Tottenham Releases Images of New Stadium

Tottenham's newest stadium will host at least 2 NFL games per year for 10 years, and is set to open in 2018.

Chairman for Tottenham Hotspur, Daniel Levy, stated that it will be the first of its kind in the world, hosting state of the art features, and creating a world class sporting village in the heart of North London. The new stadium will incorporate:

• Separate NFL specific facilities in addition to Premier League Soccer facilities;
• Attached 180 room hotel to accommodate visiting players;
• 61,000 seating capacity (similar to NFL stadiums in the USA, unlike the 90,000 seating capacity at Wembley;
• Seating designs similar to NFL stadiums;
• Retractable real-grass field which will accommodate an artificial-grass field underneath that will be used for NFL games (allowing Premier League matches and NFL matches to be played on the same weekend).

Other features of the stadium also include a "Sky-Walk" across the top of the stadium and a new building to host extreme sports, including the world's tallest indoor climbing wall.

The current timeline for completing the project is detailed as follows:

• Summer 2015 – Basement works commence and consultation on the improved Northumberland Development Project proposals begins.
• Autumn 2015 – submission of a new planning application to Haringey Council.
• December 2015 – planning application considered by Haringey Council’s planning committee and by the Greater London Authority.
• Spring 2016 – Subject to the completion of planning permission, work begins on the revised scheme.
• 2017/18 Season – the Club plays away for one season to enable a faster construction of the new Stadium.
• August 2018 – new Stadium complete and open in time for the 2018/19 season.

The construction is a huge deal for NFL fans in the UK, as it achieves an obvious destination for a future UK based NFL team. With the millions of pounds in financing and construction costs being spent on NFL specific criteria, it is hard to imagine such a budget being used to simply host a few NFL games per year. More than likely, the NFL and Tottenham Hotspur are building towards hosting a full-time NFL franchise in London from 2020 onwards, either by moving a current NFL team across the Atlantic, or starting from scratch using NFL free agency and national talent across the United Kingdom.

At the very least, the 10 year deal gives the NFL the chance to test the market in London and trial the new stadium venue before considering a permanent team across the pond. With the NFL expanding in growth each year in the UK, and fan bases for teams such as the Jacksonville Jaguars growing exponentially, there is growing confidence that a permanent team will be established in London in the years to come.