New Stadium Details And Discussions

[thebenjamin]

Can I just clarify that the issue of moving out of WHL is not directly linked to the issue of the completion date for NWHL? I see a lot of posts trying to interpret the progress on site and draw conclusions about our intentions for next season. That logic doesn't hang together.

Let's assume that the build is running late (debatable). We still ought to be moving out now, because not doing so will, of itself, add a year to the completion programme. They cannot even start building the southern part of the new stadium until the old stadium has been demolished. So they have to get the old stadium down, so they can keep building the new stadium.

If there is a decision to be made about whether to move out now, it is not about progress with the build. It's about financing.

That makes sense. So if we didn't move out this summer, it would still be 2 years.

 

[arunspurs]

@MattHughesTimes #Tottenham secure funding for new stadium with loans from HSBC, Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch.


http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/sport/spurs-seal-350m-stadium-loan-kzrjc0t8m

Spurs seal £350m stadium loan


Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium redevelopment is a significant step closer after the club agreed a £350 million funding package with three investment banks.

HSBC, Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch will provide almost half of the money required to complete the £750 million rebuilding of White Hart Lane. The rest of the funding will come from advanced ticket sales, a ten-year ground rental arrangement with the NFL and a possible naming-rights deal.

Confirmation of the commercial loans is a big boost for Tottenham as they prepare to announce their departure at the end of the season from their home of 118 years. The plan is to spend a year at Wembley before returning to a rebuilt ground on an adjacent site in north London for the start of the 2018-19 season.

As he announced Tottenham’s results for the year ending June 2016 yesterday, which included record revenue of almost £210 million and record post-tax profits of £33 million, the chairman, Daniel Levy, said that the move to Wembley would not be finalised until there was greater clarity on the delivery of the new stadium, but the club are confident about the original timetable. The FA has agreed to extend tomorrow’s deadline to sign the Wembley lease agreement until next month, as revealed by The Times last Saturday.

Tottenham are committed to borrowing £90 million more than Arsenal did when building the Emirates Stadium a decade ago and accept that the funds available to Mauricio Pochettino for transfers will be limited for the next five years, much as they were for Arsène Wenger at their local rivals.

Spurs are confident of gaining a substantially more lucrative naming rights deal than the £2.8 million-a-year contract Arsenal struck with Emirates in 2004, with Levy targeting a £20 million-a-year deal for 20 years. Tottenham also expect a significant increase in match-day revenue at the new stadium as the capacity increases from 36,000 to 61,000. Yesterday’s report revealed that there are 63,200 people on the waiting list for season tickets and the plan is to focus on offering hospitality for corporate clients in advance ticket sales. The most expensive season tickets will cost £8,000.

In addition to the NFL deal, Spurs have secured £9 million and £18 million in funding from Haringey Council and the London Mayor’s office respectively to aid regeneration of the local area.

Levy said: “This financial period saw record revenues and the club’s highest-placed finish in the Premier League. We have run this club on a financially secure basis for the past 16 years while remaining ambitious and with a vision for its future growth and success.”

 

[thebenjamin]

Good news. Although that's going to be a hell of a repayment package. 5 years at least before we see any kind of financial benefit from the stadium, problem is what happens if pochettino leaves during that period. We're relying on a new guy to keep us competitive with a zero net spend and wage bill much smaller than our rivals.

 

[TottenhamMattSpur]

The only reason to stay at WHL is a fear of a loss of form on the pitch at wembley.
But a) It's bollocks, our poor form has been in cup finals and semi finals, not home games against Watford and b) WHL has to come down. Fact.

 

[adamsky]

We have a realistic chance of competing for the title next season, especially with one or two improvements to the squad. It is undeniable that we would have a better chance if we stayed another season at WHL. This does not mean I am not eager to get to the new stadium as soon as possible but does mean there is a silver lining if we have to delay for another season and I won't be too upset.

