Daniel Levy believes Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium elevates them to “one of the biggest” and “best” clubs in the world, as he added that his “dream” is now to “win”.
The Spurs chairman also for the first time publicly confirmed that the total cost of the project is around £1bn, in what was a rare audience ahead of the grand opening on Wednesday night. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will see its first senior match with a home fixture against Crystal Palace, which Levy admitted was the end of an 18-year journey that gave him many “sleepless nights” – particularly over the desired glass roof.
The ground has opened eight months after initially intended but the feeling from the chairman is that it was now worth the worth, for what is one of the finest stadiums in the world.
“When I took over the club, Tottenham was not a club that was a regular European challenger,” Levy said. “Clearly, we are now and my dream is obviously to win. We want to win, and winning is both on the pitch and off the pitch, so we are going to keep going until we get both right.
“Everyone has different definitions of what is the best. In terms of the infrastructure, with the stadium and the training ground we are probably up there with the best. It’s up to other people to say if we are the best. As far as revenue standards, we will be in the top 10 clubs in the world. Can we do better? Absolutely, but in football it is not just about one person.”
Levy admitted that the delayed opening and whole construction period has been difficult, but that was down to his own “perfectionism” and very specific requirements rather than the many outside criticisms.
“First of all, I have a very thick skin, so I ignore all the criticism, partly because sometimes when you’re on the inside, maybe you know the other side. I’m always there to protect the club. I would say that the last 18 years, this club has definitely gone forward and clearly like any business, any club, you have your ups and downs but I think we've created the infrastructure here, to become one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“We had serious sleepless nights on the roof. We wanted glass and everyone said it wasn’t possible. So we found a solution, so this roof will look brand new in five years’ time. If you go to any other stadium, in five years that definitely wouldn’t be the case.”
When it was put to Levy over whether the much-repeated £1bn cost was true, he acknowledged it is “of that order”. The chairman also insisted that the stadium would pay itself back over the long term, through various revenue streams that now go beyond the football.
“The true cost of the stadium we don’t really know at this time as we continue making various improvements but it is of that order [£1bn] and it was all financed privately by the club and by a combination of club revenues and supporting banks. In terms of the payback, it’s over the long term. This stadium will be here for way past the lives of any of us and we see increased revenue streams not just from the core football club, but also the other activities that will be taking place on non-matchday.”
Levy believes that the stadium is of such quality - with architect Christopher Lee, managing director of Populous describing it as the “best in the world” - that it will greatly influence rival clubs.
“I am a great believer in competition and I have no doubt that, I already know, other clubs are looking at what we’ve done and how can they improve the experience for their own fans. So yes it will drive up the standard.”
Executive director Donna Cullen stated that the 2011 Tottenham riots were the “trigger’ to finally act on long-term plans for the stadium, and invest in the area.
