Tottenham Hotspur uses NFL partnership to grow into a ‘sports destination’

English Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur aims to position its new multi-purpose stadium as a “sports destination” in its bid to go from “challenger” brand to serious global player.

Set to open in August 2018, the £750 million stadium boasts the UK’s only sliding grass pitch with a permanent American Football field built beneath, on which the club will stage two games a year as part of its 10-year NFL partnership.

Effectively doubling the current capacity of its existing White Hart Lane ground, the 61,000 seat venue will become London’s largest football stadium, catering for the 60,000-strong season ticket waiting list. The design will also integrate dedicated areas for NFL players, including changing rooms and medical facilities.

Tottenham Hotspur estimates the 10-year NFL tie-up will have a £120 million economic impact on the surrounding boroughs of Haringey, Enfield and Waltham Forest. Plus the club expects an additional 180,000 spectators to attend the stadium each year, boasting a collective £21.4 million worth of spending power. Tottenham Hotspur will also be looking to boost the £279.7 million worth of revenues it made during the 2015/16 season, which placed the club 12th in this week’s Deloitte Football Money League 2017.

The timing of the stadium build comes at a time when interest in football is rising in the US and NFL is becoming more popular in the UK. The NFL tie-up has also played into the club’s marketing strategy and plan to make the stadium a sports and lifestyle destination.

The club’s global ambitions are serious and extend far beyond its key markets in the US and China.

Designed to be the first of a “new breed”, the stadium’s premium experience offering will include the UK’s first purpose-built glass-walled Tunnel Club, a lounge open to 100 members who receive a behind-the-scenes view of the players’ tunnel. Access will be priced at £339 per person per event.

The Tunnel Club at Tottenham Hotspur provides a select group of members with behind-the-scenes view of the players’ tunnel.

The development will also include a members’ club – The H Club – offering the opportunity to dine at the chef’s table, as well as private suites and super loges, a mix of private dining with a members’ lounge bar. Prices range from £535 per person per event for access to The H Club to £89 per match for a premium seat.

The club is open to partnering with brands on the delivery and identity of its restaurants and food outlets, as well as the possibility of selling the naming rights to the stadium.

As part of what it calls the ‘Tottenham Experience’, the club expects the stadium to stage 16 non-football events: six concerts and 10 other sporting events. The stadium will double as a music venue, with a capacity between that of The O2 and Wembley of 45,000 to 60,000.

More on the topic at Coliseum Summit AMERICAS, April 19-20, 2017 at Las Vegas, Nevada and Coliseum Summit EUROPE, March 29-30, 2017 at Budapest, Hungary.

Continue to follow Coliseum Summit, a global series of stadium and arena business conferences, for latest updates from around the world.

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