NFL is great. How dare you!
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NFL is great. How dare you!
Hadn't heard complaints before from NFL teams about our pitch? And oddly, none from the winning team.
Get fucked you whiny, miserable pussies.
Stunning - pretty sure they have a layer or 3 on top of the cement though.
NFL fans clearly prefer turf anyway. I probably would too tbh.
Hated / hate playing on artificial turf.
View: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyGvNgJsq6D/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
NFL fans clearly prefer turf anyway. I probably would too tbh.
Hated / hate playing on artificial turf.
View: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyGvNgJsq6D/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
NFL teams in the States, it’s about 50/50 half play on turf whilst half play on artificial.
Yeah was just reading through the comments. But the grass pitches we use for football probably aren’t that great for American football by the sounds of it.
Although I’d expect an artificial pitch that’s been laid down and used 365 days a year to be better than one that’s laid down for a week and then taken back up again.
I’d imagine they are able to build them to a better standard if they are a permanent fixture?? I’m no artificial pitch expert anyway.
When Levy was planning the stadium he was so very very thorough. He travelled far and wide, looking at other stadiums and discussing everything. He left no stone unturned. There cannot be any doubts that he made visits to amd had discussions with the NFL too,discuss the best surface possible. The ones now cririscising the pitch are doing so because they lost. They must be eating the same fruit as Klopp…..
sour grapes.
sour grapes.
The secret of our success is out.
We are top of the league because of our hard grass !!
We are top of the league because of our hard grass !!
Not sure if you guys realise this or not, but when Americans say 'turf' they're referring to artificial turf, rather than grass.
There's been a significant amount of very serious injuries blamed on the artificial turf fields in the NFL over the last few seasons, and it does seem to be a genuine concern.
The problem with our stadium is that the artificial pitch level is purposely lower than where our regular grass pitch sits, allowing for all the playing and coaching staff, officials and other hangers on that stand pitch side during the game, without blocking sight lines of the crowd. When our grass pitch is in place, just outside of the grass are the ramps that are at such an angle that it just wouldn't be suitable for NFL at all.
The only viable solution, should the NFL ever ban artificial turf, would be to lay a new grass surface at the lower level, but that would be a huge pain, and probably need a far greater lead time to prepare for hosting NFL games than is feasible to arrange around the Premier League calendar.
There's been a significant amount of very serious injuries blamed on the artificial turf fields in the NFL over the last few seasons, and it does seem to be a genuine concern.
The problem with our stadium is that the artificial pitch level is purposely lower than where our regular grass pitch sits, allowing for all the playing and coaching staff, officials and other hangers on that stand pitch side during the game, without blocking sight lines of the crowd. When our grass pitch is in place, just outside of the grass are the ramps that are at such an angle that it just wouldn't be suitable for NFL at all.
The only viable solution, should the NFL ever ban artificial turf, would be to lay a new grass surface at the lower level, but that would be a huge pain, and probably need a far greater lead time to prepare for hosting NFL games than is feasible to arrange around the Premier League calendar.
Are we taking it with us on the team bus for all the fucking away games we've been playing so far then?
Not yet !!
Our away form is yet to be fully tested.
We drew at Brentford and beat Burnley, Bournemouth and Luton.
We drew at Brentford and beat Burnley, Bournemouth and Luton.
You're missing one
I never mention Woolwich !!
It’s not just the Bills who have complained about the pitch apparently. Last year I was listening to an NFL podcast, and Darren Fletcher was on talking about the London games and he was saying there has been complaints behind the scenes about the pitch from a lot of players. Even just watching you can tell it doesn’t look like a good NFL pitch. A lot of players losing their footing and a lot of injuries. I think it was mentioned as well the players can feel the rails under their feet where the pitch slides on top of it. They’ll have to do something about it I reckon.
