Tottenham to play European matches at Wembley

Tottenham Hotspur will play their European fixtures at Wembley Stadium next season, the club and the Football Association announced Saturday.

The 2016/17 season will be the last Spurs spend at their White Hart Lane home in London, with work on a new purpose built £400 million ($585 million, 526 million euros) home close to their existing ground having already started.

That means Tottenham will need a venue with increase capacity for their European fixtures having qualified for the Champions League with Wembley, not far from their current north London base, an ideal option.
The FA have also given Tottenham the option to play at Wembley, England’s national stadium, for the entire 2017/18 season.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy seems set to take up that offer given the club’s new 61,000-capacity stadium is scheduled to be ready for the start of the 2018/19 season.

“We are delighted that..we have been able to reach this agreement,” said Levy.

“Given the current reduction in capacity at White Hart Lane for next season and the ticketing requirements for Champions League, playing at Wembley will mean that we can continue to accommodate all of our existing season ticket holders.

“Our season ticket waiting list is over 50,000 so this now also offers us a great opportunity to provide more of our supporters with a chance to see the team play live during our Champions League campaign.

“Importantly, as we know it was our fans’ preference, it means that we can continue to play our home matches in London during our season away.”

FA chief executive Martin Glenn added: “Having Tottenham at Wembley for big European nights next season is a welcome opportunity for us to further the stadium’s position as a world-class venue.

“As well as helping the club and its fans, it will benefit London and English football in general with our commitment to reinvesting all profits back into the game.

“The increased revenue will particularly help us meet our targets for improving coaching and grassroots facilities and growing participation. We were already on a strong financial footing, which allowed us to reinvest £117million back into the game at all levels last season.”