Tottenham Hotspur - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Tottenham Hotspur FC
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
782 High Road
Tottenham
London
N17 0BX

0344 844 0102
Official Website
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Ground Number: 902
Tuesday 14th January 2020
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Middlesbrough
FA Cup 3rd Round Replay









TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM FACTS

The stadium took around three years to build and cost £1 billion for the entire project. Of course with it being Britain, it was overdue and over budget but early reviews have been positive.

The capacity of the stadium is 62,303. Only Wembley Stadium, Twickenham Rugby Stadium and West Ham's London Stadium are larger in terms of capacity London wise and it is the third-largest in the Premier League behind Old Trafford and the aforementioned (and dreadful) London Stadium.

Other uses for the stadium include music concerts (Guns and Roses are due to play here in May), the NFL American Football and Rugby (one game a season for Saracens)

The name 'Tottenham Hotspur Stadium' is only intended to be temporary with the club hoping to sell naming rights for around £20 million a season.

The opening game at the stadium was on Wednesday 3rd April 2019 as Spurs beat Crystal Palace 2-0 with goals from Son Heung-Min and Cristian Eriksen.

The stadium is served by three railway stations - White Hart Lane, Seven Sisters and Northumberland Park.



MY VISIT

Ever since Spurs moved to their new stadium in April 2019, my record of going to every ground in 'The 92' (or 91 after the EFL sat and watched whilst Bury burned) had been broken. I'd last completed it in May 2013 at Sunderland and had been going through Non-League ever since, gradually getting those leagues done. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was a tricky one to get done though, as well as league games being pricey, they were also only available to members. I'd been hoping that Wycombe would get them in the FA Cup, but we crashed out to Tranmere Rovers at the first hurdle. My chance came when Middlesbrough earned a replay in the FA Cup 3rd Round and the replay was scheduled for a Tuesday night when I could make it. Initially, I was trying to get tickets in the Boro end and go with Arsenal fan Anwar but they sold out within an hour of going on general sale. I thought my chance had gone but then my groundhopping pal Dan Turner alerted me to the fact that Spurs had put them on general sale. Anwar was no longer keen, stating that he 'didn't want to sit with those w*nkers' but I could still go myself. Booking a ticket was trickier than I'd hoped though as the Spurs website was dire. Three browsers on my desktop computer, plus one on my iPad resulted in the website crashing or throwing up an error. Persistence paid off and I eventually booked a ticket on my Chromebook.



The day of the game came and it was Tuesday off work for me as usual. I awoke after a good night's sleep and had breakfast and a shower. I then walked to town and back, picking up a few things that I needed and getting some exercise in the process. I was back just before 1 and had an hour or so at home to catch up on things and have some lunch before leaving just after 2. After parking up, I got the 2.39 Chiltern service into London and after changing at Harrow On The Hill and Finchley Road, I was at Borough Market by 3.45. I noted that plenty of games has been called off after yet another spell of wet weather and was glad that I'd taken the safe option tonight, even though it wasn't strictly planned on my part. It took me a while to find my relocated cider stall, but when I got there, it was worth it. There was a whole new range of ciders I'd not had. My first was a Gold Rush by Bere cider, a fantastic dry cider that was just as I like it. Then it was a bottle of Cranborne Chase Smuggler, a lovely French-style cider before I left for my next stop. Walking was only ten minutes more than taking the train and as a keen advocate of exercise and hoping to see something on foot, I took that option. Or at least that's what it should have been, had I not stopped to take photos everywhere. The place was so photogenic so it was 5.25 by the time I got to Williams Ale and Cider House. I opted for a half of the Hecks Brown Apple which was sweeter than I'd hoped for but still great. My other intended half had sold out so to the station it was. It was a real bunfight to get the 6.20 from Liverpool Street to White Hart Lane but good old British comradeship ensured and got on. People got off but a crowd ensured we were packed in like sardines at Seven Sisters. Eventually, we got off at White Hart Lane. It was then a search for food, I found a place called Tennesee Chicken which gave me a BBQ Chicken Burger meal for 3.50. Next up was the rigorous security checks, my loose fiver blew off into the wind but an excellent steward got it back for me. Top class. It was a trek to find my seat, a few levels up but the view was excellent. Amazingly, there was someone in front of me that I knew and we were both glad to get badges for our respective groundhopping achievements.



Spurs started the brightest after an elaborate light show and they took the lead after a couple of minutes, a close-range finish by Giovani La Celso. The game was as good as sealed on 16 minutes, a great through ball found Eric Lamela and he slotted past the keeper from inside the area. The game entered a bit of a lull from then on, with neither side threatening. That was until Boro nicked one back on 83 minutes, George Saville slotting in the bottom corner. Dele Alli and Hyung Min-Son were on by this point as Spurs were clearly worried. They needn't have been as their team saw out the game. Google Maps was recommending a walk to Seven Sisters but after stopping at a shop for a Ribena, I found Bruce Grove. This was on the main route so we were packed in like sardines again and I was lucky to get on the train. I stayed on until Liverpool Street, getting the Central Line to Oxford Circus and the Bakerloo to Marylebone. From there it was the 23.27 Chiltern to Amersham, a step up from an Underground train but I had to concentrate unless I wanted to carry on to Aylesbury. I was back at Amersham by midnight and back home 20 minutes later. I stayed up for half an hour before going to sleep. With me up at 4 the following morning, I was knackered. Sod's law would dictate that it would be the busiest day of the year so far and I'd have to stay on until 2 before I got to go home and have a much-needed afternoon nap.






THE GROUND

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium deserves all the rave reviews it gets with a 60,000 capacity and good views and legroom. As with most grounds, the food and drink offering inside is pricey. There was a decent range with some interesting options. Outside there is a huge range of off licences and takeaways. I can't remember the Offy I went to, but that had cans for a quid, both soft drinks and ciders/beers. Tennessee Chicken was a good takeaway, my BBQ chicken burger meal was great for £3.50. Overall a good visit and well worth the effort. As with all big grounds, getting away after is a pain, but there are a fair few stations within walking distance.