When Daniel Levy announced that he’d be building a new White Hart Lane that’d become the envy of sports teams around the world, a big part of the pitch was to lure in the NFL.
What More Can Spurs Learn from the NFL to Move Forward Next Season?
NFL franchises are the envy of top-tier football club owners – many of whom are or at least rub shoulders with US major league team owners. It’s why the tone-deaf European Super League gained so much traction behind the scenes. Given the cash that these insular teams serving essentially one market earn, it’s not a surprise.
Of all of the teams in and around the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur have the most public association with the American football league. So, perhaps, Spurs are the most inclined to learn from the NFL and move forward by implementing some of its better ideas for making money.
Strong Ties with the NFL
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When Daniel Levy announced that he’d be building a new White Hart Lane that’d become the envy of sports teams around the world, a big part of the pitch was to lure in the NFL. To achieve this, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would be built as a specialised dual-sport venue.
Given that the NFL now plays more at Spurs than Wembley, and the partnership between the club and the US league has been expanded to 2029/30, the move appears to have paid off in a big way. Increasingly, Tottenham is the home of the NFL in London, and in turn, this has helped to create a larger fan base in the huge sports market.
The US is the most coveted of markets for the world’s most popular sport, which is why FIFA has bent over backwards, and then some, to appease its president. Spurs look to be getting a foot in the door by hosting NFL International games and through the drama that home fans white-knuckle over, but US fans revel in on game day.
More Ways to Embrace the American Model
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On the field, Premier League clubs are embracing some elements of the NFL, particularly when it comes to specialised coaching. The rise of the set-piece coach has been of great focus, as has the newly regimented structure of set pieces. While that helps teams to succeed on the pitch, other non-sport moves are easier.
Licensing out the badge and creating in-theme experiences online has been dove into by NFL franchises. Where iGaming has popped up over the last decade, franchises have followed. The UK’s iGaming industry is much more mature and offers a very similar opportunity for teams to cement themselves in new entertainment products.
For now, the online casino has a few branded and sporting games, including Game of Thrones and Frankie Dettori: Sporting Legends. As with the New York Jets’ association with a major casino brand, Spurs could create a suite of live and RNG games, adorning club iconography and legends in specialised experiences that appeal to fans online.
Another would be more overt. It’s obvious that ‘Tottenham Hotspur Stadium’ is a placeholder name. It’s as much of a placeholder as you come up with, especially when it’s on the same ground as White Hart Lane. You can rename Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, not White Hart Lane. A naming rights deal akin to those in the US could be very lucrative.
Spurs has embraced the NFL as a potential money-maker in the capital. To help bolster club finances in a year without European football, perhaps other NFL-style moves should be made by the board.
All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.
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