Andrew Warshaw finds out how the transformation of Tottenham’s stadium is having a far wider impact across the local area both economically and socially.
He is an intensely private man who shuns the limelight and is rarely interviewed, his expressionless face giving away few clues about his thoughts and emotions whenever the television cameras zoom in on his seat in the directors’ box.
But Tottenham Hotspur’s Daniel Levy, winner of Premier League CEO of the Year sponsored by SeatGeek at the Football Business Awards 2017, prefers to let his actions do the talking.
While Levy may in the past have divided opinion, with many fans bemoaning Tottenham’s image as a selling club that can never emulate past glories, times are rapidly changing. Much of that is down to the skills of manager Mauricio Pochettino and his courageous willingness, rare among top-flight coaches, to bring through exciting home-grown talent.
But behind the scenes it is Levy, one of the canniest and most savvy operators in the game, who pulls the strings and deserves equal credit – if not more – for Tottenham’s progress over the past couple of seasons and, more long-term, for what promises to be a buoyant future at their eagerly anticipated, state-of-the-art 61,000-seater new stadium following years of under-achievement.
Talk to the Tottenham diehards and most of them will tell you there has never been a better time (perhaps apart from the 1960s) to be a Spurs fan, notwithstanding something of a blip at the time of writing that saw the club fall out of the top four. Ah, that phrase, top four. It is a measure of Levy’s commitment to the club he has supported since boyhood that the barrier has been raised in terms of what constitutes success. Tottenham are no longer happy to punch above their weight and occasionally dally with the Champions League. The goal is to do battle with Europe’s elite on a regular basis.
Easier said than done of course when most of Tottenham’s rivals are paying fatter wages and enjoying greater revenues. Which is exactly what makes Levy’s sharp business acumen all the more pivotal to the club’s ambitions. His reputation as a hard-nosed businessman when it comes to pulling off last-minute deals is legendary but it belies an uncanny ability to strike that all-important delicate balance between keeping the club on a firm profitable financial footing whilst at the same time maintaining competitiveness on the pitch.
It is a challenge that will become all the more acute when Tottenham move into their swanky new stadium due to open at the start of next season barring any unforeseen circumstances. Knowing Levy, he will put together the best possible plan that accommodates bank financing. And with match day revenues certain to rise considerably, there is only one direction of travel and that is up – not only in terms of being able to hang on to the club’s marquee talent, and add to it, but also with regard to the entire fan experience and the Tottenham community as a whole.
Indeed, no stone is being left unturned to use the stadium project to improve the environment and enhance the local economy. Hundreds of job opportunities are being created and it’s easy to understand why so much emphasis is being placed on changing the landscape off as well as on the pitch. While White Hart Lane has long been one of the UK’s most iconic grounds, evoking tear-jerking memories of some of the greatest players and historic matches the English game has seen, the area is among the most deprived anywhere in London, hardly a place families would choose to visit.
That is all about to change, regeneration being the byword for everything the club is trying to achieve.
“People associate Tottenham the area with Tottenham Hotspur, but I think as part of the regeneration plans here you will see major changes in this area and a lot of tourism,” Levy has been quoted as saying.
“The stadium sits at the heart of a major project which is going to involve significantly increased housing and increased jobs that will really change Tottenham over the next 20 years. This is not just significant for the club but the local area; it will create a focal point and we want to become a real leisure destination for London. This is an area that needs regeneration and to have that you need activity so the more events we can have at our stadium, the more people that come to the area, the more jobs we can create.”
Among the deals that have already been struck is bringing regular NFL matches to the new stadium, regarded as very much a visionary concept. “We have worked closely with [the NFL] throughout this project and their involvement will play a significant part in helping us create one of the most compelling venues for sports and entertainment in the world, right here in Tottenham,” says Levy. “We are building what we believe to be the foundations, literally and metaphorically, for the future of our club.
“I think what excites me most is that this is more than just a football stadium. I think the bringing of Premier League games together with NFL is a totally unique experience, it is something that has never been done before anywhere in the world. I have put so much effort into trying to attract the NFL here, this is something for me that I think really will be something spectacular. Tottenham Hotspur as a football club is already a global brand, we are followed all over the world, I think for Tottenham this will make it more global.”
While Levy is loathe to blow his own trumpet – hence his reluctance to be interviewed at this stage about the new stadium – it is clear he is passionate about regeneration and about maintaining the club’s identity by incorporating part of the celebrated old site in the new stadium build, easing the fears of many fans who have been associated with Tottenham all their lives.
“We are the oldest heritage asset that the area has,” executive director Donna- Maria Cullen explained to fcbusiness. “Our decision to stay in the area was therefore fundamental. You get to a position where you are so integrated into your community that to extract yourself would have a devastating effect. But what we are now engaging with goes so much further than just being a football club. I always describe it as a ripple effect. It’s an area of huge under-investment and it would be remiss of us not to take the responsibility, knowing what we can achieve, to help regenerate the area. What you will see is land values change and developers pay more attention to the locality.”
