From a small Facebook page of Spurs supporters to an official supporters club with over 27,000 engaging fans, India Spurs has quickly become one of the most active supporter clubs in the country. This supporters club is bringing together Tottenham Hotspur fans from across India and is providing a healthy and interactive social platform to engage new and old fans. In an exclusive interview with SPOGO, India Spurs told us about how it all started, getting recognized by the London based club, Jose Mourinho, organizing screenings and interacting with Gareth Bale.

When and how did this initiative begin?

India Spurs was founded in 2012-13 by Suraj Sharma, an Indian who was born and brought up in London and a lifelong Spurs fan when he was travelling to Mumbai, India. He found out that there were quite a few Tottenham fans in India which led to the supporters club India Spurs. The first ever screening was a North London Derby in March 2013, about 20 fans had turned up and fortunately we had won!

Is India Spurs officially recognized by Tottenham Hotspur?

Yes, we are recognized by the club since 2014 and about 15 regional chapters have been recognized along with India Spurs as official supporters clubs.

Jose Mourinho is someone who divides opinion amongst the fanbase of every club he has managed. What is India Spurs’ opinion about the ‘special one’?

The India Spurs fan base is also divided but fans in India love Jose Mourinho. We know that he is a proven serial winner and if there is one manager who can bring trophies to the club, it's him. We can clearly see that he needs better players and the club's transfer policy needs to improve. We want him to be successful at Spurs, for Spurs.

Is it imperative that Tottenham Hotspur win some silverware this season?

I think yes, but even if we don’t I believe it’s very important that we stick with Jose Mourinho. He needs to stay at the club to bring stability and build on his current foundation. Players like Kane and Son will not stay for another rebuild, which is why it’s really important to win a trophy but if we don’t, Jose should not be sacked.

How do you organize screenings or any other activities?

We have Whatsapp groups and social media accounts and we also have our home pubs in all the regional official supporter club’s cities where we get together and watch matches. The atmosphere in the pubs are as close to the pubs in the UK. We know all the chants and we sing for 90 minutes. We have some of our own chants in regional languages as well. One of my favourites is “We’re the Mumbai, We’re the Mumbai, We’re the Mumbai Tottenham” and I wish I get to sing that in the Shelf Side/Park Lane one day.

We also organize football sessions across cities and participate in competitions. We’ve also partnered with Special Olympics Bharat, an NGO that trains children with special abilities for athletics and sports for Paralympics and Special Olympics. We also got the coaches from Tottenham Hotspur Foundation to fly down to India for an event with Special Olympics Bharat.

What has the experience been like to organize and visit the stadium?

We have had 2 organised trips to the stadium with many members having made the pilgrimage. The experience of going to the stadium is just surreal. Even Spurs TV has covered some of our stories and we have had members who have been invited to the stadium by ex players.

How does a supporter join you?

We have Whatsapp groups and social media accounts where people approach us. We also have paid memberships to all the official supporters clubs and we advertise that on all the social media accounts. The club also has official India dedicated social media accounts, which helps bring the traffic to India Spurs.

Have any ex players made a guest appearance at the screening?

We haven’t had any ex players arrive in India for screenings, but we have had players like Robbie Keane play in the ISL, so we have had some interactions there. Very recently the India Spurs fans had an opportunity to be on a call with Gareth Bale! The video is out now and making rounds on social media!