Updates on:
1. Season Ticket pricing and renewals
2. Premier League ticketing meeting
3. High Road West Consultation – White Hart Lane Station
4. Crowd management – SUFC/ SYP
5. Crowd management - NUFC
6. Small Shareholders Association
7. THST AGM – 16 February
8. THST THFC Board to Board Meeting – 30 March
9. THST Board Meetings
Other:
10. Stadium
11. FSF Roadshow
1. Season Ticket pricing and renewals
2. Premier League ticketing meeting
3. High Road West Consultation – White Hart Lane Station
4. Crowd management – SUFC/ SYP
5. Crowd management - NUFC
6. Small Shareholders Association
7. THST AGM – 16 February
8. THST THFC Board to Board Meeting – 30 March
9. THST Board Meetings
Other:
10. Stadium
11. FSF Roadshow
Where else could we start but at Wembley! We’re absolutely delighted that the Club has reached the League Cup final, especially in Mauricio Pochettino’s first season. Wembley finals are special for Spurs fans and it’s great to start a newsletter on such a positive note.
1. Season ticket pricing and renewal date
The Club recently announced details of Season Ticket pricing for the next two seasons. Our initial response, including a welcome for the decision not to increase prices this year, was published on this site last week. We did, however, express our opposition to the Club’s decision to move the renewal date forward to a date two weeks earlier than last year, with four league games remaining in the 2014/15 campaign.
A letter has been sent to the Board of THFC requesting the renewal date be restored to Mid May or preferably 25 May, after the current season has ended. Should this not be possible, we have suggested practical alternatives to resolve the situation, which can be read here.
We await a response from the Club on this matter. Once the issue of this season’s renewal date has been resolved, we will be seeking further consultation on the announcement of the price increase for the following season.
2. Premier League ticketing meeting
As a follow up to the meeting held on the day of Affordable Football march organised by Trusts’ and the FSF in August, fans reps met with the Premier League on 23 January to reconvene discussions around measures to reduce ticket pricing. Away tickets were the primary focus of the session, especially ending match categorisation and exploring the mechanics of a viable proposition for this. Particular attention was also given to the 18 – 24 age category who are seen as crucial to the future of the game and the most hard pressed demographic. Pushing for concessions for this group was felt to be important.
While the away tickets initiative represents encouraging progress and has already delivered benefits to fans, fan groups across the country continue to press for action on the issue of home ticket pricing. This is a more complicated discussion but it is a discussion that is going on. Premier League officials committed themselves to raising the concerns we aired with clubs, and to exploring mechanism for securing price reductions.
The FSF issued this statement following the meeting. In that statement the FSF emphasises the importance of “work done by supporters groups at club level to press their clubs to support progress in this area”. We at THST are committed to helping drive this initiative alongside our fellow trusts, and will, in the light of the THFC Board’s stated recognition of the economic difficulties facing many supporters, continue to press the Board of THFC to play a progressive role in addressing ticket price inflation.
3. Follow up with Haringey on White Hart Lane station plans
In November we found out, just before the consultation period finished, that Haringey Council was working on plans for a new layout at White Hart Lane train station. As we reported in November’s newsletter, we wrote to the council, expressing the view that we would have appreciated being told about the ‘consultation process’ in time to make some input into an issue that affects a large number of fans on a regular basis. Haringey invited us to discuss the issue further, and we accepted that invitation. We are still seeking that meeting. In the meantime it may be useful if fans contacted the Council individually to ask questions about the new station and put forward any concerns. We suggest using the comments form at the bottom of this section of Haringey’s website, which is the most up-to-date information we can find on the site about the plans.
4. Crowd management
SUFC/ SYP liaison
Continuing our work on crowd management, we contacted Sheffield United and South Yorkshire police ahead of our League Cup semi-final. We knew a large travelling support would attend, and we were mindful of the fact that the combination of large numbers at an unfamiliar stadium in a high-profile game could pose some challenges. Our aim was to inform fans, and also encourage police and club officials to engage with fans, rather than simply see us as a problem to be dealt with. We also discussed with THFC how we could best jointly approach this.
SUFC’s Supporter Liaison Officer John Garrett was extremely helpful in co-ordinating contact in South Yorkshire, and we’d like to extend our thanks to him for his help. Local police also indicated a willingness to work with us, and we were able to publish some information for fans on our site. This was intended to complement the information put out by THFC, an approach we agreed with the Club, working closely with THFC’s SLO Jonathan Waite, who we’d also like to thank.