 

[Hoopspur]

Another version of the same thing with a bit more info tacked on the end...

http://www.footballeconomy.com/content/spurs-get-stadium-funding


Submitted by WG on Thu, 30/03/2017 - 08:55
Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium redevelopment is a significant step closer after the club agreed a £350 million funding package with three investment banks.

HSBC, Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch will provide almost half of the money required to complete the £750 million rebuilding of White Hart Lane. The rest of the funding will come from advanced ticket sales, a ten-year ground rental arrangement with the NFL and a possible naming-rights deal.

Spurs are confident of securing a substantially more lucrative namng rights deal than the £2.8m a year contract Arsenal agreed with Emirates in 2004. Levy is targeting a £20m a year deal for twenty years. However, West Ham have not managed to conclude a naming rights deal for the London Stadium.

Spurs also expect a big increase in matchday revenue at the new stadium as capacity increases from 36,000 to 61,000. There are 63,200 people on the waiting list for season tickets. The most expensive season tickets will cost £8,000.

Confirmation of the commercial loans is a big boost for Tottenham as they prepare to announce their departure at the end of the season from their home of 118 years. The plan is to spend a year at Wembley before returning to a rebuilt ground on an adjacent site in north London for the start of the 2018-19 season.

As he announced Tottenham’s results for the year ending June 2016 yesterday, which included record revenue of almost £210 million (up seven per cent) and record post-tax profits of £33 million, the chairman, Daniel Levy, said that the move to Wembley would not be finalised until there was greater clarity on the delivery of the new stadium, but the club are confident about the original timetable.

The delay in confirming that White Hart Lane will definitely close this season is understood to stem from concern at the spiralling cost of the project, which has increased from a projected £450 million to between £750-800 million, but the private funding has been secured regardless. It is understood that the three banks will each provide loans at a fixed rate over an initial five-year period, after which the plan is to re-finance them.

Premier League gate receipts were £22.2m (2015: £22.3m). The club reached the round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League (2015: round of 32) resulting in gate receipts and prize money of £18.7m (2015: £7.1m). Revenue from the domestic cup competitions earned the club £2.4m (2015: £4.4m).

Television and media revenues rose to £94.8m (2015: £90.5m), as the club had its best season in the Premier League, finishing third (2015: fifth). Sponsorship and corporate hospitality revenue was steady at £48.8m (2015: £48.9m).

Merchandising revenue was £12.0m (2015: £12.3m). This represents a like-for-like increase of 8 per cent as early kit launch sales were recognised in 2014/15 figures.

 

[thebenjamin]

The only reason to stay at WHL is a fear of a loss of form on the pitch at wembley.
But a) It's bollocks, our poor form has been in cup finals and semi finals, not home games against Watford and b) WHL has to come down. Fact.

Er, Monaco, Leverkusen, Ghent?

 

[L-man]

New Spurs Stadium‏@NewSpursStadium 18m18 minutes ago

No confirmation of dates, but plans being put in place for the demolition of White Hart Lane.

Think this has been forgotten re: topic of staying for another season

That letter has been sent around to local residents. Hard to believe we'd send this out to everyone if we weren't convinced we were leaving

 

[ERO]

Good news. Although that's going to be a hell of a repayment package. 5 years at least before we see any kind of financial benefit from the stadium, problem is what happens if pochettino leaves during that period. We're relying on a new guy to keep us competitive with a zero net spend and wage bill much smaller than our rivals.

Why is that? Is this funding structured so that something special happens after 5 years? Is there a severe drop in repayments or a big boost in revenues at this point?

 

[TottenhamMattSpur]

Er, Monaco, Leverkusen, Ghent?

2 champions league teams.
We destroyed Ghent for large portions of a game where we were a man down. And we didn't lose.

 

[Phischy]

Think this has been forgotten re: topic of staying for another season

That letter has been sent around to local residents. Hard to believe we'd send this out to everyone if we weren't convinced we were leaving

I don't know the rules, but if there is a notification timeline required, i.e. the residents must be told x days in advance, we would need to send this to cover the possibility of it being done. Easier to not do something disruptive which you've warned people about than to do something if you've not done the requisite paperwork. Just guessing here, but I wouldn't say this constitutes anything more than circumstantial evidence that we plan to proceed.

