Tottenham Hotspur hopes to open its new state of the art stadium in the early part of 2019. When, however, has yet to be determined. In the club’s last communication with its supporters last month, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy announced that the stadium, marred by several high profile construction delays, would not open until “early 2019” with the club expected to issue another stadium-related update some time in December.
However, according to Matt Hughes in in the Times of London (£), the club is working with two potential dates in mind for an opening: mid January, and early March.
While the club did not release any dates, the first scheduled home match in 2019 is against Manchester United on January 13, and Hughes suggests that this is plan A for Spurs moving into their new home. However, it is also suggested that some contractors working on the site are skeptical that things can be finished in time for the January date and Spurs have a functional Plan B of March 2 — the spring North London Derby against Arsenal.
Spurs have already reached an agreement with the Premier League and Wembley Stadium to host however many home matches they need at England’s national stadium, and Spurs are on the hook for rent for ALL of their remaining home matches, no matter how many they actually play. According to Hughes, that’s a sign that the club is still worried about additional delays. That’s a possibility, but it also could simply be a sign of Spurs hedging their bets and making sure that they have a solid backup plan in case the worst happens and they need to push back the date again.
This season has been incredibly frustrating for Spurs fans who paid a premium season ticket increase only to see at least half the season go by without matches in their new home. The club has been somewhat reticent to keep fans informed of the stadium’s progress in the past, which has added to the dissatisfaction.
Nonetheless, Spurs are still having one of their best ever starts to the Premier League. They are in fourth place with 27 points from 12 matches, and are just three points out of second despite all this instability.
The stadium WILL open at some point, and it will be glorious. However, the path to that eventual opening has been anything but smooth.