NBC to live-stream White Hart Lane farewell ceremony in USA

Tottenham Hotspur will commemorate the closing of White Hart Lane immediately after Sunday’s final home match of the season against Manchester United with a highly anticipated ceremony on the pitch. And now, thanks to NBC, American Spurs fans can watch the “closing ceremonies” as well as the match.

American Spurs fan @Spurs_US was the first (that I saw) to break the news yesterday:

While NBC hasn’t made any kind of formal announcement yet, Premier League correspondent Joe Prince-Wright wrote, in a story posted on Pro Soccer talk as part of NBC’s soccer coverage, that the ceremony will be streamed online in the USA.

After the game a huge farewell ceremony is planned (which you can watch live online via NBCSports.com) where former players, the current squad and coaching staff and academy teams will all be present, plus a show featuring music and a video montage will take center stage.

— Pro Soccer Talk

Spurs have big plans to give White Hart Lane, in the words of Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, “a fitting finale” after the match, whether Spurs win, lose, or draw. The club has invited more than 80 people from Spurs’ history, including five former managers, to join the festivities, including players such as Gareth Bale, Pat Jennings, Cliff Jones, and Gary Mabbutt, as well as managers David Pleat, Martin Jol, Keith Burkinshaw, and Harry Redknapp. (Sol Campbell, Juande Ramos, and George Graham were notably not invited.)

Fans in attendance will be given commemorative flags and t-shirts for the occasion, and there promises to be a lot of songs, memories, and even more tears as the stadium is decommissioned.

Spurs are handing over the keys to workers on Monday morning to begin the demolition process, which is expected to take about three months.

The match between Tottenham and Manchester United kicks off at 4:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m. ET) Sunday, will be televised on NBC Sports Network in the States, and will also be streamed on nbcsports.com/live.