Tottenham Hotspur’s planned test events for its new stadium are in doubt with the busy festive period causing staff shortages and issues with police resources, according to The Times.
The newspaper reported that the difficulties in staging the test events as planned over Christmas could lead to further delays in opening the stadium, which had originally been due to open in September.
Tottenham is due to host a ‘familiarisation event’ this Sunday, which will allow 6,000 fans to visit and explore the South Stand and podium areas at the 62,000-seat stadium. This event is due to go ahead as planned but The Times reports that further test events on December 30 and January 6 are proving difficult.
Rival London clubs Crystal Palace and Chelsea are due to meet on December 30, stretching police resources, and The Times said that Tottenham has altered plans accordingly.
Tottenham is required to stage a number of test events at the new ground for it to receive the necessary safety certificate before the stadium can officially open. The Times said it had seen photographs from Spurs’ operations room at the stadium, including a daily planner outlining plans for the weeks leading up to the planned opening date of January 13 for the game against Manchester United. The newspaper said this planner is now being revised.
After hosting United on January 13, Tottenham’s next home matches are against Watford on January 30 and Newcastle United on February 2. The latter is on a Saturday and would likely be a more suitable opening date should the stadium not open as planned on January 13.
Sunday’s familiarisation event will enable fans to sample the journey they will take on a home matchday, with access to both entry level podiums – Park Lane Square to the south and Paxton Terrace at the north.
Tottenham is playing home matches at Wembley Stadium while work on the new ground continues.
Image: Tottenham Hotspur
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