We hope to continue to be able to continue this strand of our work in future.
5. Crowd management
NUFC game
We worked with the FSF and THFC to address some of the issues that arose outside White Hart Lane before the League Cup quarter-final game against Newcastle in December. A full report is on our website, and a blog outlining some of the background issues has been published on the FSF website.
6. Small Shareholders Association
The THFCSSA has been hard at work doing some background research, and tell us that a first email update to members who have registered will soon be out, accompanied by a survey. The Association is an independent body, but THST supports its work and urges all small shareholders to sign up.
7. AGM process
The THST AGM is scheduled for Monday 16th February 2015 at Nabarro LLP Solicitors at London Wall. Full members were sent the Convening Notice on 9 January 2015 with Proxy Voting forms following on Monday 2 February along with Board Candidate manifestos.
We encourage all full members who are unable to attend the AGM to vote by Proxy or post. Full details can be found here: https://www.thstofficial.com/agm.html
8. New date for B2B meeting
The next meeting between the Boards of THST and THFC has been rescheduled for 30 March at White Hart Lane stadium.
9. THST Board Meetings
The current Board of THST will meet for the last time on Tuesday 3 February to transition current projects and prepare for the AGM on 16 February.
We are sad to announce that two members of the Board are stepping down due to pressure of work commitments.
Darren Howlett has been a member of the Trust board for nine years, and has been Joint Chair and Chair for the last few years as the Trust has been transformed. Darren’s involvement in the role at a time of significant and often difficult organisational change in the Trust has been absolutely invaluable in ensuring that change was successful. His support has been greatly appreciated by the current board, and his diplomatic skills will be sorely missed at board meetings and in our relationship with THFC.
Ellie Kershaw was one of the new Board members who helped transform the Trust into a modern, active, campaigning organisation. Her knowledge of political lobbying, communication and community legislation has proved particularly valuable, as has her willingness to dedicate many hours to the Trust, and to travel great distances to do so. Ellie’s energy and willingness to speak her mind will be greatly missed.
The first meeting of the new THST Board has been set for 23 February. Here, roles and responsibilities for the coming year will be agreed.
Other
Stadium
Work on issues connected with the Club’s proposed new stadium continues to be hampered by a number of factors. Chief among these are the ongoing CPO case and the Club’s insistence that commercial sensitivity limits the amount of detailed and transparent discussion it can have with the Trust. We are mindful of the need not to place anything that could potentially benefit fans at risk, but are also concerned about the pace of developments, the level of genuine consultation and our responsibility to provide information to members. This is an area we would like to discuss with members at our forthcoming AGM.
FSF Roadshow
Board members Martin Cloake and Kat Law attended a London public meeting held by the FSF in January, participating in discussion on ticket pricing and crowd management.
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
1. Season ticket pricing and renewal date
The Club recently announced details of Season Ticket pricing for the next two seasons. Our initial response, including a welcome for the decision not to increase prices this year, was published on this site last week. We did, however, express our opposition to the Club’s decision to move the renewal date forward to a date two weeks earlier than last year, with four league games remaining in the 2014/15 campaign.
A letter has been sent to the Board of THFC requesting the renewal date be restored to Mid May or preferably 25 May, after the current season has ended. Should this not be possible, we have suggested practical alternatives to resolve the situation, which can be read here.
We await a response from the Club on this matter. Once the issue of this season’s renewal date has been resolved, we will be seeking further consultation on the announcement of the price increase for the following season.
2. Premier League ticketing meeting
As a follow up to the meeting held on the day of Affordable Football march organised by Trusts’ and the FSF in August, fans reps met with the Premier League on 23 January to reconvene discussions around measures to reduce ticket pricing. Away tickets were the primary focus of the session, especially ending match categorisation and exploring the mechanics of a viable proposition for this. Particular attention was also given to the 18 – 24 age category who are seen as crucial to the future of the game and the most hard pressed demographic. Pushing for concessions for this group was felt to be important.
While the away tickets initiative represents encouraging progress and has already delivered benefits to fans, fan groups across the country continue to press for action on the issue of home ticket pricing. This is a more complicated discussion but it is a discussion that is going on. Premier League officials committed themselves to raising the concerns we aired with clubs, and to exploring mechanism for securing price reductions.
The FSF issued this statement following the meeting. In that statement the FSF emphasises the importance of “work done by supporters groups at club level to press their clubs to support progress in this area”. We at THST are committed to helping drive this initiative alongside our fellow trusts, and will, in the light of the THFC Board’s stated recognition of the economic difficulties facing many supporters, continue to press the Board of THFC to play a progressive role in addressing ticket price inflation.
