FA Chief Executive Martin Glenn has given the thumbs-up to a prospective plan whereby Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur will both use Wembley Stadium as their temporary home in the next couple of years. Both the London clubs are set to build new stadiums of their own, to increase the seating capacity and also establish their hunger and intent to be considered among the best in Europe.
Chelsea’s plan is to expand their current home Stamford Bridge into a 60,000-seater from what is now a stadium that accommodates just under 42,000 fans. The project is set to cost owner Roman Abramovich something in the region of £500 million, and he has hired two of the biggest names in architecture – Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, to do the job. The following photos show the official model which the club unveiled for the new stadium, which will take two years to complete.
Tottenham, on the other hand, are looking to build a new 61,000-seater stadium to replace White Hart Lane. Known as the Northumberland Development Project, the venue will enable Spurs to boost revenues by also hosting NFL matches.
Both clubs will spend some time away from their respective homes in around about the 2017/18 campaign. The FA would give permission to hire Wembley for one season, it is understood by the Guardian, but would not extend beyond that.
“I won’t comment on clubs but if that’s an opportunity then we will follow it,” Chief Executive Glenn was quoted as saying on the issue. “We are there to provide help. We can run the FA for less costs and we can raise more. There’s a range of things. It’s primarily a football stadium, football matches are more profitable to run than concerts and other things.
We are the national stadium and seeking to use it more is what we are all about. We have an obligation to football. I’m not talking specific clubs but it’s in our interest as an association for clubs to redevelop their grounds, make superb facilities and if it’s possible to help them in that transition by using Wembley, we are absolutely supportive of that.”
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