Tottenham’s move to the new stadium in 2019 is widely viewed as the single most transformative event in the club’s history, but the club appear to have missed the mark in one particular area.
Spurs now expected to generate over £100m in matchday income each and every season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while concerts and NFL rental fees significant increase the venue’s value.
What’s more, Spurs recently received permission to almost double the number of non-football events they can hold annually.
The 62,850-seater stadium is a money-printing machine and played a huge part in Spurs’ commercial income of £228m over the last financial year.
And while Daniel Levy and his ENIC colleagues continue to want Tottenham to fund themselves, the revenue generated is absolutely central to Ange Postecoglou‘s recruitment budget.
But there is currently a conspicuous absence from the department whose chief responsibility is to raise commercial revenue to facilitate improvement on the pitch.
Todd Kline still yet to formally leave Tottenham despite official announcement in February
When Spurs took residence in their new stadium, much was made of the possibility of stadium naming rights and how lucrative they could be for the club.
When he was appointed as chief commercial officer and board member in 2021, Todd Kline said his number one priority was to secure a naming rights deal.
Reports suggested that the club was looking for a partnership worth £150m to £250m over the next decade.
However, those aspirations appear to have been a touch misguided as five years into the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium the club still does not have a deal.
In February, Spurs announced that Kline had left the club in a cursory statement that subsequent reports claimed may have said something about the manner of his departure.
It has since emerged that Kline will join Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s Chelsea.
But six months on, Spurs are yet to announce Kline’s successor, while Chelsea have not announced that Kline has formally joined the club.
In the first update in months, The Telegraph have reported that Kline is still seeing out his notice period at Chelsea and is expected to join the club soon.
After that juncture, Spurs will presumably announce their new chief commercial officer.
How much are Spurs stadium naming rights really worth?
Naming rights are historically an American phenomenon that has gathered a head of steam within British sport in recent years.
In rugby, the Twickenham Stadium has recently signed a £100m, 10-year deal with German finance firm Allianz, who also sponsor Bayern Munich’s stadium and were previous in talks with West Ham.
That will have given some comfort to Spurs fans, who have been told by some analysts that the value of their rights has declined markedly since 2019.