The tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust is in favour of the Fan Advisory Board’s creation.
Tottenham Hotspur FC has added the Fan Advisory Board (FAB) to its fan involvement and discussion with supporters’ organisations by launching it today.
Promoting increased fan interaction and guaranteeing formal dialogue by the Club on issues of concern to fans have been two of the Trust’s top priorities.
This is crucial in making sure the highest standards are met both on and off the pitch. The formation of the FAB follows years of advocacy work and, more recently, 18 months of talks with the Club.
It will provide a legally obligatory requirement to consult with supporters’ representatives for the first time, which is a significant improvement for fan participation at the Club.
In relation to the specific decision-making issues under its purview, it guarantees that the Club will consult with supporters and take their opinions into account. As a result, supporters’ representatives will have a stronger voice on the crucial problems impacting the Club and will be better equipped to hold the Board accountable. It builds on the suggestions made by the independent Fan Led Review, which was established after the European Super League fiasco and was commissioned by the Government. Without the Trust and the pressure from the fans, none of this would have been possible.
The FAB is made up of people chosen by various sorts of supporters from supporters’ groups. THST will be represented by two people, and Proud Lilywhites, SpursAbility, and Spurs Reach will each have one slot.
The following topics fall under the purview of the FAB: the Club’s strategic vision and objectives; updates on off-field performance; priorities and plans; operational matchday issues; proposals relating to significant changes to Club heritage assets; stadium issues and plans; the Club’s community strategy; equality, diversity and inclusion commitments; and plans for broader supporter engagement.
With regard to the structure and operation of the FAB, we have engaged in thorough negotiations with the Club. Because of this, we were able to amend the agreements in a way that strengthens the voice of the fans and goes above and beyond the recommendations made by the Premier League in their just-released Premier League Fan Engagement Standard.
The Trust has often urged the Board to outline the Club’s strategy so that supporters and the larger football community may clearly grasp the direction and goals for the next years. The Board will now be required by the FAB to consult on its strategic vision, objectives, and priorities. This is an important and positive step.
In addition, we ran a campaign to get a fan on the Board of Directors. Although it was not a recommendation of the Fan Led Review, we have obtained agreement that the supporter Co-Chair of the FAB will attend four meetings of the main Club Board of Directors each year as part of the arrangements for the FAB at Spurs, giving fans a significant presence in the boardroom.
Having our members respond
THST is a democratic, independent group that supports Spurs supporters’ interests and values member input. Now that the process of member consultation has begun, we are eager to learn opinions on how to ensure the biggest impact for fan involvement.
Trust members are invited to a virtual meeting where we will go over the FAB arrangements in more depth, respond to inquiries, and give members a chance to share their opinions. Members who are unable to attend the meeting may email us their comments or opinions beforehand, and we will take those into consideration.
Observations of the Trust Board
The Trust Board believes that the voice of the fans will be
The FAB represents a tremendous improvement in the Club’s fan involvement. It requires the Club to consult on important matters. It gives supporters’ representatives a way to hold the Board accountable. The Club boardroom gains a supporter presence as a result. The chance to guarantee that supporters have a say in how the Club is run is a real one.
We think that the THFC FAB satisfies (and in some ways even exceeds) Premier League standards. It establishes a structure that would preclude THFC or other clubs from founding or participating in breakaway leagues without violating the Premier League rules or the Government’s White Paper on the Fan Led Review when taken together.
The FAB allows the Trust the chance to better represent supporters and influence the Club’s choices while collaborating with other groups. This will complement the Trust’s current function of representing supporters to the Club directly.
The Trust’s continued representation of supporters’ interests is reiterated in the amended memorandum of understanding between the Club and the Trust. It is made clear that the establishment of the FAB does not eliminate this duty.
The Trust would not be able to influence FAB talks if it did not participate, which would leave fans without FAB representation from an independent democratic group. With Trust involvement, the FAB will be much more productive. not participating
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