Tottenham Hotspur are planning to drop the name White Hart Lane while Chelsea hope to retain the name Stamford Bridge in some form as the London rivals seek to secure naming rights for their new stadiums.
Tottenham Hotspur are planning to drop the name White Hart Lane while Chelsea hope to retain the name Stamford Bridge in some form as the London rivals seek to secure naming rights for their new stadiums.
The two clubs are adopting very different strategies as they seek a naming-rights partner in a competitive and crowded marketplace in the capital. West Ham are still looking for a ground sponsor six months after moving to the London Stadium.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy wants to raise more than £400 million from the sale of naming rights to the 61,000-seat stadium and, despite remaining on the site that has been the club’s home since 1899, will abandon the present ground’s name to get a better deal. His priority is to secure a lucrative long-term deal to help bankroll their £700 million project.
Their plans contrast with those of Chelsea, who received planning permission to build a 60,000-seat stadium on the site of Stamford Bridge last month. Chelsea also seek a naming-rights partner, but will insist that a reference to their historic home must be included in any agreement.
Newcastle United’s brief rebranding of their ground as the sportsdirect .com@StJames’Park in the 2009-10 season is the most high-profile example of such a fusion of history and commerce in English football.
Tottenham, who have spoken to more than 300 companies about possible partnerships, are taking a more pragmatic approach on the basis that retaining references to White Hart Lane would adversely affect the value of any naming-rights deal.
The club do not have a benefactor such as Roman Abramovich willing to underwrite the cost of their stadium and therefore view naming rights as one of three revenue streams underpinning the project, along with advance ticket sales and commercial loans.