 

[Phischy]

Just a thought, which perhaps @davidmatzdorf could offer some thoughts on...

So, there seems to be the quite reasonable assumption that the timeline has one of two shapes...

Shape 1 (The primary plan):

We leave WHL at the end of this season and the build will take a further year whilst we are at Wembley, returning at the start of the following stadium to our rather shiny new stadium.

If there are any issues with the build will will inevitably be forced into using Wembley for 2 years rather than 1.

Shape 2 (The perceived alternative):

'Grand-Master Daniel, Chief of Levy and all he surveys' decides that the timeline is too tight, the financing isn't ready in time or whatever else is an issue and that he'd rather not spend 2 years at The Home of Football. We therefore stay at Old White Hart Lane for an extra year before we make our move to Wembley. After our obligatory year away we return to the 'Majestic Stadium' (I do hope we're speaking to the wine merchants, if we're going to be stuck with a silly name at least make it a good one!).

This option seems like the necessary alternative as our perception is that we must be away for at least a year for the necessary to be done. However could there be a hidden third option...

Shape 3 (The super special option I concocted in my brain which I think might be possible but for which I have no evidence nor a sufficient understanding of what is ultimately required to make an endeavour such as this work):

So, to my mind, delaying Wembley by a year would piss off a huge number of people. Not least Wembley. Our 'option' is based on using it next year. The planning consent we've received is for next year. In fact everything is in place for next year. If we cancel that move, we'd have to go through the whole process again, negotiating with everyone involved, again, to get the same set of terms in place. So what if cancelling the move to Wembley next season means never going to Wembley?!

Is it not possible that the club know that by saying no to Wembley next season they are jeopardising our chance of being allowed to move there at all (or at least costing us by having less favourable terms for the following season?)

So what if, instead, the club are considering an alternative plan. Of course the first alternative above is the quickest way of getting us into our new stadium and surely that remains priority 1. However, if that seems impossible, then we know it's 2 years before we can move in... Therefore, is it not possible that we can effectively 'finish' the bit of the stadium we're building now during next season, as in, have it virtually 100% done, whilst we play next door as we have been this season. Then, in the summer at the end of next season we begin knocking down White Hart Lane and move into the new stadium, whilst we finish work on it during that season.

David pointed out he saw no reason why the moving pitch had to be completed before the stand is erected. As that stand will be the easiest of the 4 to put up, could that not be done and the ring/roof in that period whilst things like the rolling pitch works are completed during the season. It almost means we're returning to the old-old plan of never actually leaving, it just means it's an extra season before all aspects of the stadium are fully functional. It would satisfy fans who would prefer not to leave and would allow us to play in a gradually increasing capacity stadium over the next 2-3 years.

I appreciate it'd be more expensive than leaving for a year, but it might be seen as easier and cheaper than negotating to have Wembley for 2 years and having to pay for the same works across the entire site for that period?

As a side note, given our performances there, it must be in the club's mind that a whole Premier League season or two there could be damaging.

I don't know, it's just a thought, but if I was Levy, thinking the new stadium might be 2 years away regardless, I'd explore the option of never actually leaving if I thought it was a viable one given that it was the ideal plan when this project was being conceived...

 

[TottenhamLegend]

Big shout out to Stevieed on SSC who made this original post after a recent stadium tour. I'm sure he won't mind me sharing his info with the credit given!

