David Showell


Every other week in north London, 36,000 fans are packed into the famous White Hart Lane. Tottenham Hotspur’s iconic home for 110 years now, the ground promises good views, excellent facilities, comfortable seating and a rip-roaring atmosphere. Fine and dandy for everyone, but for just one drawback – it’s simply too small.

The waiting list for a Spurs season ticket is around 22,000, while the club membership is more than 70,000 now, figures that have led the club to explore the possibility of building a new stadium. In recent times, several clubs have made similar decisions. Some got it right, while others didn’t.

Less than five miles down the road the skyline is dominated by the spectacular Emirates Stadium, home of Tottenham’s great rivals Arsenal. Commonly regarded as the finest club stadium in England, it obviously didn’t come cheap, and the club’s reluctance to spend big in the transfer market must owe something to the outlay that was required.

However, their original ground Highbury held around 38,000, while the Emirates holds over 60,000. Eventually, the 22,000 extra ‘bums on seats’ will have paid back the multi-million pound construction. Tottenham’s recent improvements, and their continued support from the faithful, will mean the investment will be worth it if they can fill the new stadium on a regular basis.

And filling the seats is what it’s all about. In 1995, Middlesbrough moved to the Riverside Stadium, the first purpose-built ground in the wake of the Taylor Report. The ground is capable of holding almost 35,000 spectators, although in truth it doesn’t often need to. Over the last three seasons, Middlesbrough’s average attendances have been less than 30,000, just a handful of people more than the old Ayresome Park held.

Although the facilities at the Riverside are ultra-modern, this is small comfort to Boro fans. The banter in the seats is less about state of the art, and more about state of the team. The club have provisional planning permission to increase the capacity to 42,000, but this is unlikely to happen just yet. 7,000 empty seats is a depressing sight for the directors, so looking at twice that amount would have The Samaritans on speed-dial.

Tottenham’s powers-that-be have been looking at options for some time now, and previous suggestions have been met with varying degrees of credulity. Ground-sharing the new Wembley with Arsenal was never likely to prove popular, nor was the prospect of moving to a purpose-built stadium close to the M25. The new proposal incorporates building on the existing White Hart Lane site, as well as on newly-acquired adjacent land.

The best-case scenario for the club’s supporters was always to remain in the local area, so the announcement was welcomed with pleasure and relief by the vast majority. The capacity is expected to be 56,250, and the site will include a club museum, public spaces, 434 new homes and a 150-room hotel. An ambitious project, but one that the club’s owners feel is worth it. An intriguing inclusion in the design is for one stand to be single-tiered, helping to create a raucous and exciting atmosphere.

The advantages of remaining on the same site are plentiful. The club won’t be losing any supporters by moving to a different district, of course, and the transport infrastructure is already in place. Tottenham Hotspur has a strong identity in the London Borough of Haringey, and keeping their local identity will be of vital importance to the club.

Spurs, then known as The Hotspur Football Club, moved into White Hart Lane in 1899, and the ground saw the club grow in importance and stature over the ensuing years. The stadium has also hosted internationals, and was once the home of the London Monarchs American football team.

The time line for the new stadium has yet to be finalised, but it’s anticipated that it won’t be a new landmark on the skyline until at least 2012. The Emirates Stadium was built on time and on budget, although the new Wembley Stadium went over on both counts.

Cost estimates vary, but £400M won’t be too far off the mark. The club’s finance director Matthew Collecott estimated that the economic downturn will have saved the club around £40M, thanks to the fall in the costs of materials. As a certain well-known Londoner might say ‘lovely jubbly’.


Spurs New Stadium – Key Facts:

–  Expected capacity of 56,250. Fans will be closer to the pitch than in any other similar UK stadium.

–  Surrounded by public space with two amphitheatres for community events, a new 150 bed hotel and state-of-the-art offices for the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.

–  A club museum and 20,000 sq ft club shop.

–  A huge supermarket and over 400 new homes.

Source: http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/futureplans/scheme/masterplan.html

 

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