Populous-Designed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Opens

In a pivotal moment for sports venue design, the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will host its first game on Wednesday 3^rd April, when Tottenham Hotspur meet Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

Designed by Populous, the stadium heralds a new era for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and has created a major landmark for both Tottenham and London.

With a capacity of 62,062, the new stadium becomes the biggest club stadium in London and, by incorporating a fully retractable pitch, the first in the world to be custom built to stage football and NFL games.

The stadium will host its first NFL game in Autumn 2019, showcasing its unique ability to accommodate the technical and operational requirements of the world’s two most popular sports. The retractable pitch will also enable the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to host concerts and a range of other events, fulfilling the club’s ambition to create a major sports and entertainment destination that will support the on-going regeneration of Tottenham, 365 days a year.

The stadium has been designed to generate one of the best match day atmospheres in the world, with uninterrupted sightlines and spectators closer to the pitch than at any comparable ground in the UK. The stands are angled at 35 degrees — the steepest angle that UK guidelines recommend — to create a tighter, atmospheric stadium bowl which focusses towards the southern ‘home end’, where 17,500 spectators will come together to generate a ‘wall of sound’ in the largest single-tier stand in the UK.

The areas at the front of the stand, as well as the away support’s section, have been future-proofed for safe standing, with a first-of-its-kind design that gives equal precedence to safety and comfort. The rows of seating are separated by an ergonomically profiled bar set at 900mm for clear sight lines. Each of the seats, which provide the same levels of comfort and leg room as in all other areas of the stadium, is fitted with a lock to ensure it can be securely fixed in the upright position.

A concert-hall inspired acoustic set-up, which amplifies the noise inside the stadium, will add to the atmosphere and spectator experience. Wireless connectivity is available across the venue and will enable fans inside the stadium to connect with and share their live event experiences with other fans across the globe.

Now completed, the stadium’s sculpted appearance has become clear; wrapping and folding its way around the stadium before reaching the home end, where a glass façade arches upwards to reveal the huge single-tier home stand, and a curved roof, which melds together with the stadium structure to create a graceful and elegant clean cover over the seating bowl. The façade is dynamic, responsive to the changing light. By day, the façade’s perforated screens partially shroud what’s going on inside, but at night they act like a lantern, highlighting the activity within.

A five-storey high glass atrium at the south end will provide a new meeting place for home supporters before and after the match including an open food court bathed in natural light. This spectacular entrance provides a glimpse of life within the stadium and has been designed to create a sense of arrival from the station.

Populous’ design responds to Tottenham Hotspur’s brief to create memorable experiences for its supporters and everyone else who visits the multi-use stadium. To achieve this, unrivalled views of live Premier League action have been supplemented with a vast range of food and drink, retail and premium experiences, which will add to the matchday experience.

Notable features include:

• 17,500-seat single-tier ‘home end’ stand — the largest of its kind in the country
• A fully retractable turf pitch with a state-of-the-art artificial playing surface beneath for NFL matches and other large-scale events
• The Market Place, a new fan zone in the South Stand atrium, with street-food style market stall, the 65m Goal Line Bar — Europe’s longest bar — and a microbrewery operated by local brewer Beavertown
• A choice of fine dining premium experiences including the H Club, a Michelin star calibre Members’ Club
• The Tunnel Club, a glass-walled private members club allowing fans a “behind-the-scenes view” of the players making their way to and from the pitch, as well as access to seats located behind the First Team technical area
• The Sky Lounge, where guests can enjoy the panoramic views across London from the highest point available in the stadium

Daniel Levy, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club Chairman, said: “Our new stadium and wider scheme has been developed to deliver an unrivalled fan experience and significant benefits to our local community.  We want to make this venue a world class sports and entertainment destination for everyone, in our birthplace of Tottenham.”

Christopher Lee, Managing Director of Populous (EMEA), said: “This is a game changer. There is no doubt in my mind that the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the best stadium in the world, and has set an incredible benchmark to follow. Daniel has challenged us at every point in the journey, but this has led to a stadium which will be the crucible of the club’s passion for generations to come.“

For more information, please contact:

Michele Fleming, +44 208 874 7666 or Michele.Fleming@populous.com

Robert Pine, +44  7894 462 342 or robert@ing-media.com