THE Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust has warned the club they will drive away fans and create a “passionless stadium” if they continue with their matchday ticket price increase.

Plans for Spurs to raise the price of matchday tickets for the 2023-24 season were unveiled last month and immediately described as “excessive” by THST, which expressed its frustration over not being consulted and criticised the decision to move Newcastle up from a Category B fixture into A section.

While Spurs announced in April that season ticket prices would be frozen for the forthcoming campaign for the second year in a row, the club have pressed ahead with plans to increase matchday ticket prices despite the newly appointed Fan Advisory Board being unanimously against the decision.

It has resulted in a “call to action” from THST, which is set to coordinate a ticket-pricing demonstration ahead of Spurs’ first Premier League home fixture of the season against Manchester United on August 19.

THST is eager for a full reversal of the increase, a commitment to fan input on all pricing discussions and a guarantee of no price increase for the 2024-25 campaign.

Supporters’ Trust chair Martin Buhagiar told the PA news agency: “I hope the club listen and do retract the matchday ticket price increase.

“I noticed Newcastle had introduced some strange ballot process and supporters up there have pushed hard against that. Newcastle announced today they were withdrawing that, so there is strength in numbers.

“If they did admit they read the room wrong and were to withdraw the matchday ticket price increase, they would get a lot of kudos and respect.

“People can’t afford their mortgage, can’t afford their shopping, can’t afford their utility bills, so now is not the time to price loyal fans out of football.

“The club need to look at it. It would be lovely if they do withdraw the increase, but if not we have other things planned and will keep pushing to make our point.

“We thought enough is enough and we need to make a stand.”

Alongside THST making public its “peaceful protest” plans, it laid out five key bullet points around the matchday ticket price increase.

The Supporters’ Trust states the “increase will generate approximately £2.5million,” which it believes would only equate to 0.6 per cent of the club’s total income in their results for the financial year ending June 2022.

Meanwhile, THST alleges concessionary pricing areas for younger and older fans are being eroded and believes tickets in some of the cheaper sections of the stadium previously have now been replaced by higher prices.

A Tottenham spokesperson told PA: “Matchday ticket prices have been frozen since we opened the stadium over four years ago, despite significant cost increases in our supplier chains and high inflation.

“The club continues to absorb the majority of these cost rises.”

Buhagiar is worried about a potential return to the 1970s and 1980s, where Spurs and many other clubs saw crowd figures drop.

He added: “My concern is the stadium will always sell out because of day-trippers or people on holiday coming to games, but fundamentally you will end up with a passionless stadium if you price out the passionate fans.

“We saw it in the ’60s where stadiums were full and booming, but clubs took advantage of that.

“By the ’70s and ’80s, I remember going to games when I was very young and there were 14,000 or 15,000 fans, so that is a danger that could happen in 10 to 15 years if clubs arrogantly and complacently take loyalty for granted.”

Proud Lilywhites, the club’s LGBTQ+ supporters’ group, and SpursREACH, which stands for race, ethnicity and cultural heritage, have throw their support behind THST.