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Would you accept paid work at one of our rival football clubs?

SUIYHA

Well-Known Member
Jan 15, 2017
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8,579
I'm going to assume that nobody on here is ever good enough to actually PLAY professional football for a rival club, but if you were offered paid work in a non-playing capacity by one such team, would your loyalties to Tottenham prevent you from taking the job? I remember having a go at a Spurs supporting mate when I was a teenager because he worked as a match day steward at Arsenal, but am wondering if in adult life people still feel strongly about it.

Let's say the work offered a significant financial package and/or step up in your career. Depending on what field you are in, it could be something in engineering, construction, catering, accountancy/finance, marketing/business development, IT, legal representation, administration, health and safety, match day staff - all the sorts of non-playing requirements that football clubs need and do hire for. Would you accept this kind of work for a rival? If not, where would you draw the line?

Maybe you'd take a one-off contract but not accept a full-time position?
Perhaps it's all ok as long as it's not with Arsenal
Maybe that extends to Chelsea and West Ham too, but Liverpool and Man Utd would be ok?
Could you take a job at Man City knowing who their owners are?
Maybe you hate all of the top 6 so much it's just a blanket ban on anyone who finishes around us? But teams like Everton or Southampton are ok?
Or perhaps you wouldn't touch any football clubs that aren't Spurs with a bargepole?

What field do you work in, and what would be your take on it? And does anyone have any real life stories of taking jobs for rival clubs that they can fess up to?
 

Trotter

Well-Known Member
Jan 30, 2009
2,169
3,312
Yes to all of those scenarios in opening post, and even with rivals.

Plenty of contractors who support other clubs worked on our Stadium
Friend of mine went for interview at club to run the finances for the stadium project, got down to last 3. First thing Levy said was I don't care what club you support, this is not a football club, it is a business.
 

Danners9

Available on a Free Transfer
Mar 30, 2004
13,998
20,756
At university I declined the chance to go for a paid internship at Arsenal.com. The job included things like going to reserve and women's team matches, writing match reports, interviewing players and other things for the website. It was for 6mths during term time where I'd miss class and not have to do the assignments, but my coursework at the end of the placement would count instead.

I declined because I was sure that in the interview they would ask 'so what team do you support...' and even if I was fine doing a job for them I doubt they would be fine hiring me. A West Ham fan got the gig instead, and when we went along to the Arsenal-West Ham game (Highbury, when Sol disappeared at HT) the editor found out I wasn't a West Ham fan (couldn't have them think that of me, so I told him the truth just before we were about to leave the pub...) it caused a massive problem with the guy being exactly as expected and texting my friend to say how annoyed he was that a Y-word was out with them etc etc.
 

dontcallme

SC Supporter
Mar 18, 2005
33,985
81,903
If it was the right move for my career then absolutely yes.
 
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Rocksuperstar

Isn't this fun? Isn't fun the best thing to have?
Jun 6, 2005
53,288
66,756
I would but, depending on which club it was, I might be an unbearable clownshoe 90% of the time.

Everton, Villa, Fulham, I'd probably really enjoy that. The Woolwich, Chelsea or West Ham, not so much.

I did have to do a charity flyer thing outside of the old West Ham Lego Fortress stadium as a younger lad though - was just told it was in the Upton Park area and on a matchday (friendly) so, for a laugh, I put my colours on underneath my jacket on a really hot day and headed out intending to enjoy the looks of everyone wanting to call me a wanker but seeing I was collecting for sick kids and going through the emotional maelstrom that caused them. Met up with the rest of the charity team and they lead us straight to the entrance where we had to flyer the actual entrance to the stadium, inside the grounds. I wasn't going to be taking that jacket off :D
 

popstar7

Well-Known Member
Jan 14, 2012
3,036
9,367
Around 2010 I was doing business development for a mobile games company. It was sort of a goldrush feeling in the industry as smartphone app stores had just appeared and opened up huge opportunities. I went up to a meeting with Celtic's IT and Marketing managers in Glasgow to talk about mobile stuff we could do with them. Making small talk before we sat down I said you must be disappointed Rangers winning the league (it had happened a week or two earlier). Turned out they were both Rangers supporters.

