Spurs' New Stadium:
Start of a New Era for England?
I hope that England is turning the corner on its stadium construction binge.
When I was growing up in the States, it was the age of the dome and the multi-purpose stadium. Every city built one. They were round, they were efficient, they were boring, and they replaced old places with charm and character and history. RIP Comiskey Park and the real Tiger Stadium.
(If you're too young to remember those places, just imagine Wrigley or Fenway coming down.)
Sure, the old places were also dumps. But certainly we didn't all have to build the same place, right?
England has been doing the same thing for about 20 years now. They tore down Roker Park in Sunderland, Maine Road in Manchester, Highbury at Arsenal, Victoria Ground in Stoke, The Dell in Southampton, and so many more. And up came the same perfectly rectangular place in city after city. That's Southampton's u above, but it could literally be Leicester, Sunderland, Stoke, or a dozen others.
And speaking of this: be sure to get to Brentford's Griffin Park (right), still with us for another year.
In America, what finally happened was Camden Yards in Baltimore. The powers that be said, "You know, let's make a place that looks and feels like a baseball stadium but is also comfortable and cool and has good food." And the whole country followed suit. We now have great baseball stadiums all over the country. MLS clubs in the US are doing the same -- ironically copying the older European grounds that are being replaced.
And now, I hope, Tottenham Hotspur may be taking us around the same corner in England. They have spent $1 billion on a stadium that is finally going to open in April -- over budget and seven months late, but it sounds like a beautiful and modern and yet proper football stadium, with high-pitched seats close to the field, good sight lines everywhere, all the modern amenities, two fields, and a South Stand with 17,5000 fans behind a goal.
The first game will be in early April, and here's a post all about it.
I Will Also Sell Hospitality There
I have been selling hospitality packages for Spurs "home" games at Wembley Stadium, and as of now I have the rest of their home games for sale at the new place. Obviously I haven't been in any of the lounges or anything, but there are some details available, and I am already quoting April games.
Here's more on the four levels of hospitality I will offer there, with one game of sample pricing.
Meet a New Club: Coventry City FC
I am writing this from London, where I am on another groundhopping tour. Tuesday night I'll be in fabulous Gillingham and Wednesday Middlesbrough!
Friday, on my arrival day, I went to Coventry City, in the Midlands just outside of Birmingham. Coventry used to be a big club -- they spent 30 years in the top flight, used to be in the Premier League, and won the FA Cup -- but last year they were in League Two, and the relationship between ownership and fans is not good.
All this happens, by the way, in the definition of the modern stadium, the 32,000-seater Ricoh Arena, a few miles out from the center of town.
But Coventry is a nice little city, well worth a visit, and if the club ever get their footing back it will be a grand place to see a game. Say hello to the Sky Blues here.
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