Readers respond an article by Jonathan Liew about those who make a distinction between between ‘true fans’ and ‘plastics’
Jonathan Liew is right that overseas fans should not be dismissed as tourists (The cultural division of football fans only serves those who wish to exploit it, 19 March). I have had a season ticket at Tottenham Hotspur for over 25 years, grew up less than 10 miles from the ground and had a grandmother who ran a pub on Tottenham High Road – very much, I think, qualifying as a true local fan. But back in 2010, I found myself exiled from my season ticket by a six-month stint working in Singapore.
I was, however, welcomed with open arms by the Singapore Spurs Supporters’ Club and watched with delight from there as Spurs qualified for the Champions League for the first time. Against my expectations, instead of being full of expats like me, the SSSC was almost entirely made up of local fans – it was set up by a group of friends who, like me, had been at Wembley in 1999 to see Spurs win the League Cup. The members of the SSSC were (and are) passionate, knowledgeable and hugely engaged with the club. The levels of excitement on their social media when Spurs were visiting Singapore was remarkable.
