Tottenham fans have been waiting for four years to find out exactly what name their huge stadium will finally be given.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield United
Daniel Levy has explained why the decision over who should get the naming rights to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is taking so long.
Spurs’ massive £1billion stadium was officially opened to the public with the Premier League match against Crystal Palace in April 2019 and discussions have since taken place with various companies regarding the naming rights to the stadium of 62,850 places.
But more than four years later, after hosting countless games, concerts, events, NFL games and more, it’s still Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Naming rights deals for stadiums around the world have generated hundreds of millions of dollars for clubs, franchises and businesses.
Los Angeles’ Staples Center, home to the Lakers and Clippers NBA teams as well as other sports franchises, became the Crypto.com Arena in 2021 in a £565 million naming rights deal sterling over 20 years.
Also in Los Angeles, the massive SoFi Stadium, home to the NFL teams Rams and Chargers and owned by Arsenal owner and co-chairman Stan Kroenke, opened in 2020 with a major naming rights deal worth £504 million in twenty years.
Earlier this month, Spurs chairman Levy, along with other board members, met with fans during a two-hour meeting of the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Advisory Committee at Lilywhite House near the stadium.
During the question-and-answer portion of the meeting, One Hotspur member Hemali Patel asked for an update on the long-awaited naming rights for the stadium.
The minutes of the meeting read that Spurs business director Todd Kline explained that “naming rights agreements are complicated and we only have one chance to name the stadium. It is difficult to define the term, the compensation and the brand we work with are all correct.”
When asked if a deal could be reached in the near future, Levy also addressed the naming rights situation and suggested there would also be benefits to not having a sponsor at this time.
«In addition to identifying the right brand, the sector in which the brand operates is important», he says in the minutes of the meeting.
“Finding a brand and sector that fits the club’s values is key. There is a trade-off with the club’s branding; with the value of increasing ‘Tottenham Hotspur Stadium’ brand awareness in different markets, other revenues and benefits ” .
The Spurs chairman also said that it was a logical step that there would one day be an NFL franchise in London, but that this was something outside the club’s control.