The new stadium, which is sprouting next to the site of Tottenham Hotspur’s old White Hart Lane ground in north London is due to be completed in time for the start of the 2018-19 Premier League soccer season starting in August. The 61,000-seater stadium will be the first arena ever built in Britain with the needs of American football in mind.
Another day and more progress on Tottenham’s brand new £850m stadium. This time, Spurs have revealed how their ground-breaking retractable pitch is being constructed, detailing the arrival and installation of the sliding trays that will provide the Premier League’s first mobile playing surface.
The inventive pitch is the reason why Spurs were able to convince the NFL that American football and British football could be played together not only at the same stadium but on the same day. As per Daily Mail, the pitch will be made up in three sections – each weighing more than 3,000 tonnes and consisting of 33 sliding trays, the first of which can be seen being laid in a fascinating time-lapse video.
Tottenham’s new stadium, which will open in time for the start of the 2018/19 Premier League season will hold its first NFL game when the Seattle Seahawks play the Oakland Raiders on October 14. The top pitch will be made of grass and would be used only for Spurs matches, and will be rolled away on wheels under the new South Stand to expose an artificial surface beneath for the Gridiron games.
The report adds that the process of switching from one surface to another will take around 25 minutes and once the grass pitch returns, the joins are invisible, allowing a Premier League quality playing surface.
“This partnership with the NFL has enabled us to push the boundaries of stadium design to ensure customised and dedicated facilities for both NFL and Premier League,” Levy was quoted by ESPN.
“It is something that has never been done before anywhere in the world. The efforts we are making mean that the stadium is designed to cater for anything an NFL side could desire, as opposed to feeling like they are renting a stadium.”
The Spurs stadium is the result of unparalleled cooperation and planning between the club and the NFL.
“This isn’t just about a stadium. The scheme has helped to kick-start regeneration plans that will see the area transform over the next 20 years,” added Levy.
The South Stand, inspired by Borussia Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion and The Kop at Anfield, is set to be the biggest single-tier stand in Europe, with 17,000 seats.
Here is a video released by the club explaining how the system works:
