It is very much within the realm of possibility that the future home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. could host the NFL and the Premier League on the same day.
We have more about this story on our sister site, Soccer Stadium Digest, but the notion of an NFL-Premier League doubleheader is fairly unique. There are plenty of examples of MLS and NFL teams sharing stadiums, but the process of transitioning from one sport to the other is not always easy. In that respect, the 61,000-seat stadium for Tottenham is making waves, as it is being designed in such a way that both the seating bowl and field could easily be adapted for football and soccer.
The NFL has already said it will play London games at the facility, which is set to open in 2018. In all likelihood, a football-soccer doubleheader will not happen right away and, regardless of design, would be a difficult task on a regular or perhaps even semi-regular basis. However, both Tottenham Hotspur F.C. chariman Daniel Levy and NFL vice chairman Mark Waller believe that the facility will eventually allow for such an arrangement. More from Skysports.com:
“One of the idle thoughts we have at the moment is, would you really be able to play an NFL game and an EPL game on the same day as a doubleheader?” Waller said.
“It wouldn’t be absolutely out of the question. I don’t think you’d want to do it on a regular basis, but on a unique feature, that might be a really interesting idea.”
Levy added: “I don’t think it’s something we’d want to try for our first game, but that is certainly realistic. How exciting the idea of having the two biggest leagues in the world from a television perspective – fantastic – play on the same day.”
Once it opens, the stadium–which is part of the Northumberland Development Project–will be one of three venues in London that hosts NFL action, joining Wembley Stadium and Twickenham Stadium.
Image courtesy of Tottenham Hotspur F.C.