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THST Reflects on Tottenham’s Move to Wembley

By Alexander Balano

LONDON - MARCH 17: An aerial view of Wembley Stadium on the Wembley Stadium Community Day on March 17, 2007 in London. The Stadium expects around 60,000 people to attend the event which allows residents of Brent an exclusive look inside the new stadium. The residents will also be helping the organisers test facilities such as the toilets, turnstiles and escalators. (Photo by Pool/Getty Images)
LONDON - MARCH 17: An aerial view of Wembley Stadium on the Wembley Stadium Community Day on March 17, 2007 in London. The Stadium expects around 60,000 people to attend the event which allows residents of Brent an exclusive look inside the new stadium. The residents will also be helping the organisers test facilities such as the toilets, turnstiles and escalators. (Photo by Pool/Getty Images) /
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Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust talks about Spurs’ move to Wembley and how it took two years to convince the Football Association that they wanted Tottenham to remain in London. Now, issues with season ticket holders are popping up.

A few days ago, Ham & High’s Ben Pearce wrote a great article about Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust’s view on Spurs’ move to Wembley Stadium next year. What they thought about the alternative being MK Dons’ stadium:mk and eventually what season ticket holders are currently dealing with.

Related Story: What to Expect Ahead of Tottenham's Move to Wembley

To get started, this article was published four days ago on June 2nd, so it’s practically considered “old” but the information is still worth reading to recap on what is no doubt a monumental move by Tottenham to remain in the capital.

Because there’s plenty to read, this piece will be condensed and only contain the main gist of what Ben Pearce wrote about. To read the entire article in full, the link is below.

Anyway, here’s Katrina Law, co-chair of the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) talking about how long they have campaigned for a move to play in Wembley.

"“We’ve campaigned, as a trust, for Wembley for the past two years,” Law said (via Ham & High).“We’ve run surveys where Wembley has come out with over 80 percent polling amongst our fanbase as a preferred option to Milton Keynes.”“We also got fans to email [FA chairman] Greg Dyke last summer, explaining why Tottenham should play at the national stadium, so it’s been a long campaign and we’re delighted we’ve managed to keep Tottenham in London.”"

Crowds arrive at Wembley ahead of the first competitive match at the new national stadium in London, 24 March 2007. The Under-21 International between England and Italy is seen as the final test before the stadium can be declared fully operational. AFP PHOTO/CHRIS YOUNG (Photo credit should read CHRIS YOUNG/AFP/Getty Images)
Crowds arrive at Wembley ahead of the first competitive match at the new national stadium in London, 24 March 2007. The Under-21 International between England and Italy is seen as the final test before the stadium can be declared fully operational. AFP PHOTO/CHRIS YOUNG (Photo credit should read CHRIS YOUNG/AFP/Getty Images) /

It has always seemed like the most logical choice, to keep Tottenham in London. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t easy to convince the Football Association to allow a football club to use the national stadium.

Martin Cloake, the other co-chair of THST, added his thoughts on this move.

"“I think it’s an example where the club have listened to what the fans are saying.”“I think that was referenced in the club’s statement as well, where they acknowledged it was the fans’ preference.”“Getting the Wembley option is just really good and I think it shows that sometimes if you can speak up and make a case, you are able to persuade people.”"

Of course, with Wembley secured, there’s still the matter of tickets.

Not necessarily the pricing, since that hasn’t been addressed, but what will season ticket holders do. Will they have to renew their 2017-18 season tickets or can they get an amnesty option?

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Here’s Katrina Law on the matter:

"“[…] Our ideal will probably be that they listen to people on a case by case basis, to those who have exceptional circumstances for not being able to get to Wembley.”“But we’re quite a long way off getting a solution on that.”“Those who want an amnesty will cite the inconvenience – the fact that it’s going to take them a couple of hours longer on a round trip to get over to north-west London compared to north-east London.”“[…] I think it’s about choice. Some people feel they’ve earned the right to have a choice by having a season ticket for 20 or 30 years or whatever, and obviously the venue’s now changed.”“But some feel quite strongly that if they’re making the effort to get to Wembley they don’t see why some others should get the option to drop out. It’s not by any means every season ticket-holder wanting an amnesty.”"

Martin Cloake chimed in saying:

"“I think with some of the arguments about the inconveniences, that was one of the major reasons why we objected to Milton Keynes so much.”“Especially for midweek evening games, the inconvenience of getting there would far outweigh the inconvenience for anybody of getting to Wembley, and of the options available, Wembley is the closest.”"

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Frankly, while Tottenham will remain in London, people do have the right to choose whether they want to travel round-trip to watch Spurs live and in-person in Wembley before returning home.

That doesn’t mean Milton Keynes was a better option, 50 miles away from the capital, but essentially not everyone is going to be happy in the end.

Drawing that fine line is what THST will have to come up with. For the most part though, everyone can agree that the first step in securing Wembley was a success. Figuring out what to do with season ticket holders’ complaints is next on the list.

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