Tottenham Hotspur Football Club has become one of the wealthiest clubs in English football. After constructing a 1.2 billion pound stadium that hosts Premier League football and NFL football games, is used for concerts, and serves as a corporate event space, the club hasn’t forgotten who helped make it happen: the fans. As one of the most well-supported teams in England, the club’s charitable foundation has impacted the Tottenham community greatly.
The Tottenham Hotspur Foundation (THF) has given back in several ways. As a professional football club, it has a unique tool. Sports connect people in ways that are difficult to comprehend, and Spurs are using it to improve the lives of their fans.
Employment
According to the foundation, Tottenham has created more than 4,000 jobs for the local area thanks to its ongoing stadium area development. Working with Haringey Council, the Greater London borough governing body, and the Department for Work and Pensions, the club assists job seekers. It helps write and edit resumes and CVs, provides access to training, and places them across many industries.
“The Foundation has helped place Haringey residents within jobs across a wide range of industries associated with the stadium development, including construction, IT, hospitality, security, and retail,” the foundation website explained.
The club hosts job fairs, employment drop-in sessions, and volunteering programs to encourage participation in civic duty.
In addition, the foundation works with Project SEARCH, which helps students ages 18–24 with learning disabilities in 10-week work programs find gainful employment.
Photo Courtesy Tottenham Hotspur
Community Outreach and Cohesion
Reducing crime amongst North London’s youth is another goal of THF, thanks to a series of partnerships with many U.K. government agendas. The club keeps kids off the streets, on the pitch, and in school, using sports as an uplifting tool.
Using the Kicks program, THF is building relationships with young people and the police. It has been around since 2006 and is open to all genders. It’s mostly for kids ages 10 to 18. By playing sports, kids learn constructive habits and healthy social skills for the real world.
Girl’s football participation is an important cause the club supports. The Premier League Girls campaign encourages women’s and girl’s football players to attend clinics at top Premier League clubs. More than 600 girls have gotten involved in this program in the last five years.
The foundation has a health and well-being program that promotes outdoor activity and regular health checks.
The foundation runs Shape Up with Spurs, a 10-week exercise and nutrition program encouraging people to get active. It helps with the mental aspect of losing weight, too. There is Get Up and Go, a chair-based exercise class in partnership with the Metropolitan Housing in London.
The National Health Service (NHS) hosts community wellness checks at the club. People aged 40–74 are encouraged to get their vitals checked. The goal of this program is to increase life expectancy in North London residents. These checks can often be crucial in identifying early signs of underlying conditions such as heart disease or hypertension.
Noteworthy THF Stories
THF has done so much for the Tottenham area of London; there are too many highlights to list in one article. As we covered before, the club is one of the greenest in England, hosting the Premier League’s first-ever Game Zero in 2021. A carbon-neutral travel initiative was heavily marketed by the club.
Additionally, Tottenham gave a semi-professional footballer a job as a youth activist in the foundation. Ahmed Mohammad fled violence in his home nation of Nigeria, arriving in England at age 14 and with no English ability. He was raised by Eritrean foster parents in the Tottenham area, attending Park View School until 2016. He played for Hertford Town FC as a young adult and was recruited by the foundation to be an employment adviser. He uses his story to inspire kids his age who live on the streets or experience poverty.
Last year, the community activist group Haringey Circle and the foundation ran a telephone friendship circle for 10 weeks. Fans could call each other and have lively discussions about all things Tottenham.
Youth Football
The foundation runs many football camps for kids, and it’s not unfair to say they love them. Not only do they go to play and socialize at one of the best training facilities in London, they get to meet and learn from the first-team stars.
This summer, defender Ashley Phillips was a special guest at the Summer of Spurs camp, part of the Kicks program. The club held free football and other sports activities, along with free lunch.
Phillips took pictures with attendees and played dodgeball, football, tennis, and American flag football.
Defenders Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal were also guests at the camp. Working with 80 kids from around the community, the two had a blast improving the kids’ football skills. Any Tottenham fan will tell you how infectious Royal’s smile and attitude are. Spurs will provide more skills sessions throughout the U.K.’s school year — they will be open every school holiday with free lunch.
Photo Courtesy Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs are also working with Nike and the NFL on The Huddle Project, an American football program designed to increase sports/employment opportunities for young people in the Tottenham area.
Education
THF promotes academic learning as well. The foundation believes in increasing opportunities in the classroom, too.
In July, students entered a contest to see how Spurs could get even more eco-friendly. Secondary school students worked to develop the most sustainable and socially impactful project. The winner, St. Anne’s Catholic High School for Girls, presented the idea of “wear your own clothes day.” Participants donated 1 pound to Friends of the Earth. Workshops taught kids how to make artwork out of recycled plastic.
The club also worked with the Premier League Primary Stars program. The coalition works to improve the confidence of young athletes through physical education. Premier League coaches will come to primary schools and teach kids, teachers, and other staff to teach lessons. These lessons are not exclusive to football, though. The coaching staff and players teach kids topics like math, data handling, language comprehension, and communication. According to the foundation, the program has impacted more than 4,700 kids across North London.
On Oct. 16, a tech expo for students was held at the stadium. The third annual Tech Slam UK connects youth from different backgrounds to explore potential careers in sports, media, and technology. This year, the Hidden Genius Project collaborated with THF to sponsor Black participation in technological skill-learning.
