Early grounds

Tottenham Hotspur was formed in 1882, and early matches of the club were played on public land at Tottenham Marshes.^[19] As their matches became more popular with the public and the number of spectators increased, the club decided to move to an enclosed ground allowing it to charge an entrance fee and control the crowd. In 1888, the club rented a pitch at Asplins Farm, next to the railway line at Northumberland Park.^[20] However, the ground soon became overcrowded, and in 1899 the club moved to a piece of land owned by the brewery company Charringtons to the east of Tottenham High Road behind the White Hart pub.^[21] This became the White Hart Lane ground.

The club acquired the freehold of the ground, as well as additional land at the northern (Paxton Road) end, in 1905.^[22][23] Starting in 1909, a new stadium with stands designed by Archibald Leitch was built over a period of two and a half decades. The stadium had a capacity of nearly 80,000 by 1934. Over the years, the stadium underwent a number of changes and seating replaced the standing areas, which reduced the capacity to about 50,000 in 1979. Significant standing areas, however, still existed, including the long stretch of raised standing terrace favoured by fans on the East Stand known as The Shelf.^[24]

Beginning in the early 1980s, the White Hart Lane ground was redeveloped, and in order to comply with the recommendation of the Taylor Report of 1989, it was turned into an all-seater stadium. The capacity of the stadium was reduced to around 36,000 by the time the refurbishment was completed in 1998. The capacity was, by then, lower than the grounds of other major English clubs, with many of these clubs also planning to expand further. As revenues from gate receipts in that period formed a substantial part of the club's income (before it became dominated by TV broadcast rights deals),^[25][26] Tottenham began to explore ways of increasing the stadium capacity to allow it to more effectively compete financially with rival clubs.^[27]

A number of schemes were considered over the years; these included rebuilding the East Stand as a three-tier structure,^[27] and moving to different stadiums and locations such as Picketts Lock and the Olympic Stadium at Stratford, London. None of these plans came to fruition,^[28][29] except for a proposal to redevelop the existing site that would become the Northumberland Development Project.^[30]

Planning

The club first announced in 2007 that redevelopment of the current site was one of the options under consideration.^[31][32] In April 2008, the club revealed that it was considering the acquisition of the Wingate Trading Estate immediately adjacent to the north of White Hart Lane for building the stadium.^[33] In October 2008, the Northumberland Development Project, which included the construction of a stadium, as well as a club museum, homes, shops and other facilities, was announced.^[34][35] The early plan was for Tottenham to move into the new stadium, while it was partially built, at the beginning of the 2012–13 season, with the stadium completed by the end of the following season. However, the project was delayed, with the plan undergoing a number of revisions and the completion date pushed back several times.^[36][37] The club also did not fully commit itself to building the stadium in Tottenham until January 2012, after it had lost its bid for the Olympic Stadium to West Ham United.^[30]

The first plan of the project, with a 58,000-capacity stadium, was released in April 2009 for public consultation.^[38] In October 2009, the planning application for a 56,000-seat stadium, designed by KSS Design Group, and other buildings was then submitted.^[39][40] The proposal, which included the demolition of eight locally listed buildings and two nationally listed buildings, was criticised by conservation groups including English Heritage, as well as the Government's advisory body on architecture, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment.^[41][42][43] In response to the objections, a revised plan, that retained some of the listed buildings, was resubmitted in May 2010.^[44][45] This plan was accepted by Haringey Council on 30 September 2010, and later by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, as well as the government.^[46][47][48] However, only part of this plan, the construction of Lilywhite House, was implemented.^[49]

In August 2011, a major riot erupted in a deprived area of Tottenham. Haringey Council, keen to keep the economically important club within the community, issued planning permission for the project on 20 September 2011,^[50][51][52] and a week later removed the demand for community infrastructure payments usually required for such a project.^[53] In a joint statement with Haringey Council in January 2012, Tottenham announced that it would stay in North Tottenham and work with the council to rejuvenate the area.^[54] In this scheme, the Northumberland Development Project would serve as the catalyst for a 20-year regeneration program planned by the Haringey Council.^[55][56][57] In March 2012, Haringey Council approved of plans to hand over council-owned land in the redevelopment area, including part of Wingate Trading Estate, as well as Paxton Road and Bill Nicholson Way, to Spurs. It also agreed on a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to buy the remaining properties on Paxton Road that had yet to be sold.^[58][59] After a long delay, the Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, confirmed the CPO on 11 July 2014.^[60][61] The owner of the remaining business with two plots on the development site, Archway Sheet Metal Works, then attempted but failed to have the CPO decision quashed in the High Court.^[62] On 31 March 2015, the remaining plots on Paxton Road were acquired, allowing the development to proceed.^[63][64]