When are we moving out of White Hart Lane and general build matters

• The club are already starting to strip out White Hart Lane and will remove all non-essential materials/items prior to the United game
• The demolition is currently timetabled for 48 hours after the United game ends
• Expect to see demolition equipment parked at the holding area from just before the United game (this should be our biggest indication as to whether was I was told is correct)
• There is internal debate as to whether they can remove the seats individually to sell to season ticket holders, this is currently considered unlikely as although the club would love to do this it will delay the demolition
• There are currently 700 people working on the site during the week and 300 at weekends
• The build is on schedule, this was confirmed by three separate sources who work in both the office and the build site, including two persons who were at a high level management meeting recently which confirmed the build is on schedule
• I think this has been rebutted already, but there is no way that Levy will open the stadium partially complete. This is his baby and he wants a grand opening, there is absolutely no way he'll allow a single screw to not be fully screwed down, let alone a quarter of the stadium still not complete
• There were concerns about the financing of the stadium, but more so in respect to the cost and not regarding whether we could source financing or not. These have now been resolved (refer The Times article)
• Interestingly no one would divulge any information regarding the build of the roof, not sure if they didn't know anything about it (unlikely) or maybe I'd asked too many questions by that point...
• The player accommodation block at the training ground (do not call it a hotel!!!) is part of the NFL tie up and we will offer it to visiting teams, particularly European teams
• Each screen is the size of a tennis court and will be high definition

Stadium trivia

• The longest bar in a European sports venue (80m) will be in the South Stand atrium; unsure of how this would work properly (I forgot to ask), but assume it bends round into the GA areas of East and West stands
• The brewery will be located in the South stand and the plan is not only to brew a specific craft beer (unfortunately there is already a Hopspur!!) but they will also brew the stadium beer partners beer; i.e. if Heineken are the official beer supplier then Heineken will be brewed on site and under license
• They are doing some very cool things with local suppliers, such as the left over produce from the brewing is going to a local farm, to be used as pig food, who will then supply us with meat (largely pigs)
• The Skywalk looks amazing! The current plan is that you will be harnessed in, much like the O2 dome walk. You can walk over the South Stand roof and look down at the pitch through the clear parts of the roof. There are also plans for you to then abseil down the South stand into the public square
• There are currently investigating whether to install a Spider Cam or not, however this is likely to be only for NFL games and will be removed for football games
• The on-site bakery will only supply baked goods for the corporate areas, other food will be brought in
• The grass pitch can be stored for up to 5 days as it will be fully serviced with water, air ventilation and grow lights. They've done this so that they can host concerts over the weekends
• They are expecting up to 15 non-football events per year; no-one I spoke to knew whether this was non "soccer" or non-football including NFL
• The naming partner is not yet known at any level in the club, so all rumours of who it will be are purely conjecture at this point
• The main TV gantry is in the East stand, at the front of the upper tier, with a further TV gantry in the West stand alongside the commentary boxes. Naturally there will be further camera spots around the stadium and this was a key consideration given the NFL involvement
• There's a mock up of the GA toilets which I haven't seen, although a friend has, and his comment was "nicest toilets I've ever seen in a sporting venue". There is also a mock up of a food outlet which looks very stylish (think I photo has been circulated on here previously)
• The shop will feature a scanning system via an app on your phone, whereby you scan the items as you walk around the store and automatically pay as you exit; a similar idea to the Waitrose system
• Anyone can access the home atrium in the South stand with a home ticket
• There is a shortlist of hotel partners for the 4/5* hotel, most likely a large US brand such as Hilton or Marriott
• Family section has not been locked down, but is likely to be in the north stand upper, although there are concerns of locating families close to the away fans
• The hard hat tour area which will be opened up shortly is just a viewing platform in the north stand 4th floor, the views are great but you can't really see into the internals of the stadium

The H Club

• Will attempt to obtain Michelin star for the food
• Partnering with Roux family
• £15k joining fee and £15k annual cost; tickets must be purchased in pairs and as for all corporate tickets a minimum period of 3 years must be signed up for and tickets must be purchased in pairs
• Somelier and cheese waiter will be on hand to assist
• Other celebrity chefs will be brought in to cook for guests, they are really trying to make this the premium lounge offering at any sporting stadium in Europe
• There are 3 dining options; informal, fine dining and chefs table

The Tunnel Club

• Club did not expect such high demand, 90% of the 104 tickets have already been sold
• £15k joining fee and £9.5k per season
• Seats will be the same as what the players/manager sit in, will be heated recaros with USB jacks
• This has been contentious with the players as they really do not want to be watched in the tunnel...

