Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur is planning on holding two test events at its new stadium on consecutive weekends in March, according to the Evening Standard newspaper.
The report said the London club is hoping to hold test events on March 16 and 23, with the first team not scheduled to play on either of these weekends.
Tottenham would then hope to finally open the stadium the following month, with home matches scheduled against Brighton & Hove Albion on April 6 and Huddersfield Town on April 13.
The Evening Standard said that the test events would likely include an academy fixture, with the first event – potentially an open training session – to operate at a capacity of between 20,000 and 30,000. The new stadium has a capacity of 62,062 and Tottenham is required to hold two test events before it can open fully.
Spurs’ home match against Brighton could still be rearranged if the Seagulls beat Millwall to reach the FA Cup semi-finals. This would leave the following weekend’s visit of Huddersfield as the next potential opening fixture for the stadium, which was originally due to open last September.
The Evening Standard added that the Premier League is keen for Tottenham to play its final five home matches at the new stadium, which would cover the Brighton game. If this is not possible, the league would reportedly prefer the club to continue at Wembley until the end of the season.
Tottenham is also still in the UEFA Champions League and further progression would result in at least one extra home game in the coming months. Tottenham holds a 3-0 lead over German side Borussia Dortmund going into the second leg of its round-of-16 tie, and the quarter-finals of the competition are scheduled for April 9/10 and April 16/17.
The Evening Standard notes that, should Tottenham see off Dortmund, the club would unlikely be allowed to open the stadium with a match as big as a Champions League quarter-final. If Tottenham is drawn at home in the second leg, however, it would be permitted to play this match at the new stadium as it would take place after the Huddersfield match.
The stadium has been hit by a string of delays due to problems with its critical safety systems.
Image: Tottenham Hotspur
