Tottenham Hotspur gave their fans a glimpse of the future by revealing the first images on Monday of the club’s proposed new 60,000-seater stadium.
The Northumberland Development Project, a large-scale development incorporating leisure facilities, public space and housing as well as the new stadium which is sited near the Premier League club’s existing north London home at White Hart Lane.
Spurs, who have a season-ticket waiting list of around 22,000, are conscious of the need for a larger stadium than White Hart Lane, which holds just over 36,000 but were equally keen to stay close to their roots.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy stressed the new stadium would put “fan experience first”.
He added: “The brief I gave the architects was to design an iconic stadium that would be one of the best in Europe. My over-riding priority is to re-create the terrific atmosphere we have at the current stadium, within a world class stadium that offers state-of-the-art facilities.
“This means designing a stadium which has supporters as close as possible to the field of play and not simply looking to chase headline capacity.
“Our fans will find themselves closer to the pitch than at any other comparable stadium in the UK. This design puts fan experience first.
The new stadium will also benefit from a club museum, shops and homes.
The plans will enable the team to remain at the current site throughout construction. Spurs are due to submit a formal planning application next year.
Last month, Tottenham announced that revenue was up from 103 million pounds (130m euros) to 114.8m with net debt of 14.6m at the end of the financial year – though that figure includes property acquisitions.
On the field, things have been looking up for Spurs since the October arrival of former Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp.
From being on the road to relegation Spurs, who held English and European champions Manchester United to a goalless draw last weekend, are 15th in the table although they are currently just a point above the drop zone.