The Sky Lounge

• Exactly mirrored West and East stands, although you may not transfer between the stands
• You will not be able to stay in the lounge during the match and electronic blinds will cover the windows during each half to ensure that we comply with FA regulations
• The roof of the Sky Lounge is the roof of the stadium and looks amazing
• 260 people will be in each lounge
• Tapas style food will be offered

Premium Seats

• Marketed as a Club Wembley and Arsenal Club level style package, but more premium
• Concourses look great and they're trying to break them up into individual seating areas, bar areas and eating areas
• Huge range of food will be available for purchase, from a free finger food buffet up to fine dining options
• Get a free drink at half time, much like Arsenal Club seats
• Not enough seating for everyone in here
• Consists of approximately 6,000 out of the 8,000 hospitality seats in the stadium

General hospitality

• Although the tickets are selling well the sales people have been under a lot of pressure given that this is a key financing area of the build; I think there were c. 2.5k corporate seats at WHL, so to increase that to 8k is a huge undertaking
• DL wants the entire stadium to be of a corporate hospitality level, the fit and finish will be exceptional throughout
• You may arrive up to 3 hours before the game and leave up to 2 hours post game
• The club are trying to get all visitors to arrive at the ground significantly prior to kick off, this is to both boost stadium income and remove the stain on public transport. Expect various activities etc throughout the GA areas
• There will be a VIP shuttle bus from Alexandra Palace and Tottenham Hale bus stations for corporate hospitality ticket holders; these buses may use the bus lanes. There may also be an option of parking at the training ground and getting a bus in, although I highly doubt this is practical
• You may get priority seat allocation for certain non-football events, but this depends on the partners specific to each event

My general thoughts

• Spurs have gone all out with this stadium, the attention to detail is mind boggling and they've really tried to build the best stadium in Europe
• It will be imposing on the inside, when looking back from the touch line the stands really tower over you
• I really like that they've put the fan experience first, be it with the south stand atrium, the free wifi they are putting in or the generous seat space
• I really do not like the join between the South stand and the East/West stands, it really looks bolted on and ugly; hopefully in real life they can make this look a bit prettier
• The club have taken the offerings at other stadiums, including Arsenals, and blown them out of the water; even the basic hospitality offering is of great quality
• I cannot wait for this stadium to open in 2018 (!), it will be world class; the pride, passion and excitement from the teams involved in the build is incredible - they really are building something special

 

[raggy]

Big shout out to Stevieed on SSC who made this original post after a recent stadium tour. I'm sure he won't mind me sharing his info with the credit given!

He also says he has an inside contact so it's 'ITK' info as well not just stuff from his stadium tour.

 

[arunspurs]

Thanks @TottenhamLegend & Stevieed , thats a awesome update....

Probably others know it here already, but this is the first time I am seeing the player accommodation facilities built to suit specifically fo NFL. If true, just shows the kind of full fledged investment/gamble Levy is taking on NFL.

• The player accommodation block at the training ground (do not call it a hotel!!!) is part of the NFL tie up and we will offer it to visiting teams, particularly European teams

The leftover to the pigfarm, & get the pigs back as meat...Levy written all over this...

• They are doing some very cool things with local suppliers, such as the left over produce from the brewing is going to a local farm, to be used as pig food, who will then supply us with meat (largely pigs)

 

[spursfan77]

Big shout out to Stevieed on SSC who made this original post after a recent stadium tour. I'm sure he won't mind me sharing his info with the credit given!