It was first revealed in October 2013 that the club was considering a new plan for a multi-use stadium that can also host American football games.^[65] On 8 July 2015, the club announced that it had reached an agreement with the NFL to hold a minimum of two NFL games a year in a 10-year partnership from 2019.^[66] The same day a new design team was also announced, alongside a revised project plan, with Populous led by Christopher Lee responsible for the stadium design.^[56][67] In December 2015, Haringey Council approved the revised plans, including the demolition of locally listed buildings.^[68][69] The Mayor of London also gave formal approval to the plans in February 2016.^[70]

Construction

Building work on the Northumberland Development Project started in September 2012, however, construction of the stadium itself did not commence until 2015 due to the CPO dispute. The stadium was constructed in two main phases so that White Hart Lane could still be used in the 2016–17 season while construction was still in progress. The first phase involved the building of the northern section of the stadium (including the North, West and East Stands), while the South Stand construction started in the second phase after White Hart Lane had been demolished. A large part of the land north of the existing stadium had been cleared by 2014 while the CPO dispute was ongoing.^[71] After the dispute was resolved, preliminary work on the basement began in the summer of 2015,^[72] with concrete and ground works for the foundation by Morrisroe starting in autumn 2015, based on earlier approved and amended plans.^[73][74][75]

The new plan for the project was given final approval in February 2016, which allowed the construction of the main structure of the new stadium itself to start soon after. In order to facilitate the construction of the northern section of the stadium while matches of the final season were still being played at The Lane, the northeast corner of White Hart Lane was demolished in the summer of 2016 after the 2015–16 season had finished.^[76][77] From the basement to level 6, the construction of this section is in reinforced concrete.^[78] Three further levels above are constructed in steel frame. There are only six cores in reinforced concrete for vertical circulation of spectators instead of the eight expected of a stadium of this size as they needed to be constructed within the first phase of the stadium construction.^[79] The South Stand constructed in the second phase has open staircases to the concourses.^[80]

The demolition of most of the remaining White Hart Lane ground began the day after the last home match of the 2016–17 season was played, and the demolition was completed with all visible remnants of White Hart Lane removed by early August 2017.^[81] Piling work for Phase 2 of the stadium construction started in June 2017.^[82] While the northern section constructed in the first phase is a largely concrete structure, the entire single-tier south stand has a steel frame to allow for a speedier construction.^[79] The two steel "trees" that support the South Stand were erected in December 2017.^[83] The compression ring that holds the cable net roof structure was completed in February 2018,^[84] and the roof structure raised in March 2018.^[85]

Parts of the old White Hart Lane have been incorporated into the new stadium – crushed aggregate of the concrete foundation of White Hart Lane was mixed in with new concrete to create the floor of the concourse of the new stadium,^[86] and bricks from the East Stand were used for the Shelf Bar.^[87] A number of heritage plaques are placed around the stadium marking points of the old stadium, such as its centre.^[88] The pitch was laid in early October 2018.^[89] The exterior of the stadium is finished with 35,000 decorative tiles, 4,801 perforated metal panels and 2,505 glass panels.^[90] The external cladding of the stadium was completed with the last few metal panels of the 'veil' installed in March 2019.^[91]

Opening

Four test events were initially planned at the stadium in August and early September 2018;^[15][92] the first two were intended only for club staff and officials,^[93][94] and the following two open to the public with increasing levels of attendance necessary for the issuing of safety certificate.^[95][96] However, issues with the critical safety systems due to faulty electrical wiring delayed the completion of the stadium,^[97][98] and these two games were postponed to March 2019.^[99] A fan familiarisation event was held instead at the stadium in December 2018.^[100] The first match, an under-18s fixture between Tottenham and Southampton held on 24 March, was attended by 28,987 fans and won by Tottenham 3–1, with the first ever goal at the stadium scored by J'Neil Bennett.^[101] The second, a Legends match against Inter Milan on 30 March, was attended by 41,244, but resulted in a 4–5 loss to the Inter Forever team.^{[102][103][104]}

The opening was originally planned for the second home match against Liverpool in September 2018,^[105][106] but delays to the opening of the stadium forced Tottenham to extend their temporary tenancy of Wembley Stadium for the 2018–19 season until April 2019.^{[107][108][109]} They also played their home game in the third round of the EFL Cup at Stadium MK.^[110] The first NFL game was due to be Oakland Raiders against Seattle Seahawks on 14 October 2018 but this too was relocated to Wembley following the stadium delay.^[97][111] The club shop was the first to open on 23 October 2018.^[112] The stadium opened with a ceremony on 3 April 2019 before its first competitive senior game, a Premier League match against Crystal Palace.^[109][113] The match was won by Tottenham 2–0, with Son Heung-min scoring the first ever official goal at the new stadium.^[114][115]

