Tottenham to stage NFL matches: Spurs in talks as part of £400m White Hart Lane stadium redevelopment

The Premier League side could tailor new stadium to needs to NFL teams

(PA)

Tottenham could host America football matches at their redeveloped 61,000-seater stadium after holding talks with the NFL.

Wembley already stages three games a year and according to the Evening Standard, the Premier League club are also interested in a potentially lucrative tie-up with the NFL.

Tottenham are hoping to kick off the 2018-19 season in a new £400million ground at White Hart Lane.

Designs produced by experienced stadium architects Populous, show a changing room in the East Stand which is significantly greater in size than either of those in the West Stand. The West Stand plans refer specifically to smaller home and away changing rooms suitable for football.

NFL experts have confirmed the East Stand zone would suit an NFL side. A typical “locker room” area must accommodate 53 players and 15-20 coaches — far more than is necessary for a football team. There must also be extensive space to house playing equipment, and provision for medical treatment as well as physiotherapy — which is factored into Tottenham’s drawings.

The plans contain a space for “taping, rehab, physio”. Taping is the practice of securing NFL players’ knees or ankles before or during games but the phrase is used far more in American sports than on this side of the Atlantic.

The NFL at Wembley Stadium (PA)

Reports also suggest Tottenham could install a retractable pitch that would allow a 'slide-out' grass surface to house an artificial surface underneath.

There has been at least one NFL match per year at Wembley since 2007, when Miami Dolphins took on New York Giants. Two years ago, Jacksonville Jaguars reached an agreement to play a home game at Wembley every year from 2013-16. The FA are thought to collect about £3m per game — so the incentive for Tottenham is clear.