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Tottenham could host NFL and other sports in new stadium, reports say

Tottenham Hotspur are open to prospect of their new White Hart Lane stadium being used to host events other than soccer, sources told ESPN FC, though the club declined to comment on reports that they are in talks with the NFL about staging American football games at their futuristic venue.

The Premier League club recently cleared the final legal obstacle to the start of their construction of a stadium that is expected to have a capacity in excess of 61,000, with the venue expected to be open in time for the start of the 2018-19 season.

Yet the club has declined to clarify their position on the prospect of a ground-share with an NFL London franchise, which has been reported in both The Times and the Evening Standard.

Sources told ESPN FC that Tottenham are exploring the prospect of turning their state-of-the-art stadium into a multi-purpose venue that could also stage music concerts and, presumably, other sporting events.

They are also keen to ensure they have space to cater for multi-team tournaments, such as the four-team Emirates Cup competition that their north London rivals Arsenal have staged in recent years.

This requires the provision for additional dressing rooms other than the two that would be required for Premier League games, with a report in the Evening Standard suggesting the plans for the new White Hart Lane includes a plan that could see large dressing rooms split into two.

The Times are reporting that the club have made plans to ensure that space is being put aside in the new stadium that will "accommodate the 70 players and coaches of an American football team, as well as extra rooms for coaches, physiotherapy and rehabilitation," which would be required for regular NFL football at the venue.

NFL chiefs have been encouraged by the success of their regular seasons games that have been staged at Wembley Stadium before large crowds in recent years, with suggestions that a team could be based in London permanently widely floated in numerous reports over the last few months.

Tottenham are still weighing where they will relocate when they leave the current White Hart Lane to allow constriction of their new stadium, with sources telling ESPN FC that a temporary switch to the 31,500-seater Stadium:mk venue, home to League One side MK Dons, is their most likely destination.

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