Club supports formation of Spurs REACH

We are delighted to support the formation of Spurs REACH – a new supporters’ group for fans from diverse and under-represented ethnic backgrounds and their allies.

Spurs REACH – which stands for Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage – will further promote and encourage the sharing of information and good practice around the inclusion of diverse and under-represented ethnic communities within football, working closely with the Club and other supporters’ groups.

The group will in turn work to represent and promote the views of its members to the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), Kick It Out (KIO) and other relevant stakeholders to assist and advise on ongoing advocacy work at a national and international level.

The formation of Spurs REACH strengthens our commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion across everything it does, while standing firmly against all forms of discrimination.

The Club has previously helped form the Proud Lilywhites, our LGBTQI+ supporters’ association, and SpursAbility, our Disabled Supporters’ Association, with whom Spurs REACH will work alongside as an ally to combat discrimination and support its members where intersectionality exists.

Donna-Maria Cullen, Executive Director, Tottenham Hotspur, said: “We are extremely proud of the rich cultural diversity that exists amongst our fanbase and within our local community. The Club has also delivered a huge amount of work over the years to reflect this diversity amongst its staff, ensuring that inclusivity is at the heart of everything we do. Spurs REACH will now provide a platform for supporters from under-represented ethnic backgrounds to have a stronger, collective voice with which to engage directly with the Club and wider stakeholders on key issues relating to diversity and inclusion in our game, as well as the continued fight against all forms of discrimination.”

During the early stages of the group’s formation, fans will be able to apply to become a member of Spurs REACH here.

Members will benefit from being part of a community of like-minded Spurs fans from ethnically diverse backgrounds, with the opportunity to meet around matches and access a range of celebratory events throughout the football season.

The Club has supported three founding members in forming Spurs REACH:

• Sachin (Sash) Patel – a lifelong Spurs fan and Season Ticket Holder who sits on the Football Supporters’ Association Board and is an active member of the Fans for Diversity guidance group. Sash is a senior commercial manager and pharmacist who leads on his employers’ REACH business resource group.
• Anwar Uddin – a former professional footballer and UEFA A Licence coach who became the first British Asian player to captain a team in the English Football League. Anwar also leads the Fans for Diversity campaign, which has in turn seen him lead on the formation of over 100 new supporters’ groups at clubs throughout the country.
• Fahim Rahman – a senior in-house employment law counsel who previously trained and practiced at a Magic Circle law firm in the City of London. Fahim is a lifelong Spurs fan with a passion for equality, diversity and inclusion.

Sash Patel, Co-Chair, Spurs REACH, said: “My family and I are Season Ticket Holders, including my three-year-old daughter, and we love being part of the Spurs family. It’s great walking up the High Road on a match day seeing people of all races, ethnicities and different cultural heritages coming together because of their love for Spurs. I’m passionate that the voice of fans from diverse and under-represented ethnic backgrounds continues to be heard and can’t wait to work directly with the Club to continue to promote inclusion and tackle all forms of discrimination on and off the pitch.”