SPURS FAIL TO MARKET. What a fan would do.

By Gary Beaumont
April 23 2003

Perhaps we as Spurs fans need a change from the usual whinge and counter-whinge topics. This is a view from a fan on our marketing strategy. By Joly…err…I mean Jolyon

When my girlfriend and I did a bit of travelling the other year we originally planned to see which clubs were best represented in the overseas shirt sales market.

As we went through Russia this looked like a good game; with Liverpool, ManU, Bayern, Celtic, Juve, A.C. and Inter Milan all represented, but when we got to Mongolia we only saw one. ManU. From there on we went through China, Pakistan, India & Indonesia yet there were no others. We didn't go to a single country where we didn't see a ManU top - even the USA had representatives.

And one or two Spurs tops were spotted skulking around the seedier parts of Australia and New Zealand.

The club should be able to sell itself better than this. It has a groovy name, a groovy past and has a groovy philosophy to this whole sporting thing. It's a marketable product.

So how can we set about spreading the word?

My big idea is this: we get some Spurs fans, or even better former players, who have hit upon hard times and we get them to manage bars in popular holiday spots around the world, Thailand, Bali, Oz, Beijing, L.A. and the like. The club subsidises these bars and makes them great places to have fun and good places to work. They send a good bit of memorabilia to nail behind the bar at each one and show Spurs matches in them.

People get to associate Spurs with sunshine and fun and take back stories of meeting this-old-pro-who-runs-a-bar to all their mates.

Obviously Greavsie and Gazza would be risky landlords but surely to goodness we could pack Garth Crooks off somewhere sunny for a few years, couldn't we? Please?

To add to this innovative idea I would like to suggest a couple of extra’s things.

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Firstly I would like to emphasis the importance of worldwide marketing. Nowadays it stretches a lot further than bringing in a Japanese player. We need to be providing the foundation for success. We should be placing scouts all across the globe more so in EU regions. We should be scouting players at a young age and we need to ensure we are leading the way in monitoring young talent. This would also mean using feeder clubs to nurture their talents. If we were to set up soccer schools across the globe, then this will raise the profile of the club. It will also be helping support the community as well as helping reduce crime. Kids will have something to aspire to and there is a chance Spurs could do there little bit for the world. If Kids realise that their effort/talents may rewarded with a bright future then they are sure concentrate on this aspect of their lives.

However this may be all pie in the sky, unless the club sit up and take notice. What do you think? Is there anyone out there with a little influence who can suggest these things? How do we as Spurs fans voice our views? Perhaps this is where the club falls down, an open forum linking us to the club would really be a positive step forward.