When are we moving out of White Hart Lane and general build matters

• The club are already starting to strip out White Hart Lane and will remove all non-essential materials/items prior to the United game
• The demolition is currently timetabled for 48 hours after the United game ends
• Expect to see demolition equipment parked at the holding area from just before the United game (this should be our biggest indication as to whether was I was told is correct)
• There is internal debate as to whether they can remove the seats individually to sell to season ticket holders, this is currently considered unlikely as although the club would love to do this it will delay the demolition
• There are currently 700 people working on the site during the week and 300 at weekends
• The build is on schedule, this was confirmed by three separate sources who work in both the office and the build site, including two persons who were at a high level management meeting recently which confirmed the build is on schedule
• I think this has been rebutted already, but there is no way that Levy will open the stadium partially complete. This is his baby and he wants a grand opening, there is absolutely no way he'll allow a single screw to not be fully screwed down, let alone a quarter of the stadium still not complete
• There were concerns about the financing of the stadium, but more so in respect to the cost and not regarding whether we could source financing or not. These have now been resolved (refer The Times article)
• Interestingly no one would divulge any information regarding the build of the roof, not sure if they didn't know anything about it (unlikely) or maybe I'd asked too many questions by that point...
• The player accommodation block at the training ground (do not call it a hotel!!!) is part of the NFL tie up and we will offer it to visiting teams, particularly European teams
• Each screen is the size of a tennis court and will be high definition

Stadium trivia

• The longest bar in a European sports venue (80m) will be in the South Stand atrium; unsure of how this would work properly (I forgot to ask), but assume it bends round into the GA areas of East and West stands
• The brewery will be located in the South stand and the plan is not only to brew a specific craft beer (unfortunately there is already a Hopspur!!) but they will also brew the stadium beer partners beer; i.e. if Heineken are the official beer supplier then Heineken will be brewed on site and under license
• They are doing some very cool things with local suppliers, such as the left over produce from the brewing is going to a local farm, to be used as pig food, who will then supply us with meat (largely pigs)
• The Skywalk looks amazing! The current plan is that you will be harnessed in, much like the O2 dome walk. You can walk over the South Stand roof and look down at the pitch through the clear parts of the roof. There are also plans for you to then abseil down the South stand into the public square
• There are currently investigating whether to install a Spider Cam or not, however this is likely to be only for NFL games and will be removed for football games
• The on-site bakery will only supply baked goods for the corporate areas, other food will be brought in
• The grass pitch can be stored for up to 5 days as it will be fully serviced with water, air ventilation and grow lights. They've done this so that they can host concerts over the weekends
• They are expecting up to 15 non-football events per year; no-one I spoke to knew whether this was non "soccer" or non-football including NFL
• The naming partner is not yet known at any level in the club, so all rumours of who it will be are purely conjecture at this point
• The main TV gantry is in the East stand, at the front of the upper tier, with a further TV gantry in the West stand alongside the commentary boxes. Naturally there will be further camera spots around the stadium and this was a key consideration given the NFL involvement
• There's a mock up of the GA toilets which I haven't seen, although a friend has, and his comment was "nicest toilets I've ever seen in a sporting venue". There is also a mock up of a food outlet which looks very stylish (think I photo has been circulated on here previously)
• The shop will feature a scanning system via an app on your phone, whereby you scan the items as you walk around the store and automatically pay as you exit; a similar idea to the Waitrose system
• Anyone can access the home atrium in the South stand with a home ticket
• There is a shortlist of hotel partners for the 4/5* hotel, most likely a large US brand such as Hilton or Marriott
• Family section has not been locked down, but is likely to be in the north stand upper, although there are concerns of locating families close to the away fans
• The hard hat tour area which will be opened up shortly is just a viewing platform in the north stand 4th floor, the views are great but you can't really see into the internals of the stadium

The H Club

• Will attempt to obtain Michelin star for the food
• Partnering with Roux family
• £15k joining fee and £15k annual cost; tickets must be purchased in pairs and as for all corporate tickets a minimum period of 3 years must be signed up for and tickets must be purchased in pairs
• Somelier and cheese waiter will be on hand to assist
• Other celebrity chefs will be brought in to cook for guests, they are really trying to make this the premium lounge offering at any sporting stadium in Europe
• There are 3 dining options; informal, fine dining and chefs table

The Tunnel Club

• Club did not expect such high demand, 90% of the 104 tickets have already been sold
• £15k joining fee and £9.5k per season
• Seats will be the same as what the players/manager sit in, will be heated recaros with USB jacks
• This has been contentious with the players as they really do not want to be watched in the tunnel...

