Stadium

History of the stadium

Welcome to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the home ground of Spurs since April 2019. It is a billion-pound venue in north London on the site of their former home, White Hart Lane.

Tottenham built the largest club stadium in London between 2017 and 2019 after 118 years at White Hart Lane. Spurs sought to make a venue with the supporter experience at its core. Fans sit just 4.9 metres from the pitch, compared to the 7.9 metres at a comparable ground.

Only Wembley, Twickenham and Old Trafford beat the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in terms of capacity in England, as well. It is a 62,850-seated venue with a 17,500-capacity single-tier South Stand, the UK’s largest. The stand is also home to Tottenham’s giant golden cockerel.

Tottenham Hotspur built an award-winning £1bn stadium

Plans to create the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium dated back as far as 2007 but the club only broke ground a decade later. Haringey Council also only granted Spurs planning permission for the project in 2011. It was seen as a key part of the Northumberland Park Development.

The original plans for the stadium also only featured a 56,250-capacity ground. Yet Haringey Council’s Planning Sub-Committee granted Tottenham new permissions in April 2016 to add further seating. It also saw a new club megastore, a museum and a 180-bed hotel included.

All of the changes meant the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would, ultimately, cost Spurs £1bn to build. But for the funds invested, they had a home the Royal Institute of British Architects would call a ‘tour de force in stadium design’ in September 2021 after giving it a major prize.

RIBA recognised the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as one of the UK’s best new buildings at its 2021 prize ceremony. It felt the venue delivered an unparalleled experience for the multiple users. It also lauded the stadium for its unique location with the ground set on a high street.

What else makes the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?

Along with the UK’s largest single-tier stand, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium features many touches marking Tottenham Hotspur’s history as a club. There are several plaques around the ground, including one dedicated to the centre circle at their old home, White Hart Lane.

Pictures of some Tottenham Hotspur legends also line the walls of their stadium. While Spurs included a 65-metre-long bar and a microbrewery inside the ground. But their plans for one of the finest sporting sites continued with the world’s first dividing retractable football pitch.

Tottenham hired SCX Special Projects to design, engineer and install a way to split their real grass Premier League pitch into three sections. It then retracts the 10,000-tonne pitch into a storage area located beneath the 17,500-capacity South Stand to reveal a full-size NFL field.

The National Football League (NFL) and Tottenham agreed to a 10-year deal to hold at least two games at the stadium each year. ESPN also reported in April 2017 that the NFL injected £10m to help with the costs of building the stadium. It also pays a set fee for every use of it.

Tottenham also agreed to a 15-year partnership with Formula One in February 2023. Their deal will see Tottenham Hotspur Stadium house the world’s first in-stadium electric karting facility. It will be under the South Stand and aims to be the longest indoor circuit in London.

How to get to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Given the location of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on High Road in north London, Spurs advise any visitors against driving to the ground. But its location ensures it is well-served by public transport with London Underground and Overground, plus Greater Anglia, stations.

A number of Transport for London buses also frequent the area around the venue. While the stadium offers ample cycle storage and is within walking distance of a number of the nearby stations. The roads surrounding the stadium are also closed to vehicles around any matches.

White Hart Lane is the nearest overground station for fans wanting to get to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium by train. It is around a five minutes walk from Spurs’ ground. While Abellio Greater Anglia stops at Northumberland Park and Tottenham Hale, 10 and 25 minutes away.

Victoria Line underground trains additionally stop at Tottenham Hale. While the Victoria Line and overground trains also stop at Seven Sisters, which is around a 30-minute walk from the ground. Each station also has ‘Legible London’-style on-street wayfinding signs to the site.

TFL buses 149, 259, 279 and 349 are moved to the east of the stadium at Lansdowne Road during any matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The services would normally run up and down High Road but are affected by the match-related road closures in the nearby area.

Stadium tour info

Spurs run an array of stadium tours at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the £1bn venue. Supporters can enjoy self-guided tours of the ground, along with matchday tours. Self-guided tours can take circa 90 minutes to complete in full.

A self-guided tour of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has access to the Tottenham Hotspur first-team dressing room and the players’ tunnel. It also has access to a number of premium areas, plus the custom-designed NFL areas and the lower stadium bowl during the season.

Matchday tours also offer access to the men’s first-team areas just hours before kick-off to a Premier League game. The tour includes a chance to sit in the Tottenham Hotspur manager’s seat in the dugout. Attendees can also get their picture pitchside with the official match ball.

Tottenham additionally run a number of legends tours with former club icons guiding guests on a full stadium tour. The legend giving the tour also offers personal tales from their time at the club. A legends tour further includes a Q&A session and often lasts for around 2.5 hours.

Visitors to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium can also book to do The Dare Skywalk. It is a 90-minute experience offering the chance to walk along a glass walkway above the South Stand and around the edge of the stadium. The Edge is an additional part featuring a 42m abseil.

Address

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium: 782 High Road, London, England, N17 0BX