Tottenham Hotspur has moved to secure an increase in the number of non-football events the English Premier League club can stage at its stadium.
The North London club has made an application to Haringey Council to move from the current 16 non-football major events permitted each year, those with more than 10,000 attending, to “allow up to 30 major non-association football events (MNFE) including music concerts and other associated changes”.
In July, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was given the green light to increase the number of music concerts it stages. The venue was allowed to add more concerts to its schedule for 2023 after a planning application to stage more than its permitted six music events was submitted by the club in April.
The application was approved by Haringey Council, meaning there was no limit on the number of concerts that could be held in 2023 within the mandated maximum 16 MNFE events. A stipulation within the permission granted by the Council was that there couldn’t be more than three consecutive days of concerts and only one week in the year where there were more than three concerts in a single week.
In its latest application, Tottenham stated: “The event restrictions limit THFC’s growth plans and the ability to drive greater socio-economic benefits to the local economy. Allowing greater flexibility in terms of the number of events is crucial to enhance the stadium’s role as a multi-purpose and renowned music venue in London.
“The stadium has already become a prominent venue in London’s cultural and music landscape and hosting music concerts and other major events has become an important function of the stadium, but it must be given flexibility to grow. It is within this context that the club is applying to increase the number of MNFE at the stadium from 16 to 30 per year.”
Tottenham has agreed to certain limits within its latest application. There shall be no more than four consecutive MNFE events; no more than five in a week; no more than two boxing events in any calendar year; and, subject to additional permission being granted, no more than two weeks in any calendar year when there are either four consecutive days of MNFE events or five in a single week.
The club added: “It is important to note the club does not envisage hosting 30 events every year, not least as its ability to do so is partly dependent upon the number of football matches being played. The amendment is therefore sought to provide the club with flexibility to do so. This approach to provide flexibility has been demonstrated in the 2023 NMAs.
“For example, the stadium will be a host venue for the UEFA European Football Championships in 2028, bringing an international football tournament to N17 for the first time, and the club would like the option of hosting additional events ahead of the tournament, welcoming fans from across Europe. The programme of events at this time is unknown and so flexibility on the amount of events is required.”
The end of consultation on the application has been set at May 17, but there is currently no target decision date. Tottenham was boosted by its growing non-football business as revenue surged during the most recent financial year, it was revealed earlier this month.
The Premier League club reported year-on-year revenue growth of 24% to £549.6m (€639.2m/$683.2m) during the year to June 30, 2023.
The largest segment was commercial revenues, which accounted for more than a third of the total at £227.7m. This includes sponsorship, merchandising and other revenues such as third-party events, visitor attractions and conference and events at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The segment grew by 24% year-on-year from £183.5m in 2022.
The club picked out NFL, boxing, rugby and music concerts as major contributors to its non-football revenues. Highlights included hosting Beyonce, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Wizkid.
