Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

INNOVATION. The stadium is designed to cultivate an extraordinary atmosphere. With a capacity of 62,850, it offers an intimate spectating experience, with stands angled at the steepest permissible slope to bring fans closer to the pitch. The first row of seats is no more than eight metres from the playing surface, surpassing the proximity of any comparable modern stadium. The 17,500-seat South Stand is the country’s largest single-tier stand, designed to generate a powerful ‘wall of sound’, and includes 5,000 safe standing seats in its lower section. Populous collaborated with U2’s sound engineers to optimise the stadium’s acoustics, fine-tuning the reverberation times to amplify the roar of the crowd and further enhance the atmosphere.

Enhancing the match-day experience for Tottenham Hotspur supporters was central to the design approach. The stadium’s general admission concourse hosts more than 60 concessions and three pub-style feature bars. Within the South Stand, the five-story Market Place atrium provides a lively gathering space for fans pre and post matches. It features street-food inspired food outlets, a microbrewery, and a 65-metre bar — the longest in Europe — stretching the full length of the goal line on the pitch.

Populous’ concept designs for the stadium’s premium facilities aim to unlock hidden potential in underutilised spaces, offering fans distinctive experiences while opening up fresh revenue avenues for the club. This diverse array of private suites, sky lounges, premium lounges, bars, conference facilities and Michelin-star dining options caters to a wide range of budgets and preferences and can host up to 8,000 guests on event days.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is designed to be inclusive for everyone. The building includes over 250 dedicated elevated wheelchair positions around the seating bowl, 66 fully accessible toilets, and hearing loops that provide audio-descriptive match commentaries by specialists. Additionally, there is a sensory suite, offering a comfortable and calming environment for supporters on the autistic spectrum or with sensory impairment conditions.

The stadium is the first purpose-built for NFL games outside the US, featuring a retractable natural turf pitch that slides under the South Stand in just 25 minutes, revealing an artificial playing surface. This flexibility enables American football and other events, like concerts, to take place during the football season without affecting the quality of the natural turf pitch. The system also offers ideal sightlines for American football by lowering the playing surface relative to the first row of seats, allowing fans to view the action over players and coaching staff on the sidelines. Additionally, purpose-designed NFL locker rooms and other bespoke player, staff, and media facilities combine to make the stadium a true home away from home for visiting NFL teams.

IMPACT. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium opened it 2019 to widespread acclaim from fans, players, and the media. It is considered one of the finest stadiums globally, marking a new era for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and becoming a major landmark for both Tottenham and London.

The comprehensive stadium development scheme encompasses a new visitor centre called the “Tottenham Experience,” a gym, supermarket, and a sixth-form school. It bustles with activity year-round, featuring stadium tours, retail spaces, conference and banquet facilities, public cafes, and a forthcoming hotel, attracting around two million visitors annually. Upon completion, the project will create 3,500 jobs and inject a projected £293 million into the local economy each year, benefitting local businesses and offering fresh opportunities to the community.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Design Team

Client: Tottenham Hotspur Football Club

Architect & Principal Designer: Populous

Interior Designer: Jump Studios – A Populous Company

Tottenham Experience Designer: Populous

Planning Consultant: DP9

Roof Structural Engineer: Schlaich Bergermann Partner

Shell & Core Structural Engineer: Buro Happold Engineering

Retractable Pitch Engineer: SCX Special Projects

M&E Consultant: Buro Happold Engineering

Quantity Surveyor: Arcadis

Landscape Architect: Populous

Main Contractor: Mace

Premium Hospitality, Player Facilities and Tottenham Experience Fit Out: BASE Contracts & F3 Architects