Features

Spurs stadium boosted by capacity increase

Haringey Council has approved Tottenham Hotspur’s application to increase the official capacity of its new stadium to 62,214.

The decision comes after a detailed review of the stadium seating bowl during the summer in conjunction with Building Control. The extra seats will be added to Tottenham’s North and South stands.

The previous capacity of the stadium, which hosted its first match on April 3, was 62,062. With a capacity of 17,500, Tottenham’s impressive South Stand was already the largest single-tier stand in England.

Despite the stadium having had a capacity of more than 62,000 since opening, its record attendance so far is 60,243 for the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg against Ajax. Restrictions surrounding fan segregation and TV camera locations mean that a full-capacity crowd is difficult for the club to achieve.

The stadium has been fitted with a retractable pitch to host NFL games, the first of which will be held later in the year. The ground has also been awarded hosting rights to the 2020-21 finals of European club rugby union competitions the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup.

Tottenham’s stadium is the largest club venue in London and the second largest in the Premier League after Manchester United’s 75,000-seat Old Trafford.

Last month, new data released indicated that Spurs’ new stadium would top business rates charts for football venues in 2019, even surpassing Wembley. The data said that Tottenham is likely to pay up to £3.7m (€4m/$4.5m) in non-domestic property tax this year – more than any other UK sports club.

Image: Tottenham Hotspur