Industry News

Retractable pitch taking shape at Tottenham

English Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur has this week received some of the first technology that will help to power a retractable pitch at its new home stadium.

The design, which Tottenham said will be the first of its kind in the world, will be made up of three sections, each of which will feature 33 trays. The club has now taken delivery of the first of these trays as its new home continues to take shape.

Tottenham said the west section of the retractable pitch will be the first of the three sections to be finished, followed by the east and then the central section. The remaining trays for the west section will be delivered over the next two weeks.

Upon completion, Tottenham’s new stadium will be the first in the UK to feature two pitches inside the same bowl, allowing the club to use the venue to host a range of different events. The process of changing surfaces will take 25 minutes.

Tottenham will have the choice of two surfaces to use: a natural grass pitch and an artificial pitch underneath. The football club will play on the grass version, while NFL American football teams can use the artificial pitch, in a move that will protect the quality of both fields of play.

The new stadium will be used to host future games in the NFL’s International Series. Last week, it was confirmed that the venue will stage one game in the 2018 edition of the annual event, with the Seattle Sounders to host the Oakland Raiders on October 14.

Images: Tottenham Hotspur