Stands

Although the stadium is designed as a bowl, it still has four distinct stands.^[130] The tiers of the stands are set at angles of up to 35 degrees, the maximum permissible in British stadium design,^[10][135] and all seats provide clear views of the pitch for the ticket holders.^[80][136] The South Stand is designated the 'Home End', and it has a single tier which is the largest single-tier stand in the country, with seating for 17,500 fans. It is 34.1m high with a 34 degree incline, has concourses on Level 1, 2, 3 and 4 and is accessible from the south atrium.^[137] The design of the South Stand is influenced by the "Yellow Wall" of Borussia Dortmund's Westfalenstadion and the stand is intended to be the "heart-beat" of the stadium that can generate an intense atmosphere on match day.^{[130][138][123]}

The 35.5m high North Stand has three tiers with concourses on Level 1, 2, 4 and 5.^[137] The East and West Stands are 33.8 m and 33.2 m high respectively, and have concourses on Level 1 and 5. Both stands have four tiers each, two of which are smaller and intended for premium seating.^[137] There are around 8,000 of these premium seats as well as 70 private loges and super loges for premium members and corporate hospitality.^{[139][140][141]} The seats of the stadium, initially numbered 62,062 but increased in three stages to 62,850.^[1][142] are in navy blue,^[143] with 42,000 of these reserved for season ticket holders.^[144] The seats have a minimum width of 470mm (compared with the 455–460 mm of the previous stadium), increasing to 520–700 mm for premium seats, with legroom of between 780 and 858mm.^[145][146]

Away fans are allocated seats in the north east corner; 3,000 seats in the lower tier for Premier League games, while for domestic cups they may be allocated up to 15% of the capacity spread over three tiers.^[145] The stands include areas with 7,500 seats that can be quickly turned into safe standing areas should there be a change in the legislation that banned standing in football stadiums.^{[147][148][149]} It is the first Premier League stadium with areas of rail seating,^[150][151] and it is one of the five stadiums to trial "safe standing" in January 2022.^[152] A family area is located in the north west corner for those attending with their children. Disabled fans are catered for with 265 wheelchair bays, areas for assistance dogs as well as facilities for those with "complex care requirements".^[139][153] Accessible seating is available in all four stands, where the design allows for flexible seating for family groups.^[154]

Pitches

The association football pitch of the stadium has a standard dimension of 105m x 68m, same in size as the pitches at Old Trafford and Wembley Stadium, but 440 square metres larger than the pitch at White Hart Lane.^[155] The overall grass surface is 114.58×79.84 metres, including the perimeter between the pitch and the stands. The distances between the stands and the pitch are minimised so as to enhance the atmosphere on match days – 7.97 metres (26.1 ft) on the east, north and west sides from the front of the stand to the pitch, and 4.985 metres (16.4 ft) at the south end of the pitch.^[156]

In order to keep the football pitch in optimum condition, there are two different surfaces – a GrassMaster hybrid grass pitch for football, and a synthetic turf surface underneath to be used for NFL games, as well as concerts and other events.^[156][122] The football pitch can be retracted in a way similar to that of the Arizona Cardinals' home stadium, but it is the first in the world to split into three sections before retracting.^[157][158] The pitch needed to split so as to accommodate the two columns supporting the South Stand when retracting.^[159] Each of the three sections weighs more than 3,000 tonnes, and is made up of 33 smaller trays, making a total of 99 trays, with a combined weight of 10,000 tonnes.^[160] The retracting pitch slides into the car park under the South Stand and the south podium, and the surface can be switched in 25 minutes to an hour.^[157][161] The NFL field is placed 1.6 metres beneath the natural turf surface, and the change in height when the surface is switched also produces ideal sightlines for the front row for both codes (NFL team personnel tend to stand along sidelines in allocated areas which would block the view of the front row if the field level is not lower in NFL games).^{[157][162][163]}

The stadium features the world's first integrated grow lighting system over the pitch. Grow lights are suspended on six 70-metre trusses to encourage the growth of the grass in the shaded areas of the stadium, and they can be folded away under the North Stand when not in use.^{[164][165][89]} The grass can also be maintained for up to 5 days with artificial lighting, air ventilation, dehumidification and irrigation systems when the pitch is retracted under the south podium.^{[161][166][167]}

