FAQ

What is the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust?

It is a Community Benefit Society, regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. It’s a democratic, non-profit organisation for fans, committed to strengthening the voice of supporters in the decision-making process at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, and strengthening the links between the Club and the community it serves. Think of Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) as a union for Spurs fans; where the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) would represent fans at a national level, THST would represent fans at club level.

What’s the role of the Football Supporters’ Association?

The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) is the democratic organisation representing the rights of fans and arguing the views of football supporters in England and Wales.

With over 500,000 members, the FSA campaigns on national issues such as VAR, kick off times, broadcast scheduling, combatting online abuse, standing and ticket prices. It represents both individual fans and members of local supporters’ organisations from every club in the professional structure and many others further down the football pyramid.

More details can be found here: https://thefsa.org.uk/

How does a Trust differ from an Independent Supporters’ Association or Supporters’ club?

A Supporters’ Trust isn’t just another way of saying supporters’ club or fans’ group. It is a registered and recognised Community Benefit Society; a fully democratic organisation backed by the FSA.

Supporters’ Trusts are constituted as Community Benefit Societies (CBS), a form of Co-operative that operates under a one-member one-vote principle. CBS’ are registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and any changes to the rules must be approved by the members and only become effective once the FCA has agreed them, checking they are in keeping with the spirit of the organisation. The members own all assets and liabilities collectively, and any profit made is either kept as reserves or reinvested to meet its objects. They are not charities and whilst they contain the word ‘Trust’ they do not follow the legal definition of a ‘Trust’.

Who’s on the THST Board?

The THST Board currently comprises twelve members:

Martin Buhagiar – Chair
Michael Green – Vice Chair
Koonal Shah – Secretary
Anthony Morkos – Treasurer
Rachel Martin – Fan Advisory Board Rep
Steve Cavalier – Fan Advisory Board Rep
Henry Ellis
Jo Gibbons
Rob White
Tristan Foot

Who funds THST?

THST is funded solely by membership fees, individual donations and proceeds from occasional member events. We receive no money from THFC or any other outside body, meaning we can be completely impartial and have no conflicts of interest. We are funded by our members and work in the interest of our members only.

Why should I join?

As the only officially recognised voice of Spurs supporters, being involved in our surveys, meetings and casting your vote on key issues will ensure your opinion helps to drive our strategy moving forward. Your view will be heard by both THST and by THFC.

There is real strength in numbers. The more members THST has, the more weight it will carry. Standing together on the issues that matter is crucial to the success of the Trust. It’s great having an opinion on Twitter or message boards but your voice will be lost if it’s not channelled into the one avenue where its volume can be increased through sheer numbers and sheer will.

There are so many causes to fight for and against in present day football, both at a national and club level and we will need your support, your passion, your opinions and your backing to make the most of every opportunity to be heard.

How much is this going to cost me?

There are several tiers to membership options.

  • Associate Membership is completely free, but carries no voting rights
  • Adult full Membership is £10 per year
  • Over-65s full membership is £5 per year
  • Under-18’s qualify for full membership for free
  • Official Supporters’ Club full membership is £25 per year


I’ve got some spare time and I’d like to get involved. How?

Without the help of volunteers, THST would not be able to undertake half the campaigns, events, surveys, lobbying and general work it’s involved in. Volunteers are crucial to THST’s success. THST is always looking for passionate Spurs fans with a little (or a lot) of time to spare to drive the Trust forward. We will not ask you to contribute any more time than you feel you can, and we value any contribution.

We are also looking for people with skills in particular areas to make a little extra commitment as standing members of our Expert Working Groups. These groups enable us to pool the talent and experience of our members so that we can draw on their expert advice when needed. We currently have a fully functioning Finance EWG. We would like to hear from members with expertise in legal, planning, architecture, lobbying and IT.

Being a THST volunteer can help you learn new skills or improve existing ones that can help with future careers or personal development, as well as providing the opportunity to form lasting friendships. To get involved, please email info@thstofficial.com

Aren’t you just an extension of the Club?

No. The Trust’s Board Members are fans, just like you, we attend games and we pay for our own tickets. We are not employed by the Club nor do we receive any preferential treatment. We aim to represent what is best for supporters on all occasions. This doesn’t mean we will lobby against the Club at every opportunity or argue for the sake of it. A reasonable, measured, mature dialogue goes a long way. But we do speak out for fans’ rights and have no qualms about making the feelings of our members known to the Club. We also offer assistance and support to any fans experiencing difficulties with ticketing, safety, policing and stewarding issues, working closely with the Football Supporters’ Association on the latter two areas.

What should I do if I disagree with THST’s position on an issue?

Although the Trust would like to think fans will agree with it on everything, THST isn’t foolish enough to really believe that will be the case!

THST will survey before making key decisions but if fans disagree with the Trust’s stance on something, that’s not the time to abandon the Trust. Instead, THST would like that to be your inspiration to get involved and change things from within, through attending meetings, blogging and, hopefully, putting yourself up for election to the Board at the earliest opportunity. There are always opposing views to every issue and THST is always willing to listen.

You can never buy the Club. What’s the point?

Given the ownership model in place at Spurs, it is obviously unrealistic for a Supporters’ Trust to aspire to own the club. The aim is to increase the voice of supporters by continuing a collective engagement with the club and lobbying for fan consultation on relevant and pertinent issues that affect all relationships with Spurs. Additionally, support is growing across the political spectrum for the idea of independent and accountable directors on club boards, so it is important that we build strong fan organisations in order to ensure this happens.

Surely Supporters’ Trusts only work where clubs have gone into administration?

Supporters’ Trusts are, indeed, crucial should a club be in financial difficulties but these are not the only circumstances under which a Trust can be effective. For example, we have worked successfully on issues such as ticket pricing and the unfair treatment of fans.

What events will THST hold?

The Trust will hold members’ meetings, social events and an AGM.

Will THST lead supporters’ opposition to an unpopular manager or player?

No. THST does not seek to play any part in the footballing decisions made by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. It will, however, question ambition or certain policies, where necessary.

Can THST access match tickets?

No. THST does not operate as a supporters’ club and has no access or involvement in supplying tickets.

Players and squad

The Trust will press the Club for information on its policy on player recruitment, development and ambitions for the squad, and will always try to reflect and pass on supporter opinion on these areas to the Club. We do not comment on individual player selection or specific transfers.

Dissertations

Owing to the large number of requests we get to survey our members on a variety of football-related issues from college students trying to complete dissertations, we have had to adopt a stance of turning down all requests. While we want to help as much as we can, we can’t push surveys out to our members, but individual board members will help where we can, although as volunteers with limited available time, this is not always possible.

We are considering how we can most practically help dissertation and research students and, if any members have ideas on how we could do so or even expertise in the area, we would be pleased to hear from you.

Contact THST’s media representatives

Press enquiries should be directed as follows:

Martin Buhagiar: mbuhagiar@thstoffical.com