Residents of Tottenham are supporting the proposed new stadium plans as the community builds for the future. With the club looking to stay in Tottenham, after abandoning their potential move to East London’s Olympic Stadium, many supporters and residents see this as an ideal chance to help rejuvenate the area; with more jobs being created for residents of Tottenham.
The proposed new stadium plans include the building of a Sainsbury’s store, which will create more than 250 jobs and the construction of this new supermarket is well underway. The supermarket will be adjoined to the proposed new stadium and with construction set in place; this suggests work for Tottenham’s new stadium is taking place.
Tottenham Hotspur are a club that sells out every home game they play, and have done throughout the Premier League era. With the club continuing to be competitive in the League and attracting some high quality players, a new stadium, with a much bigger capacity, seems to be needed. The same has been done for bitter rivals Arsenal who moved out of their old Highbury ground to their current home, The Emirates, where match-day revenue is much higher.
Adam Cook, 22, who works at The Tottenham club shop said: “We’re an upcoming club that has continued to grow and a new stadium can definitely help us bring in even better players and improve further.”
White Hart Lane, which has been home to Spurs for over 100 years is the first thing that would come most people’s minds when the word ‘Tottenham’ is mentioned. The club plays a massive part in the community and has done even more since the London Riots of 2011, which kick-started in Tottenham.
Mr Cook added: “The new stadium will bring the community closer and can help us to catch up with Arsenal in terms of support and also in the league.”
The club opted against a move to East London, and chose to stay in North London much to the delight of the Spurs fans. The potential move away would have seen their main rival being West Ham rather than Arsenal, something the supporters wouldn’t stand for.
Lifelong Tottenham supporter Matthew Regis, 45, of Tottenham said: “Tottenham is our home, and my home too, we should never have considered looking at the Olympic Stadium.”
Although most of the community, and Tottenham supporters, are behind the new ground and redevelopment of the area, some local shopkeepers will have a massive new supermarket as competition.
Michael Osei, a local shopkeeper, recognises it is a good thing for Spurs to stay in Tottenham, but also sees it being a problem for some people.
Osei said: “It will help some, but not all. Sainsbury’s will be a big blow for us.”
Although the new stadium hasn’t yet started construction, it is hoped that the ground will open in 2016.