Like many high-tech stadiums built virtually from scratch, it has not been all plain sailing. There have been more than a few teething troubles and, as yet, there is no name for the new ground but work is now intensifying to have it up and running at the start of the 2018/19 season.
“At the moment it is on track to open on time,” says Cullen. “There is nothing to tell us otherwise though I don’t have a crystal ball. If you look at most schemes, naming rights deals tend to come when the stadium is at an advanced stage of construction.
“We needed a bigger stadium because our match day revenue is way below that of our competitors. We knew exactly what we had to do to grow the club on a sustainable basis but what we are looking to do is not just build ourselves a new ground. We want to create a new sports and leisure destination in one of the world’s top cities. What is happening on the ground would not be happening now without the football club having taken the decision to stay and invest.”
What is happening on the ground includes the building of affordable housing, creating employment specifically for locals and helping neighbourhood businesses, especially those impacted by the ongoing construction. The much-lauded Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, which delivers a range of activities for scores of young people, will be housed in an historic building round the corner from the stadium offering local residents the chance to seek training and employment.
“Already, you see, we are moving away from what is the central platform of being a football club,” says Cullen proudly. “It’s very important that we look after those for whom Tottenham has been their home. We even have two community liaison officers walking the streets every day to meet residents so that they can make sure all issues are being dealt with.
“It sometimes frustrates me trying to get the message across about how different we are to other clubs and just how extensive what we are doing is. We have paid the local community full respect and have gone beyond what everyone expected us to do. The supporters should be really proud of what we are going to create and we will have done it with the local community on our doorstep. It will be a legacy for all of us.”
It’s not just in and around the new stadium that the club are concentrating on improving the surroundings. At the state-of-the-art training ground at Enfield a few miles down the road in a more rural environment, the club is pushing ahead with a nature reserve and eco-lodge for player accommodation. In terms of facilities, the training ground is considered so sophisticated that Brazil will reportedly be using it as part of their preparations for next summer’s World Cup in Russia.
“It’s a busy time,” Cullen says with considerable understatement, “both in Tottenham and Enfield. Yes there have been some objections because it’s the nature of things that people prefer things to stay the way they are. But at the training ground we have brought in the best advisers in terms of bio-diversity and ecology and most of the feedback we get is that we are improving the landscape.”
As part of the socio-economic transformation programme, particularly dear to Cullen’s heart is a new school, the London Academy of Excellence Tottenham (LAET), which only recently opened and provides a top-class education curriculum for one of the capital’s most under-privileged areas.
The state-funded Sixth Form College for 16-19 year-olds, within arm’s length of the new stadium, is supported by ten leading independent schools in London and the south-east, enabling Tottenham’s brightest students to hopefully progress to university. “We, as a business partner, contribute financially to it and basically means bright local children don’t have to leave the area to get an absolutely top-class education,” Cullen adds.
Whilst Tottenham are keen to flag up the work that is going on to radically upgrade the environmental, social and commercial aspects of the stadium project, there is little doubt that Levy and his current manager have hit it off, perhaps more so than any of Pochettino’s predecessors. The knock-on effect is there for all to see, says Cullen. “When you have that level of trust, then it’s a very supportive environment.”
She rejects the theory that the club will not be able to pay for the stadium whilst at the same time being successful on the field. Or that it could all come crashing down unless Tottenham improve their wage structure. Rarely if ever, she argues, has the club lost a player because of wage demands.
“Daniel has a strong track record of rewarding players who have made a significant contribution. Plus we have one of best bonus structures. People tend to forget the all-round package element.”
Again, it all comes down to astute business planning, no more exemplified by the construction of the training ground. “Back in 2012, we invested around £50m on the new training centre when other clubs would have spent that amount on a single player. If you are a club that cannot necessarily go out and spend £50m on one player, you have get the balance right in terms of players coming through the ranks.
“Take the Real Madrid home game at in the Champions League [memorably won 3-1 by Spurs]. We had Harry Kane and Harry Winks playing against a club we sold two of our best players to. That game was a snapshot, if you like, of how we as a club – and Daniel in particular – work so hard in trying to move things forward.”
It’s a philosophy, says Cullen, that will pay off even more handsomely once Tottenham have moved home and are able to attract and afford more top-class players whilst at the same time getting the best possible return from the investment in their academy.
“The new stadium will generate more income which in turn will cover the financial investment we are making. But as anyone at a football club will tell you, it’s not a perfect science. You can have substantial funds and still not get it right.”
Indeed. In fact, Tottenham could be accused of having fallen into the very trap Cullen alludes to when they spent much of the money they received for Gareth Bale on some rather questionable signings. The lessons have been learned but the goals remain the same, matched by the ambition.
“Everything we do is geared towards funding what happens on the pitch but Financial Fair Play has no impact on us at all as a business. That’s because we have been very pragmatic and creative and worked hard when it comes to player transfers. Thankfully, Daniel has found himself to be exceptional in this area.”
You can say that again.