Tottenham ‘tell broadcasters not to call them Tottenham in remarkable memo to Premier League partners’ outlining how the north London club wished to be known
- North London club reminded broadcasters of their preferred name this month
- Spurs claim that Tottenham is the name of an area and not the name of the club
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Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly requested broadcasters around the globe to refer to them by their full name or commonly used nickname Spurs, but never simply ‘Tottenham’.
A subtle change in the naming conventions of the north London club was spotted by eagle-eyed viewers of Sky Sport’s coverage of the side’s 1-0 win over Manchester United last Sunday.
When Ange Postecoglou was described as ‘Tottenham Hotspur Head Coach.’ It was a small alteration to the name used in a graphic by the broadcaster during coverage of the side’s 3-2 defeat by Everton last month when just ‘Tottenham’ was used.
The difference would probably have gone unnoticed, however, according to a report in The Athletic, an email circulated to Premier League broadcasters on February 10, titled ‘Tottenham Hotspur Naming Update’ provided instruction on how to refer to the club.
They requested that the club are primarily known as Tottenham Hotspur, with Spurs being the preferred short version. They also asked that they not be referred to as Tottenham.
According to the report, the club have claimed that this distinction is nothing new and has been their position since 2011. They claim that Tottenham is the name of an area, not the name of the club.
Tottenham Hotspur has reportedly informed Premier League broadcasters that they do not want to be referred to as Tottenham
A Sky Sports graphic used after the side’s 3-2 defeat by Everton January simply referred to the club as Tottenham
However, following the win over Manchester United last Sunday, this had been updated to the club’s full name
The club rolled out a ‘Brand Playbook’ in November that contained a paragraph that made clear how the club wants to be described. Pictured: Spurs chairman Daniel Levy
However, it appears a recent ‘remastered brand identity’ motivated the reminder to broadcasters.
A ‘Brand Playbook’ that was rolled out in November last year, contained a paragraph that made clear how the club wants to be described.
‘In a world full of Uniteds, Citys and Rovers, there is only one Hotspur, Tottenham Hotspur,’ it read. ‘When referring to the team or the brand, please use ‘Tottenham Hotspur’, ‘Tottenham Hotspur Football Club’ or ‘THFC’. Never refer to our Club as ‘Tottenham’, ‘Tottenham Hotspur FC’ or ‘TH’.’
