Football
Dan Kilpatrick, Tottenham Correspondent 7y

Tottenham want Premier League's best atmosphere in building new stadium

Freely flowing alcohol and the acoustics of U2 are part of Tottenham Hotspur's plans to learn from rivals Arsenal and West Ham by ensuring the atmosphere at their new stadium is the best in the Premier League.

On Friday, the club unveiled a number of new "premium experiences" planned for the stadium, and they have stressed the importance of atmosphere to the stadium's architects, London firm Populous.

Arsenal fans have complained that Emirates Stadium, opened in 2006, is too quiet and sanitised, while a struggle to generate atmosphere has been among West Ham's many teething problems at the London Stadium.

Spurs, though, hope that the design of their new home, particularly the proximity of the supporters to the pitch, will ensure the £750 million stadium does not face similar criticism when it opens for the start of the 2018-19 season.

A 17,000-capacity single-tier stand -- the largest in the UK -- has been designed with Borussia Dortmund's infamous "Yellow Wall" in mind, and there will be less than six metres from the pitch to the front of the stand, which is yet to be named.

The club says no front row seat will be more than eight metres away from the touchline across the ground -- an average of five metres closer to the pitch than at neighbours Arsenal.

The bowl design will have closed corners -- also unlike the Emirates -- to ensure the new ground retains White Hart Lane's claustrophobic feel.

Tottenham said officials have travelled to stadiums around the globe to borrow ideas, and they are working with the team that manages the acoustics at U2's concerts.

Alcohol also features in the club's plans to create an electric atmosphere, and the ground will have the world's first stadium micro-brewery, pumping out a million pints of craft beer per year and 10,000 pints a minute on matchdays. The stadium will house the longest bar in a UK stadium at 86.8 metres.

The corporate areas, too, are being designed with atmosphere and proximity to the action in mind. The "Tunnel Club," which will cost around £9,000-per-year to join, will allow members to see into the players' tunnel via a two-way mirror and watch the game from race-car seats directly behind the dugout. The club has begun staging 360-degree virtual-reality tours of corporate areas to prospective buyers.

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettio admitted the open tunnel concept was risky, saying: "It's dangerous because a lot of things happen in the tunnel!

"And for that, it'll be very expensive. I cannot tell you [what happens there]. You'll need to buy a seat!"

Tottenham also predict the new stadium -- which will host 16 non-football events a year, including two NFL matches -- will transform the local area, creating around 3,500 new jobs and pumping about £300m per year into the local economy.

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