I must have been visibly taken aback as they kind of laughed and said they were more pissed off because they'd missed out on a staff bonus they'd have got had Celtic won it. They could see that an English person would be kind of shocked but the vibe was 'it's not as big a deal as you think'.

The guy at Tottenham was a Forest supporter, if I remember right. Again, absolutely zero interest in who I supported. Meant absolutely nothing.

I got out after a couple of years. I liked the creative side of the industry but hated sales/marketing. It takes a certain personality and not only did I not have it, I really hated spending so much time around people who did.
 

DEFchenkOE

Well-Known Member
Feb 13, 2006
10,527
8,052
Any grown adult that says no I would find pretty weird tbh. I work in IT, if arsenal.com wanted to hire me and pay me double what I'm paid now of course I'd work for them. I'm sure most people would be the same in whatever trade they do.
 

Rocksuperstar

Isn't this fun? Isn't fun the best thing to have?
Jun 6, 2005
53,288
66,756
I wonder how many would say yes to it themselves, but threw mud at Bale for considering that bumper payday in China? Or any player who moves for a bigger payday or opportunity?
 

spids

Well-Known Member
Jul 19, 2015
6,647
27,841
Any grown adult that says no I would find pretty weird tbh. I work in IT, if arsenal.com wanted to hire me and pay me double what I'm paid now of course I'd work for them. I'm sure most people would be the same in whatever trade they do.

If you had two employment offers that were exactly the same, one for Arsenal (or Chelsea) and the other for a non-football business, would you take the football club job? I think I would as I'd be fascinated to see how the business ran and what went on behind the scenes, certainly more than say working for someone like Sainsburys.
 

dagraham

Well-Known Member
Sep 20, 2005
19,115
46,080
I wonder how many would say yes to it themselves, but threw mud at Bale for considering that bumper payday in China? Or any player who moves for a bigger payday or opportunity?

I doubt anyone on here is already worth several £100m.
 

Rocksuperstar

Isn't this fun? Isn't fun the best thing to have?
Jun 6, 2005
53,288
66,756
I doubt anyone on here is already worth several £100m.

That's why I threw in opportunity as well - I left a pretty high paying job for a lower paying one that went more in the direction I wanted to be going in, and with better prospects once, and it occurred to me that this might be the case with others too.
 

danielneeds

Kick-Ass
May 5, 2004
24,179
48,764
I know for a fact that that the head of comms at Spurs doesn't like hiring fans of the club as he feels they'll be a bit "fan-boyish" when it comes to the job.
 

carpediem991

Well-Known Member
May 31, 2011
8,836
20,308
Working in football in Germany its a question I have asked myself as well.
In Germany I could imagine to work for any club, if money/position/location is fine.

In England I honestly feel I would reject Arsenal and West Ham. I would have the feeling of betraying myself and thats important to me.
 

ILS

Well-Known Member
Jun 21, 2008
3,803
6,913
My hatred for Leicester the season they won the league boiled over to the point I refused to send my lad for a trial there because their fans are knobs.

He is at one of their rivals now.
 

mpickard2087

Patient Zero
Jun 13, 2008
21,886
32,512
Yes absolutely, my livelihood is what matters.

Applies also if you go off on the football tangent - If I was a player or manager and I judged that a rival club to Spurs was the best/most attractive offer I had then I'd accept it.
 

wayneg

Well-Known Member
Mar 5, 2020
461
1,952
My hatred for Leicester the season they won the league boiled over to the point I refused to send my lad for a trial there because their fans are knobs.

He is at one of their rivals now.

Should have let him join Leicester, let them develop him using all their money, then let him reject the professional contract and sign somewhere else ?
 
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