Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust is deeply concerned by the Club’s multi-year partnership with Socios, as announced this afternoon.
We understand the Club needs to develop its commercial partnerships but this relationship will see engagement passed on to a third party provider enabling it to monetise fandom.
THST is yet again disappointed not to have been consulted on this move or to have been forewarned about this afternoon’s announcement.
The Club says One Hotspur Members and Season Ticket Holders will be provided with one and five free tokens respectively and the arrangement then encourages fans to enter a cryptocurrency ecosystem of which many fans will have little knowledge but will be encouraged to purchase further tokens to ‘win’ things.
The Club is trusted by fans and we fear many will end up in a system they do not understand that is designed to monetise their support and love for the club.
It is important there should be no financial or technological barriers to fan engagement yet this relationship potentially creates both.
THST expects the Club to safeguard our supporters against financial loss but this partnership seemingly does the opposite by exposing fans to potential losses.
We shall also be asking the Club to confirm that supporters’ data will not be shared with any provider without further consultation or consent.