EPL side Tottenham hopes to groundshare with a new NFL franchise in London "by using a retractable pitch which would allow grass and artificial turf to be alternated in a new state-of-the-art stadium," according to Matt Dickinson of the LONDON TIMES. The club is in talks with the NFL about hosting the first team outside of America and it believes the use of a sliding grass pitch "resolves one of the biggest headaches by avoiding the damage to turf so evident after gridiron matches at Wembley." Retractable pitches are not new, but this "would be a first for an English stadium." An artificial pitch "provides the base and a grass pitch can be moved in, or out, in a matter of a few hours, allowing the grass to grow in natural wind and sunlight away from the shade of the stands." Among the other design details to maximize its options "are extra-large changing rooms which can accommodate an NFL squad." Plans produced by architects Populous include a locker room "which could accommodate the 70 players and coaches of an American football team, as well as extra rooms for coaches, physiotherapy and rehabilitation" (LONDON TIMES, 4/23). In London, Matt Lawton wrote a spokesperson for the north London club did not rule out the possibility this week, confirming it is "looking at options" in order to "future-proof the design." The NFL is said "to be within five years of having a permanent franchise in London." Indeed officials "will be testing logistics when they stage their three games at Wembley this autumn," with teams looking at how quickly they can have their players back in the U.S. and ready to play again. If Tottenham presses ahead with the proposed stadium design and secures the NFL franchise, "it would represent a significant blow to the FA, who also see the NFL as a potentially lucrative partner for Wembley," its £757M ($1.1B) stadium. But the NFL is keeping its options open at this stage in the knowledge that "a new London stadium designed with American football requirements in mind would be hugely advantageous" (DAILY MAIL, 4/23). Also in London, Matt Law wrote hosting the NFL at its new stadium "could be highly lucrative for Tottenham," as it is estimated that Wembley makes a profit of between £500,000 ($753,000) and £1M ($1.5M) per game. It is believed that the NFL is currently keeping its options open "over which stadium a London-based franchise could move into." But "there are problems regarding Wembley" that Tottenham could overcome in its design. At Wembley, the NFL has to leave the lowest 5,000 seats empty, "so that the view of spectators is not restricted by the number of bodies at the side of the pitch" (TELEGRAPH, 4/23).