3. Follow up with Haringey on White Hart Lane station plans
In November we found out, just before the consultation period finished, that Haringey Council was working on plans for a new layout at White Hart Lane train station. As we reported in November’s newsletter, we wrote to the council, expressing the view that we would have appreciated being told about the ‘consultation process’ in time to make some input into an issue that affects a large number of fans on a regular basis. Haringey invited us to discuss the issue further, and we accepted that invitation. We are still seeking that meeting. In the meantime it may be useful if fans contacted the Council individually to ask questions about the new station and put forward any concerns. We suggest using the comments form at the bottom of this section of Haringey’s website, which is the most up-to-date information we can find on the site about the plans.
4. Crowd management
SUFC/ SYP liaison
Continuing our work on crowd management, we contacted Sheffield United and South Yorkshire police ahead of our League Cup semi-final. We knew a large travelling support would attend, and we were mindful of the fact that the combination of large numbers at an unfamiliar stadium in a high-profile game could pose some challenges. Our aim was to inform fans, and also encourage police and club officials to engage with fans, rather than simply see us as a problem to be dealt with. We also discussed with THFC how we could best jointly approach this.
SUFC’s Supporter Liaison Officer John Garrett was extremely helpful in co-ordinating contact in South Yorkshire, and we’d like to extend our thanks to him for his help. Local police also indicated a willingness to work with us, and we were able to publish some information for fans on our site. This was intended to complement the information put out by THFC, an approach we agreed with the Club, working closely with THFC’s SLO Jonathan Waite, who we’d also like to thank.
We hope to continue to be able to continue this strand of our work in future.
5. Crowd management
NUFC game
We worked with the FSF and THFC to address some of the issues that arose outside White Hart Lane before the League Cup quarter-final game against Newcastle in December. A full report is on our website, and a blog outlining some of the background issues has been published on the FSF website.
6. Small Shareholders Association
The THFCSSA has been hard at work doing some background research, and tell us that a first email update to members who have registered will soon be out, accompanied by a survey. The Association is an independent body, but THST supports its work and urges all small shareholders to sign up.
7. AGM process
The THST AGM is scheduled for Monday 16th February 2015 at Nabarro LLP Solicitors at London Wall. Full members were sent the Convening Notice on 9 January 2015 with Proxy Voting forms following on Monday 2 February along with Board Candidate manifestos.
We encourage all full members who are unable to attend the AGM to vote by Proxy or post. Full details can be found here: https://www.thstofficial.com/agm.html
8. New date for B2B meeting
The next meeting between the Boards of THST and THFC has been rescheduled for 30 March at White Hart Lane stadium.
9. THST Board Meetings
The current Board of THST will meet for the last time on Tuesday 3 February to transition current projects and prepare for the AGM on 16 February.
We are sad to announce that two members of the Board are stepping down due to pressure of work commitments.
Darren Howlett has been a member of the Trust board for nine years, and has been Joint Chair and Chair for the last few years as the Trust has been transformed. Darren’s involvement in the role at a time of significant and often difficult organisational change in the Trust has been absolutely invaluable in ensuring that change was successful. His support has been greatly appreciated by the current board, and his diplomatic skills will be sorely missed at board meetings and in our relationship with THFC.
Ellie Kershaw was one of the new Board members who helped transform the Trust into a modern, active, campaigning organisation. Her knowledge of political lobbying, communication and community legislation has proved particularly valuable, as has her willingness to dedicate many hours to the Trust, and to travel great distances to do so. Ellie’s energy and willingness to speak her mind will be greatly missed.
The first meeting of the new THST Board has been set for 23 February. Here, roles and responsibilities for the coming year will be agreed.
Other
Stadium
Work on issues connected with the Club’s proposed new stadium continues to be hampered by a number of factors. Chief among these are the ongoing CPO case and the Club’s insistence that commercial sensitivity limits the amount of detailed and transparent discussion it can have with the Trust. We are mindful of the need not to place anything that could potentially benefit fans at risk, but are also concerned about the pace of developments, the level of genuine consultation and our responsibility to provide information to members. This is an area we would like to discuss with members at our forthcoming AGM.
FSF Roadshow
Board members Martin Cloake and Kat Law attended a London public meeting held by the FSF in January, participating in discussion on ticket pricing and crowd management.
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
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