Don’t tell Klopp
View: https://twitter.com/THSTOfficial/status/1712452596307284207?t=FRZ4Evb92T-i1KClQR_t4g&s=19
Ticketing meeting with The Club12/10/2023
Present: Ian Murphy – Head of Ticketing, THFC Levi Harris – Head of Supporter Engagement, THFC Anthoulla Achilleos – Vice Chair, THST Henry Ellis – Board Member, THST HOME TICKETING SEASON TICKETS In response to questions from THST, the Club confirmed that there are c42,500 General Admission Season Ticket Holders (including 1882) and c8,000 Premium season ticket holders. SEASON TICKET RENEWALS THST asked about ST renewals for 2023/24 season; what was the retention rate and had there been an uptick in the number of fans opting to pay via V12 finance given the cost-of-living crisis? The Club said that there had been a marginal increase in the number of people taking the instalment option. The Club was pleased with renewal rates and reported them to be in the high 90s percentage wise. This figure correlated with THST’s fan summer survey results. SEAT RELOCATIONS The Club said the relocation process had gone well over the summer and no issues with the process arose. They noted some fans had opted not to proceed with their seat renewal request as availability was limited due to high renewal rate. The Club encourage fans to keep checking the stadium map even after your phase window, as availability is fluid due to fans in other phases moving and freeing up seats in other areas of the ground. THST discussed the 52 ring-fenced seats for the singing section and commented on the improved atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season. The Club are pleased with how the initiative has been received. Prior to the start of the drum trial a small number of concerned fans contacted the Club about the impact of the drum on their matchday experience. Following the first match of the trial however, all were happy to remain in their current seats. THST asked about plans for the expansion of the singing section to which the Club responded that this will be dependent on renewals in the areas in proximity. THST raised a concern around moving fans from more expensive locations into the cheaper south stand to be part of the singing section as this would reduce the balance of pricing in the inventory for match-day sales. The Club reassured that this is being taken into account for any plans to expand this section. ONE HOTSPUR MEMBERSHIPS THST asked how many One Hotspur Members there are. The Club does not share commercial breakdowns but reported they had good renewal rates and the membership programme is continually growing as it usually does as the season progresses, particularly with the increased demand for matchday tickets. THST commented that the results for the summer fan survey suggested there would be a drop in one hotspur membership renewal rates; 68% told us they were renewing their memberships for next season down from 87% in 2022. TICKET PRICING THST began with outlining the ticket campaign that was launched in August and noting that the Club had mentioned in the Fan Advisory Board minutes and Fan Forum that a full ticketing review would be in progress. THST asked what this review will entail, if it has already started and what information can be shared at this stage. The Club confirmed that the review is underway, and the remit of the review would be to look at every aspect of ticketing (including pricing). It was described by the Club as a way of relooking and taking stock – reflecting on what has been done well and what can be improved. It will be looking at ticketing from both a fan and business point of view. Topics up for discussion in this review will be how loyalty is being rewarded, the pricing structure across all ticketing types and how the Club will be looking to encourage young fans to attend games. The Club also confirmed THST, through its FAB representatives, will have input into this review process. THST recommended the Club set up focus groups as part of this review process to gauge opinion from the different areas of the fan base (Adult, senior, young adult, Junior season ticket holders and members). The Club noted this suggestion. THST asked whether this review will be completed in time for next season’s ticket renewal period. The Club could not confirm whether this will be in time for season ticket renewals. THST stated that price increases are a worry for fans every year and more so during the current macroeconomic environment given that salaries are not increasing at the same rate as inflation. THST recommended that the Club communicate the outcomes from the review as early as possible to try and remove some of the worry for fans both next season and seasons that follow. HALF SEASON TICKETS THST asked whether half season tickets will be an option again this season. The Club said they will confirm at a later date as a decision has yet to be taken. CONCESSIONS THST asked if there are still the same percentage of season ticket holders as concessions and asked if the Club could break this number down further into Junior, Young Adult and Senior. The Club reported the number of concessionary season ticket holders is now higher. . The Club stated they would not provide the commercial breakdown. In our last meeting, the Club clarified that, to be eligible for senior concession STs for the 2023/24 season, you must be aged 65 or over by 12th August 2023 and in an area less than £1200. The Club after the last meeting then clarified that concessions in the stadium are subject to availability to strike a balance between different concessions and seasonal/matchday ticket types. THST has since had many emails from senior fans concerned and appalled with not being able to access their concessionary discount. THST asked for clarity on this policy and why there is a limit on senior concessions per block. The Club clarified their current concessionary policy. They confirmed if you are already seated in a concession eligible area then you will get access to your discount automatically. Senior concessions are limited if you are relocating from a non-concession eligible area into an eligible area to access the discount. The Club agreed that communication around this policy is not clear for fans and will be looking to include it on Ask Spurs. They confirmed that concessions are a part of the ticket review in process. THST reiterated that concessions should be linked to the person and not the seat and that affordable pricing would encourage younger fans to attend games which would ensure there is an age turnover within the fanbase. CUP GAMES THST asked whether cup matches will remain outside of categorisation if we draw a home tie in the FA cup. The Club confirmed that this will remain the case. AWAY TICKETING THST mentioned there has been several fans unhappy with the cut offs for away allocations. The Club stated that we have had back-to-back low allocation away games and it is unfortunately to be expected. The Club confirmed that 12.5% of away allocation is assigned to Premiums, in line with the proportion of Premium Season Ticket Holders at home matches and there is then a fixed number of contractual and small number ad hoc requests for players, sponsors and staff for each away allocation. THST suggested the Club publish a rough breakdown of GA allocated tickets vs Premiums/Contractual obligations, in the aim for transparency, when announcing point cut offs. The Club noted this suggestion. THST and the Club acknowledged that there remains an issue with away tickets being passed on. Tackling this is an uphill struggle until away digital ticketing with sufficient technology to prevent screen-grabbing and revolving barcodes is introduced. As always, the Club encourage fans to report any evidence of ticket abuse to the Club so that action can be taken. This can be done by emailing [email protected] with supporting evidence such as screenshots. BOOKING FEES At the last meeting, THST raised the inconsistency in away ticket booking fees. Away ticket booking fees are £1 but if the lead booker is unsuccessful or the payment fails, the tickets become reserved on fan’s accounts for purchase. When these are added to the basket, the booking fee becomes £1.75. The Club has confirmed that this issue has now been rectified. OTHER ITEMS FROM THST SURVEY THST flagged the other areas of concern from its annual survey that had not been covered in the earlier discussion. Those were:
THST Board 12 October, 2023 |