Facilities

The stadium provides separate facilities for football and NFL players; these include changing rooms, medical facilities, restaurants, hydrotherapy pools, warm-up areas, pre-match players' lounge, as well as lounges and creches for their families.^[168] It also caters for the different requirements of football and NFL media.^[10] There are a number of bars for fans on match day. In the South Stand is the Goal Line Bar, which at 65m is the longest in Europe. The White Hart and The Shelf are bars in the East Stand, while The Dispensary is found in the West Stand.^[169] The stadium offers a wide range of food and drinks outlets (65 at the club opening);^[120][170] in the South Stand is the 'Market Place' with a range of food and drink outlets, and a selection of food outlets are also available in other stands.^[171][139] Other features include an in-house bakery and the world's first microbrewery in a stadium, which can produce 1 million pints of craft beer a year and deliver up to 10,000 pints a minute.^[172][173] The stadium is the first cashless stadium in the country, it also offers stadium-wide connectivity for all the fans with more Wi-Fi access points and Bluetooth beacons as well as greater bandwidth than any other stadium.^{[174][175][176]} Some car parking spaces, but not for general admission fans, are provided underneath the stand and in the basement. A range of hospitality facilities in the East and West Stands are provided for those with premium memberships. These include two Sky Lounges on the top floor of the East and West Stands, with views over London and the pitch, the Sky Bridge, which is the world's first bridge to be suspended from the roof of a stadium, 65 suites of private loges and super loges, Michelin star level dining, and the Tunnel Club that allows its members to observe the players as they walk from the dressing room to the pitch through a glass-walled tunnel.^{[177][178][179]}

The stadium is intended to be active all year round as a sports and entertainment destination with conference and banqueting facilities. It offers visitor attractions such as a 'Dare Skywalk' opened on 31 August 2020; visitors may walk up the side of the stadium to the roof, then over a glass walkway around the golden cockerel above the South Stand where they may view the goal line from the roof, or abseil down to the south podium from a viewing deck.^[180][181] The East Stand includes a double-height banquet hall that may be used for conference events.^[122] To the south of the stadium, the raised podium forms a large open public square that may be used for a range of sporting and community activities. The Tottenham Experience, which includes a club shop, club archive and museum on Tottenham High Road, serves as the arrivals hub for visitors, where they may collect tickets and start a tour of the stadium. The museum is located in the Grade II listed Warmington House, and the new club shop is the largest in Europe, featuring a 100-seat auditorium area that may be used for pre-match experiences.^[182] On the northwest corner is M cafe, a media room that may be open to the public and used as a cafe on non-match days.^[183][184] On 23 July 2021, the OOF art gallery opened. The gallery occupies the Grade II listed Warmington House within the stadium and is accessed through the club shop.^[185] Other facilities may be offered in ancillary buildings surrounding the stadium, including a ticket office, and a planned extreme sports building as well as a community health centre.^[122]

Statuary

A 4.5-m-tall and near-double-sized fibreglass replica of the spurs cockerel, originally created in 1909 to sit atop the west stand at White Hart Lane, was placed on the roof structure above the South Stand on 6 November 2018.^[186][187] It is a faithful replica of the original, including dents caused by Paul Gascoigne when he shot at it with an air rifle.^[188] A statue of Bill Nicholson will be placed on the south west approach to the stadium; the old gate to the West Stand from White Hart Lane will also be placed here, and the statue of Nicholson will be positioned at its centre, recreating a historic photographic image of Nicholson.^[189]

NFL London Games

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the first and only stadium to be designed specially for NFL games outside of North America and is officially the home of the NFL in the UK.^[194] The first game at the stadium took place on 6 October 2019 when the Chicago Bears played against the Oakland Raiders. A record crowd of 60,463 watched the Raiders win a close game 24–21.^[195] The following week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted the Carolina Panthers on 13 October.^[196]

The first touchdown at the stadium was scored by Josh Jacobs.^[197] A number of NFL events were held at the stadium before the first game, including the trials for the first intake of the NFL Academy was launched at the stadium on 2 July 2019.^{[198][199][200]}

The NFL returned in 2021 after the 2020 games were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic,^[201] with the Atlanta Falcons hosting the New York Jets on 10 October 2021, and the Jacksonville Jaguars hosting the Miami Dolphins the following week on 17 October, with Atlanta and Jacksonville winning.^[202] Prior to cancellation of the games in 2020 both Miami and Atlanta were due to host games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Jacksonville were scheduled to host two games at Wembley Stadium.^[202]

The venue hosted two regular season games in October 2022. The New Orleans Saints hosted the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers hosted the New York Giants. This was the first time the Green Bay Packers played a game abroad.

