Tottenham Hotspur said the opening of a long-awaited new stadium in mid-2017 remains ‘feasible” and they hope to put out the tender for construction later this year.
The north London club is desperate to replace their current 36 000 capacity White Hart Lane ground with a modern stadium holding up to 58 000 fans, allowing it to compete financially with its Premier League and European rivals.
It has purchased 18 acres of land over the past decade and relocated 72 businesses, but is waiting for a Secretary of State decision regarding a compulsory purchase order of further property before building can begin.
Despite that, the club anticipates putting out a tender for construction later this year, making a stadium opening date in the northern summer “feasible”.
“We have fantastic, strong support,” chairman Daniel Levy said in a statement on the club website (www.tottenhamhotspur.com).
“Our current 36 000 seater stadium sells out and the waiting list for season ticket holders is currently in excess of 47 000.
“We cannot stress strongly enough how critical the new stadium is over the long-term to these raised expectations.
“We have the smallest capacity stadium of any club in the top 20 clubs in Europe, let alone the current top four Premier League clubs, and given we now operate within Uefa Financial Fair Play rules, an increased capacity stadium and associated revenues is fundamental to supporting the future ambitions and consistent achievement at the top of the game.
“The new stadium is a landmark project, of importance not just for our club, but to the regeneration of an area which has been our home for more than 132 years and to London as a whole.
“It will be a key regenerative component of the local economy and a significant tourist attraction in its own right.”
Tottenham, who lost out to West Ham United in a bid to move to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, announced a profit of 1.5 million pounds ($2.50 million) after interest and tax in their latest financial results, excluding transfers.
They recorded a loss of 4.3 million pounds in the previous period, while their revenue of 147.4 million pounds is well below the levels of Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea, regular participants in the Champions League and who have much larger stadiums.
Tottenham, ranked by the accounting firm Deloitte as being among the richest 20 clubs in Europe, have not been English champions since 1961 and have competed in Europe’s premier club competition, Champions League, only once in its current form.
Source: Supersport