Tottenham hoping to rake in £3million per event from their new stadium… by hosting eSports tournaments.
Spurs’ executive director Donna-Maria Cullen revealed at a business conference last week the club are hoping to bring a wide-array of non-footballing action to their £800m home.
Along with sports such as the NFL – which has been growing in popularity in the UK in recent seasons – Tottenham want to bring concerts to the new arena.
However, one major source of potential income for the stadium – set to open in time for the 2018-19 season – is eSports.
eSports – which is essentially professional video gamers taking each other on in tournaments – is a rapidly-growing business worldwide.
Many sporting leagues, such as the NBA and even some football teams such as Schalke and Ajax, even hold such events – with Tottenham keen to jump on the bandwagon.
Cullen said: “We have looked at a vision for the club and stadium.
“We are bringing the NFL over here.
“One of the reasons was to create something more significant [than just a football club] in Tottenham, in order to kick-start the regeneration of the area.
“The sliding pitch we are installing means we will be able to host more concerts and other events.
“The NFL has driven up standards in our stadium. We will have new audiences coming into the stadium.
“The football stadium will be available to watch eSports, which regularly attract crowds of 50-60,000 spectators in Korea and the US.
“[It] could prove to be another opportunity to monetise the structure.”
Tottenham are set to play all of their home games in the 2017-18 season at Wembley as they say goodbye to White Hart Lane at the end of the current campaign.