The NFL returned to the Stadium for two regular season games in October 2023. The Buffalo Bills hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars who played at Wembley Stadium against the Atlanta Falcons the week before, making this the first time an NFL team has played back to back in London. The Tennessee Titans will host the Baltimore Ravens the week after.

International football

The stadium is one of the stadiums chosen to stage the matches of UEFA Euro 2028 to be held in the United Kingdom and Ireland.^[206]

Rugby league

The first major rugby league match at the stadium was the 2022 Challenge Cup Final between Huddersfield Giants and Wigan Warriors held on 28 May 2022^[207][208] The 2022 Challenge Cup Final was played here instead of the traditional home of Wembley Stadium on 28 May due to Wembley holding the EFL play-offs.^[209] The 2022 Challenge Cup Final, however, was preceded that day by 2022 RFL 1895 Cup final for clubs below the Super League, which made that the first rugby league match played at the stadium.^[210][211]

Rugby union

The Premiership Rugby club Saracens agreed to play their annual showpiece game at the stadium for five years, starting in 2020.^[212] However, the first match originally scheduled for 28 March 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[213] Saracens eventually played their first match at the stadium on 26 March 2022, when they defeated Bristol Bears.^[214][215] Saracens' showdown against Harlequins drew a crowd of 61,214 in March 2024.^[216]

In 2024, the stadium will host both the European Rugby Champions Cup and European Rugby Challenge Cup finals.^[217]

Hockey

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was proposed as one of four venues for a joint bid for the 2026 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup.^[218]

Concerts

The stadium is permitted to hold up to six music concerts a year.^[193] The football pitch is retracted and the artificial pitch is in use when a concert is held.^[225] The first artists scheduled to perform at the stadium were Guns N' Roses, originally to be held in 2020 as part of the European leg of their Guns N' Roses 2020 Tour,^[226] but delay until 1–2 July 2022 due to Covid.^[219] Other artists who performed at the stadium included Lady Gaga,^[220] Beyoncé whose five-night shows were attended by 240,330 fans,^[221][227] and Red Hot Chili Peppers.^[222]

Boxing

The stadium was initially to host the Anthony Joshua vs. Kubrat Pulev for the heavyweight world titles for its first bout on 20 June 2020 but it was postponed and rescheduled elsewhere due to the pandemic.^[228][229] The first boxing bout hosted by the stadium was the Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk match on 25 September 2021 between Joshua, defending his WBA (super), IBF, WBO, and IBO belts, and Usyk, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion fighting his third bout at Heavyweight.^[230] Usyk defeated Joshua by unanimous decision in front of a crowd of 65,000.^[231] On 3 December 2022, in the bout between Tyson Fury and Derek Chisora at the stadium, Fury defeated Chisora by technical knockout in the 10th round of their trilogy in front of a crowd of nearly 60,000.^[232]

Go-karting

A go-karting track was built under the South Stand, after a 15-year motorsport deal was signed with Formula One. It is the world's first in-stadium electric karting facility and the track is accredited by the National Karting Association that allows it to host races for karting championship. A driver academy programme is also planned.^[233] Three track layouts are available designed to suit racers of different ages and ability.^[234] The facility opened on 6 February 2024.^[235]

Other uses

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the stadium became the first community hub to be opened for the delivery of food to vulnerable Londoners.^[236] It was also the first to be used as a centre for drive-through COVID-19 testing,^[237] and the Women's Outpatient Services of the North Middlesex University Hospital was relocated to the stadium to free up hospital capacity as well as keeping pregnant women away from the hospital.^[238][239]

Partnership and deals

The club has a number of partners at the stadium. Following on tradition, Heineken, who have previously held sponsorship deals, have been named as the beer sponsor for the new stadium.^[268] The north London brewer Beavertown is the official craft beer supplier and it installed the world's first stadium-located microbrewery on the south east corner of the stadium.^[269] The company selected by the club to supply the advertising system in the new ground was TGI.^[270] Tottenham signed a contract with LG to supply the new stadium with Ultra-premium TVs and digital signage.^[271] Hewlett Packard Enterprise is the IT networking and wireless infrastructure partner for the new stadium.^[272] The concessions for food and drink in the stadium are run by Levy, a subsidiary of Compass.^[273]

Naming rights

The stadium will remain named Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until a naming rights agreement is reached.^[12] The club is apparently seeking offers in excess of £20m annually (£400 million for a 20-year deal or £200 million for 10 years),^[13][14] or £25 million in a 15-year deal (£375 million).^[274]

Economic impact

The club estimates that the stadium would inject around £293 million a year into the community in Tottenham, and create more than 1,700 new jobs out of the total of 3,500 jobs created when the project is complete.^[275][276]