The Sky Lounge

• Exactly mirrored West and East stands, although you may not transfer between the stands
• You will not be able to stay in the lounge during the match and electronic blinds will cover the windows during each half to ensure that we comply with FA regulations
• The roof of the Sky Lounge is the roof of the stadium and looks amazing
• 260 people will be in each lounge
• Tapas style food will be offered

Premium Seats

• Marketed as a Club Wembley and Arsenal Club level style package, but more premium
• Concourses look great and they're trying to break them up into individual seating areas, bar areas and eating areas
• Huge range of food will be available for purchase, from a free finger food buffet up to fine dining options
• Get a free drink at half time, much like Arsenal Club seats
• Not enough seating for everyone in here
• Consists of approximately 6,000 out of the 8,000 hospitality seats in the stadium

General hospitality

• Although the tickets are selling well the sales people have been under a lot of pressure given that this is a key financing area of the build; I think there were c. 2.5k corporate seats at WHL, so to increase that to 8k is a huge undertaking
• DL wants the entire stadium to be of a corporate hospitality level, the fit and finish will be exceptional throughout
• You may arrive up to 3 hours before the game and leave up to 2 hours post game
• The club are trying to get all visitors to arrive at the ground significantly prior to kick off, this is to both boost stadium income and remove the stain on public transport. Expect various activities etc throughout the GA areas
• There will be a VIP shuttle bus from Alexandra Palace and Tottenham Hale bus stations for corporate hospitality ticket holders; these buses may use the bus lanes. There may also be an option of parking at the training ground and getting a bus in, although I highly doubt this is practical
• You may get priority seat allocation for certain non-football events, but this depends on the partners specific to each event

My general thoughts

• Spurs have gone all out with this stadium, the attention to detail is mind boggling and they've really tried to build the best stadium in Europe
• It will be imposing on the inside, when looking back from the touch line the stands really tower over you
• I really like that they've put the fan experience first, be it with the south stand atrium, the free wifi they are putting in or the generous seat space
• I really do not like the join between the South stand and the East/West stands, it really looks bolted on and ugly; hopefully in real life they can make this look a bit prettier
• The club have taken the offerings at other stadiums, including Arsenals, and blown them out of the water; even the basic hospitality offering is of great quality
• I cannot wait for this stadium to open in 2018 (!), it will be world class; the pride, passion and excitement from the teams involved in the build is incredible - they really are building something special

Thanks for posting. The only bit I doubt is about the hotel. They've had to turn it into a training hotel because they couldn't even get a Travel lodge to open up there, so no chance a 4/5 star one will.

I still reckon this will get changed from a hotel to residential use at some time before it goes up (or even after) as that's going to be more valuable.

 

[danielneeds]

Thanks for posting. The only bit I doubt is about the hotel. They've had to turn it into a training hotel because they couldn't even get a Travel lodge to open up there, so no chance a 4/5 star one will.

I still reckon this will get changed from a hotel to residential use at some time before it goes up (or even after) as that's going to be more valuable.

I think you are mixed up - the accommodation block is at the training ground and is for the players, and to rent to NFL and other sports teams. The hotel will be next to the South Stand at the new stadium.

 

[tony0379]

Just a thought, which perhaps @davidmatzdorf could offer some thoughts on...

So, there seems to be the quite reasonable assumption that the timeline has one of two shapes...

Shape 1 (The primary plan):

We leave WHL at the end of this season and the build will take a further year whilst we are at Wembley, returning at the start of the following stadium to our rather shiny new stadium.

If there are any issues with the build will will inevitably be forced into using Wembley for 2 years rather than 1.

