FA want more games and full houses at Wembley
THE Football Association hope to cash in on clubs using Wembley for ‘home’ games by asking for an additional 20 full-capacity matches at the stadium.
The current agreement with Brent Council allows for 37 full-capacity games to be played at the national stadium per year. However, the FA want to increase this by 20 to 57 to enable Tottenham to play in front of 90,000 for all home games.
The idea of no restrictions on fan numbers is also likely to appeal to Chelsea, who are looking for a temporary home from next year.
Bringing more games, and greater attendances, to Wembley will be attractive to the FA, who face the financial drain of servicing the loans taken out to build the £757m national stadium. The FA made a presentation to Brent earlier this month and are set to formally lodge the application, possibly this week.
A Brent Council spokesperson said: ‘Any application to temporarily increase the number of major events at Wembley Stadium for the 2017/18 season will be subject to a consultation with local residents and businesses. Following this, the planning committee will make a decision based on the merits of the application.’
It is unclear whether local residents will oppose the plan, but should the FA application be refused, Spurs would be forced to play a number of games in front of a reduced capacity.
Under the terms of the current Wembley agreement with the council, an unlimited number of matches can be held at Wembley if the attendance falls under 50,000.
Spurs are expected to move out of White Hart Lane after completing the final game of this season, scheduled to be against Manchester United on May 13.
Last May, Spurs announced a deal to use Wembley for this season’s European fixtures, which included an option to play all home Premier League and cup matches at the national stadium next season while construction work continues on their new 61,000-seat stadium. Wembley has long been earmarked as Spurs’ favoured location, although the club have not yet officially confirmed the move. However, the Mail on Sunday understands Spurs will take up their option to play there.
An official club announcement is expected be made in the spring, before renewal forms are sent out to season ticket holders in April. The club last year signed an agreement with the Football Association to use Wembley next season, before moving to a new home for the 201819 season.
However, club officials want certainty that the new stadium is on schedule before making any announcements.
Sources close to the club state that construction work is currently on schedule.
Chelsea are also expected to move to Wembley from next year for three seasons, after the RFU this week ruled out Twickenham as a temporary home.
Local residents opposed Chelsea using the home of rugby due to fears of increased traffic and antisocial behaviour.