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Tottenham in talks with the NFL to host American Football in new stadium

Dharmabum

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Aug 16, 2003
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http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/foo...n-franchise-in-new-400m-stadium-10197801.html

Tottenham in talks with the NFL to host American football in new £400m stadium

TOM COLLOMOSSE
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Published: 23 April 2015

Updated: 11:48, 23 April 2015


EXCLUSIVE
Tottenham are in talks with the NFL to host American football at their new stadium.

Wembley already stages three games a year and Standard Sport can reveal Spurs are also interested in a potentially lucrative tie-up with the NFL.

Spurs hope to kick off the 2018-19 season in a new £400million, 61,000-seat ground at White Hart Lane.

Designs produced by experienced stadium architects Populous, show a changing room in the East Stand which is significantly greater in size than either of those in the West Stand. The West Stand plans refer specifically to smaller home and away changing rooms suitable for football.

Standard Sport has spoken to NFL experts who confirm the East Stand zone would suit an NFL side. A typical “locker room” area must accommodate 53 players and 15-20 coaches — far more than is necessary for a football team. There must also be extensive space to house playing equipment, and provision for medical treatment as well as physiotherapy — which is factored into Tottenham’s drawings.

The plans contain a space for “taping, rehab, physio”. Taping is the practice of securing NFL players’ knees or ankles before or during games but the phrase is used far more in American sports than on this side of the Atlantic.


Wembley has hosted 11 NFL matches since 2007 and there will be three more games there in October and November, with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions competing.

There has been at least one NFL match per year at Wembley since 2007, when Miami Dolphins took on New York Giants. Two years ago, Jacksonville Jaguars reached an agreement to play a home game at Wembley every year from 2013-16. The FA are thought to collect about £3m per game — so the incentive for Tottenham is clear.

Standard Sport understands the NFL believe Wembley is not ideal in terms of the experience it offers American football fans and would prefer a ground more suited to them. Spurs’ stadium could provide the solution and talks have taken place between the club and the sport’s governing body.

London is favourite to become the first city outside the USA to have an NFL team and the new ground would increase Spurs’ chances of being the base for a franchise.

The rough-and-tumble nature of NFL is enough to make a football groundsman wince but the financial benefits are clear. A pre-season tournament would provide a similar boost and is another logical source of extra revenue as chairman Daniel Levy tries to service effectively the cost of the new ground.

Spurs say the larger space would enable them to host summer competitions, similar to the Emirates Cup that takes place at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. Presumably, they would do this by splitting the East Stand dressing room in two. They have refused to comment on its possible use for NFL but sources do not rule out a multi-sport venue, which could also stage concerts.

Populous handled design projects for Wembley, the Olympic Stadium and Emirates Stadium, and talk on their website of their “experience of designing 14 new NFL stadiums and three major NFL expansions”. The website lists offices in six American cities as well as three in Australia and one in London. There are also bases in India, Taiwan and Singapore.
 

Geyzer Soze

Fearlessly the idiot faced the crowd
Aug 16, 2010
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There've been rumours about this for a long time now huh? Coming back again. Maybe there's sinething in it I think it would be pretty cool
 

fridgemagnet

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Jan 18, 2009
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I think it's more a case of he's read it on here and it's been a quiet week in the news.

I'm all for the club raising money but i've bugger all interest in big girls rugby, so as long as the people like me don't have to witness sight nor sound of it whilst watching football from the stands or on the telly box then crack on but for FFS hurry up and build the thing.
 

Ribble

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Apr 13, 2011
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I wonder if ENIC would be interested in starting up an NFL franchise...
 

yiddo23

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Aug 7, 2014
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Heard someone say that our new stadium would "deserve" an NFL team...please, we don't deserve that trash.
 

LSUY

Well-Known Member
Jul 12, 2005
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The NFL games at Wembley generate £3m per match for the FA - that's more than us and Chelsea and about the same as Arsenal. Plus the revenues of not particularly good teams like the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonsville Jaguars are on par with AC Milan's. I can see why Levy wants an NFL franchise at the new stadium.
 
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yiddo23

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Aug 7, 2014
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Oh hell fucking no. I know you did not just call football trash.
Yes I did call it trash, because it is....only in america does it take three hours to play a 60 minute game, and of those 60 minutes, only roughly 12-18 minutes are actually playing time when there is a live ball, the rest of the game you get to watch replays, announcers, commercials, replays, cheerleaders, commercials, and replays...it is complete and utter garbage
 

yankspurs

Enic Out
Aug 22, 2013
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Yes I did call it trash, because it is....only in america does it take three hours to play a 60 minute game, and of those 60 minutes, only roughly 12-18 minutes are actually playing time when there is a live ball, the rest of the game you get to watch replays, announcers, commercials, replays, cheerleaders, commercials, and replays...it is complete and utter garbage
Oh boo fucking hoo, you have to watch replays and commercials and half naked girls!!!!! What a fucking travesty!!!!!!!:rolleyes:
 

jambreck

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Jul 20, 2013
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Yes I did call it trash, because it is....only in america does it take three hours to play a 60 minute game, and of those 60 minutes, only roughly 12-18 minutes are actually playing time when there is a live ball, the rest of the game you get to watch replays, announcers, commercials, replays, cheerleaders, commercials, and replays...it is complete and utter garbage

Each to their own.

I really enjoy American Football. Awesome athletes. Brutal game. Yes, it's played in short, explosive bursts. But the same could be said for some games of football, with the ball being passed endlessly from side to side before something mildly interesting briefly happens.

And cheerleaders.............that's a bad thing?? Arf!
 

hillbilly

Active Member
Dec 18, 2013
119
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Perhaps we could compromise here. How about half naked girls playing American football? I've heard its popular over there.
 

shelfmonkey

Weird is different, different is interesting.
Mar 21, 2007
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Yes I did call it trash, because it is....only in america does it take three hours to play a 60 minute game, and of those 60 minutes, only roughly 12-18 minutes are actually playing time when there is a live ball, the rest of the game you get to watch replays, announcers, commercials, replays, cheerleaders, commercials, and replays...it is complete and utter garbage

I agree entirely, but, if it brings in £3m a pop who gives a shit if the games are played at the new WHL?!!! We don't have to watch it!!!
 

worcestersauce

"I'm no optimist I'm just a prisoner of hope
Jan 23, 2006
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I agree shelfmonkey, I'd be happy to have the NFL in Tottenham; my only concern would be the state of the pitch which, by all acounts, they've got covered so no problem.
 

dagraham

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Sep 20, 2005
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I agree shelfmonkey, I'd be happy to have the NFL in Tottenham; my only concern would be the state of the pitch which, by all acounts, they've got covered so no problem.

Agree. This is more than just a concern for me though, it's the only way I'd be happy to have NFL games at the stadium. Ultimately, it matters not a jot what I think or I suspect what anyone else thinks (including Poch and the players). This is what niggles away at the back of mind, because despite rumours about retractable pitches it wouldn't surprise me at all if Levy was prepared to sacrifice pitch quality for financial reasons.
 
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