Shape 2 (The perceived alternative):

'Grand-Master Daniel, Chief of Levy and all he surveys' decides that the timeline is too tight, the financing isn't ready in time or whatever else is an issue and that he'd rather not spend 2 years at The Home of Football. We therefore stay at Old White Hart Lane for an extra year before we make our move to Wembley. After our obligatory year away we return to the 'Majestic Stadium' (I do hope we're speaking to the wine merchants, if we're going to be stuck with a silly name at least make it a good one!).

This option seems like the necessary alternative as our perception is that we must be away for at least a year for the necessary to be done. However could there be a hidden third option...

Shape 3 (The super special option I concocted in my brain which I think might be possible but for which I have no evidence nor a sufficient understanding of what is ultimately required to make an endeavour such as this work):

So, to my mind, delaying Wembley by a year would piss off a huge number of people. Not least Wembley. Our 'option' is based on using it next year. The planning consent we've received is for next year. In fact everything is in place for next year. If we cancel that move, we'd have to go through the whole process again, negotiating with everyone involved, again, to get the same set of terms in place. So what if cancelling the move to Wembley next season means never going to Wembley?!

Is it not possible that the club know that by saying no to Wembley next season they are jeopardising our chance of being allowed to move there at all (or at least costing us by having less favourable terms for the following season?)

So what if, instead, the club are considering an alternative plan. Of course the first alternative above is the quickest way of getting us into our new stadium and surely that remains priority 1. However, if that seems impossible, then we know it's 2 years before we can move in... Therefore, is it not possible that we can effectively 'finish' the bit of the stadium we're building now during next season, as in, have it virtually 100% done, whilst we play next door as we have been this season. Then, in the summer at the end of next season we begin knocking down White Hart Lane and move into the new stadium, whilst we finish work on it during that season.

David pointed out he saw no reason why the moving pitch had to be completed before the stand is erected. As that stand will be the easiest of the 4 to put up, could that not be done and the ring/roof in that period whilst things like the rolling pitch works are completed during the season. It almost means we're returning to the old-old plan of never actually leaving, it just means it's an extra season before all aspects of the stadium are fully functional. It would satisfy fans who would prefer not to leave and would allow us to play in a gradually increasing capacity stadium over the next 2-3 years.

I appreciate it'd be more expensive than leaving for a year, but it might be seen as easier and cheaper than negotating to have Wembley for 2 years and having to pay for the same works across the entire site for that period?

As a side note, given our performances there, it must be in the club's mind that a whole Premier League season or two there could be damaging.

I don't know, it's just a thought, but if I was Levy, thinking the new stadium might be 2 years away regardless, I'd explore the option of never actually leaving if I thought it was a viable one given that it was the ideal plan when this project was being conceived...

Don't be deluded! Anfield is better.

 

[raggy]

Pochettino said he trusts this will be our last season at WHL in todays press conference. There's no way he would say that unless he was told by Levy that everything is on track.

 

[whitesocks]

Sorry to drag up an old post from June 2016 but this 'new' £350m loan is not necessarily so new either.

Just found this posted by Bazza on SSC: The Spurs Report: Money and Naming Rights....

In the minutes published by THST, Daniel Levy provided an update on the financial side of the project. He confirmed that the amount invested so far had risen to £150 million.
...
A concern of mine is that Spurs may seek to bridge any gap in funding by simply piling up more debt on what will already be a pretty large load -- £350 million has been promised by banks. In the minutes, Levy addressed this concern, loosely, noting he was “aware of the level of debt the Club could sustain and there were lots of options open at this point.”

Also we declared a £350m bridging loan facility from HSBC in the High court appeal against Archway.
So hasn't a £350m loan actually been funding the build to date?

I dare say payments are staged as we meet the targets and the Times exclusive that we now have this £350m loan might just mean the next batch has been released or the whole loan has changed hands/been refinanced to better terms.
So it could be good news, but it hardly answers the claim in the Telegraph yesterday that we were £200m short.
If anything we are now £450m short...