One of the most challenging teams in recent times - Tottenham Hotspurs, who knocked off the formidable Manchester City out of the European glory has had a very interesting time lately. There have been several talks regarding the “Bix Six” of the Premier League, which includes the two Manchester outfits, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Spurs. Although, if you stop and rewind time, Tottenham didn’t have many glorious years to rejoice. In 2016, for the first time in this century, they competed in the Champions League. So, there are many debatable factors which come under consideration before we claim Tottenham to be in the “Top 6” league.
THE FINANCIAL INSIGHT
A club’s finance is a deciding metric when it comes to the long term sustainability and growth prospect. Today, we take a deeper insight into the financial side of Tottenham Hotspurs. Tottenham had an ambitious approach for a long time. But it was put to pen and paper in 2012 when they finally started to build their new stadium. So, the question is, was that a smart approach towards refurbishing their goals? The answer is a bit of both yes and no. Spurs had a hike in income during the 2017/18 season. The revenue generation was around 3,500 crores INR approximately. The revenue consisted mainly of the three income channels: Matchday, Broadcasting and Commercial money which rose to record amounts. If the previous matchday revenues are taken into consideration, Spurs have failed to generate good profits from the White Hart Lane. The stadium was outdated and had a small capacity of 36,000 seats. Fans were vexed at the increased ticket prices. The only way to gather spectators was to qualify for the Champions or Europa League, as this increased the number of fixtures. During 2012, Spurs had an average 250 Crores annual matchday income which rose to around 650 Crores by 2018. Thanks to the forceful move to the Wembley Stadium for the 2017/18 season due to the new stadium work. The attendances increased to 68,000 and matchday revenues saw a colossal hike of 56%.
When it comes to spending, Spurs have always kept tight control over their budget compared to the other major clubs. Courtesy of which massively goes to the great academy products like Harry Kane, Harry Winks and others. They have thoroughly delivered for the team when needed. Tottenham also has a commendable scouting network which hires from less glamorous clubs. Since the start of the present decade, Spurs have just spent a net transfer amount of around 90 Crores on players per season. During the 2017/18 season, Spurs generated a profit of around 650 Crores by selling Kyle Walker, Kevin Wimmer, Nabil Bentaleb and others. Tottenham’s net spend is less than a tenth of that of Manchester City. The amount is no more than a quarter of the sum spent by clubs that are supposedly its rivals. Although, this gap is going to widen even further when the figures for 2018/19 are taken into account.
THE NEW STADIUM
The excitement in North London was foreseen as a wait of 6+ long years came to an end. The new 62,062 seater state of the art stadium makes sure that it exuberates and satisfies every visitor. It has been an 18-year-old dream for chairman Daniel Levy, that finally got fulfilled. To his belief, he stated, Spurs can now concentrate on winning numerous silverware at their new arena. The stadium opening got delayed several times. It was due to have its humble beginnings from August 2018, but the dates were pushed to April’19. It is estimated that due to the delays, the entire costing has been around 1,850 Crores INR. Although, there’s still a lot of upgradations left to be done. The costing is expected to rise more. “It was all financed privately by the club and by a combination of club revenues and supporting banks,” Levy said.
THE MODERN INFRASTRUCTURE
The most amusing feature of the new outlet is the 17,500 continuous south stand. It resembles Borussia Dortmund’s famous yellow wall, whose ambience is world famous. The stadium inclination is at 34 degrees, which is believed to be the largest incline allowed in the UK in order to bring fans closer to the pitch. The front row of the stand is just 4.9 metres away from the goal line. Sections of the stadium have also been future-proofed for any potential safe standing legislation that could come in. Meanwhile, US electronics company Daktronics has installed four giant HD screens totalling more than 1,000 square metres inside the stadium bowl, which is the largest in Europe, along with two façade displays and three tiers of ribbon displays, which represents a first for a stadium in the UK.
PITCH COSTING 1000+ CRORES?
The stadium is equipped with a unique world-first pitch technology solution. This is a first-of-its-kind innovation implemented by Stadium Grow Lighting (SGL), engineering specialist SCX and Hewitt Sportsturf. This means the stadium will be the first to lay claim to a grow-lighting structure without a physical component that comes in contact with the playing surface. The stadium utilizes a plethora of latest technologies both on and off the pitch. The stadium is installed with a retractable pitch, which means, the stadium will have two pitches inside the same bowl. This is the first time that something like this has happened in the UK. The grass turf sits on three pitch-long steel trays which weigh over 3,000 tonnes each and splits into three sections before retracting to reveal an artificial surface under it. The process of switching from one surface to another takes around 25 minutes. The stadium pitch is going to be used for the purpose of the Premier League, NFL and various other events.
It was noticed that the Spurs management was not the only one to be amused after getting access to their new home ground. The architecture firm Populus has described the stadium as the best of the 1,300 stadiums the firm has helped design around the world and that it will greatly influence rival clubs. We all look forward to seeing some scintillating players and teams grace the field and hope this new asset bear the fruits for the men in White.
