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NFL make historic £1bn investment move as Amanda Staveley and Daniel Levy on high alert at Tottenham

Tottenham’s relationship with the NFL is both lucrative of a match-by-match basis and transformative from a brand exposure perspective.

That business-orientated language is the kind that Spurs🍰 fans who are deeply concerned about what they see as the increasing commercial focus of their club justifiably can’t stand.

And in terms of the optics at the extraordinarily profitable Hotspur Stadium𒁏, it is hard to argue that those supporters don’t have a point.

Infographic sowing the matchday incomes plus stadium capacities and planned upgrades in the Premier League, featuring Newcastle United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Leeds United, Tottenham, Arsenal and Everton

The recent decision to effectively phase out – or, as the club puts, it ‘pause’ – concessionary ticket prices has been used as evidence that Daniel Levy and ENIC are leaving bedrock fans behind.

As football finance expert Kieran Maguire has repeatedly told TBR Footballꦉ, the “so-called ‘legacy fan’ has outlived their usefulness” to owners in North London and beyond.

ꦗSome Tottenham supporters have also highlighted that their world-class stadium is now used more for non-football events than it is as the home of Ange Postecoglou’s side.

The club’s riposte has been to point out that hosting blockbuster acts like Beyonce and events like the NFL is a huge earner𒁏, allowing them to funnel that cash back into the recruitment and retention budget.

🗹The data shows that, while expenditure on new signings and wages has increased with revenue, the gap between income and spending is widening.

Chart showing Tottenham Hotspur's squad cost (wages + amortisation) against revenue

🙈In terms of their independent wealth, Levy and ENIC are mid-table in the context of Premier League owners.

꧙They are certainly much further down than the financial backers of the rest of the so-called ‘Big Six’.

This appears to be at least partly why ജLevy is looking for a new minority investor at Spurs, with ex-Newcastle United director and shareholder Amanda Staveley exploring the club as an option.

♏In his own words, the extra cash would help Spurs “capitalise on our long-term potential, to continue to invest in the teams and undertake future capital projects.”

Diagram showing the ownership structure of Tottenham, including Daniel Levy, the discretionary trust benefitting the family of Joe Lewis, ENIC, and 30,000 other Spurs investors

ꦯThat statement, taken from the club’s accounts for the last recorded financial year, was accompanies about lots of rhetoric around diversifying away from football revenue.

𒀰That is one of the reasons that the NFL partnership, which sees the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium host matches annually as part of the London Games, is so valued by the owners.

The NFL paid several million pounds towards the construction of the stadium as part of the deal, and there has even been suggestion that Spurs could one day host the Super Bowl.

(L-R) Shahid Khan, owner of Jacksonville Jaguars, Daniel Levy, Chairmen of Tottenham Hotspur, and Ange Postecoglou, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur, i...
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

🐷But could the NFL, the richest sports league on the planet by some margin, ever invest directly in Tottenham themselves?

ಞDevelopments this week suggest that is not beyond the realms of possibility.

NFL set to make first football investment: Could Spurs be next?

🍃While many clubs are going down the multi-club route, Spurs appear more to be targeting a multi-sport setup wherein they become a hub for a number of different leagues, brands and competitions.

♌As well as the NFL, they have a commercial partnership with Formula One which has seen a one-of-a-kind karting ring installed at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

🌊Rugby league and rugby union events have also been staged at Spurs’ home ground, while a failed bid would otherwise have seen the 2026 Hockey World Cup final played in North London too.

General view inside the stadium prior to during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Everton FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium o...
Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images

𝄹It seems the NFL themselves are also interested in a multi-sport model.

💎As reported by , Liga MX – the first division in Mexican football – will soon vote on an investment proposal engineered by the NFL and private equity firm Apollo.

ꦐThe £1bn package, which would see commercial rights pooled in Liga MX, has the potential to reorganise the structure of Mexican football and could see closer ties with football north of the border in the US.

𒁏With Spurs seeking minority investment, could they be next in line for an NFL-orchestrated buy-in?

Significantly, 🐬Spurs investment suitor Amanda Staveley is said to have met with NFL♒ officials independently of her interest in the club earlier this year.

ꦆShe was also spotted in the stands as a guest of Levy’s when the Chicago Bears faced the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in October.

Amanda Staveley attends the UEFA lunch between Milan and Newcastle at Ristorante Cracco on September 19, 2023 in Milan, Italy
Photo by Alessandro Bremec/NurPhoto via Getty Images

🗹The identities of the members of her consortium she has assembled to potentially invest in Spurs are not yet known, but it is understood that the group includes backers from the United States.

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