding and policing of the match, and the hospitality of the home supporters, which we’re very happy to report and to pass on to the Club.

Details for the replay on Wednesday 7 February have now been announced and, once again, Spurs has opted to try to fill Levels 1 and 2 at Wembley by offering the lowest price point available under FA Cup rules; £10 per adult in GA areas. Newport has been allocated a similar number of seats as AFC Wimbledon in the previous round, 7701 tickets for blocks 113-122 of Level 1. Level 5 will be closed for this tie.

• The One Show – 29 January

The FA Cup Fifth Round draw was held live on the One Show on Monday evening. Ahead of the Fourth Round ties, the Trust was approached by the producer of the BBC show asking for our help identifying a Spurs fan to attend the draw, should Tottenham be in the hat for the next round.

An appeal on social media saw us flooded with volunteers. After asking some preliminary questions, we then forwarded the shortlist onto the BBC, who made the final choice. The lucky fan selected was Michael Helkvist, who represented Spurs on the show on Monday 29 January.

Thanks to everyone who entered into the spirit of this and especially to all those who stuck their hands up. We’re always keen to pass requests such as this one onto the wider fan base, so we’re sure there’ll be more opportunities in the near future, as well.

• Studio 306 Collective – THST’s new charity partner

Trust Secretary, Pete Haine, recently met with Studio 306 Collective, our new charity partner.

THST has made a donation of £200 to kick start the partnership, and we intend to raise awareness of and promote their work through our online channels, which we hope will create some interest amongst our members. We are also looking to organise collections at our upcoming members’ evenings and events.

We’ve invited the Collective to our end of season BBQ at The Antwerp Arms in May 2018, where they will be able to feature and sell some of their products.

We’ll keep you posted on more initiatives over the coming months.

• The Color Run – 8 July

We have agreed to work with the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation to promote the Color Run at Wembley Park on 8 July 2018, with Kevin Fitzgerald coordinating the Trust’s efforts.

The event is a 5km run with “Color Stations” positioned around the course to cover runners in a kaleidoscope of colours. They then celebrate their achievement with an epic finish line party.

This will be a great fun day for all the family, especially the youngsters - or even Mums and Dads running with their children. You don't need to be a runner, either; you can run, walk or dance your way from start to finish.

And most importantly it’s a vital fundraiser for the official charity partner, the NSPCC.

More details can be found on the Color Run website, where you can sign up, and we’ll share more information as we get it, too.

• PCUK Football 2 Amsterdam – 1/3 June

A last minute spurt of activity has seen six more Spurs fans grab six of the final ten places on this year’s Prostate Cancer Football 2 Amsterdam ride in June. This takes our total past last year’s record of 24 Cycle On You Spurs riders.

It may be too late to cycle to Amsterdam with the team but there is plenty of time to help us reach our fundraising target of £1,000 per Spurs cyclist and thus help the vital cause of combatting Prostate Cancer. Just visit the Cycle on Your Spurs team fundraising page here.

• Zeelo coach travel to Wembley

We continue to publicise the coach travel offered by Zeelo, something that came in particularly useful on Boxing Day, when public transport options were limited. Zeelo took just under 1,000 fans to and from the stadium that day.

And Zeelo’s offering is expanding. There’s now a permanent service running from Bedford, Luton and Hemel Hempstead and, for evening games, Zeelo is offering one-way trips for fans who work in London but need to travel home easily outside the tube network at a reasonable price.

Prices have also dropped on pick-ups at Southend, Rayleigh, Basildon, Chelmsford and Brentwood, and the Stevenage service now goes direct to Wembley for high-profile matches.

Full details can be found here. Get in touch directly with Zeelo with any route requests or queries via email, live chat on their website or by tweeting @gozeelo.

MEDIA:

• Co-chair, Katrina Law, on The Last Word on Spurs podcast – 15 January 2018

The Club has also set up a dedicated information portal online which answers many of the questions we are frequently contacted with. We’d urge fans to read and familiarise themselves with the details available on the portal as we continue to receive a high volume of questions asking for this information.

THST Board
1 February 2018

For more exclusive and live updates follow us on our social media sites:

Twitter: @THSTOfficial
Facebook: www.facebook.com/THSTOfficial
LinkedIn: Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust