N17 Arena – Club unveils vibrant community space and talent ID centre in the heart of Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur is proud to introduce N17 Arena – a vibrant community space and talent ID centre in the heart of Tottenham.

Located at the south-east of the stadium campus, on the corner of Park Lane and Worcester Avenue, N17 Arena consists of two first-class Mini-Pitch System™ modular sports solutions, with accompanying floodlighting, provided by Musco, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium’s Official Field of Play Lighting Supplier:

1. An Astroturf pitch that will be used as an inner-city football talent ID centre by the Club’s Academy and Global Football Development team.

2. A revolutionary playing surface made from over 18,000 recycled trainers, delivered by Nike Grind, which will host a range of free sporting activities for the local community.

N17 Arena will enable the most talented young male and female footballers from the area to access a local training facility that provides a pathway through to elite level, right on their doorstep.

Local Primary schools will be given the opportunity to select gifted and talented students aged 6-11 to be put forward to take part in six-week programmes delivered by the Club’s Global Football coaches, with the opportunity to progress to Academy Development Centre sessions that will also take place at N17 Arena.

Dean Rastrick, Academy Manager, said: "The Club has been looking for some time at having a base in Tottenham that will enable us to identify young players, both boys and girls, within our catchment area.

“N17 Arena gives us a fantastic opportunity to bring young players from the Tottenham and Edmonton area to the core of our Academy programme.

“It is unique for a Club to have an inner-city pre-Academy programme based at its stadium in the heart of the community, and if we can get a young player from Tottenham to make that journey all the way through from N17 Arena into the First Team, it will be a brilliant story and mean so much to everyone connected with the Club.”

Oliver Skipp has progressed through the Tottenham Hotspur Academy to become a First Team regular during the current season. After visiting N17 Arena for the first time, the England Under-21 international added: “I know from experience how much talent exists within this area, so for young players to come to the doorstep of the stadium and be able to work with the coaches that myself and many others have worked with is massive.

“The Mini-Pitches will help develop small-sided play, involving close contact and more touches of the ball, including one-v-one duels. When you’re growing up, you want to show your skills and this is the place to do that.

“I know the Spurs coaches here will be giving the same guidance that worked for me as a young player.”

The Nike Grind court, meanwhile, will be accessible to the local community Monday to Friday with timetabled free sporting activities, including:

• After-school multi-sports for young people aged 8-18.
• Fitness, exercise and weight management sessions for local residents.
• Walking football sessions for older people.
• Disability sports provision.

N17 Arena will also have the ability to stage matchday activations for fans, and events such as street food markets, match screenings and live music.

Donna-Maria Cullen, Executive Director, Tottenham Hotspur and Trustee, Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, said: “We cannot stress enough the importance of facilities like this existing in the heart of our communities – providing the opportunity for local people to take part in fun, sporting activities in a structured way with our fantastic coaches overseeing. We are extremely grateful to Musco for this invaluable contribution to Tottenham.

“We are well aware of the footballing talent that exists in this area – so much of which could slip through the net simply due to a lack of access to elite facilities. N17 Arena can change all of that – if there is a budding young player, male or female, in our locality, this is where they can get their break.

“All of this is happening on the footprint of the stadium campus, providing a truly inspirational setting and what we hope will be a real asset to the community.”

“We are excited to provide two Mini-Pitch Systems for Tottenham Hotspur and support the Club in its mission to make sure youth are getting the playing spaces and opportunities they deserve,” said Jeff Rogers, President of Musco World. “The Mini-Pitch initiative continues to grow globally, providing kids with safer spaces for fitness, empowerment and fun.”

“Nike Grind is part of our vision for a more circular future, one where the concept of waste no longer exists,” says Kim Van Dijk, VP Nike Football Partnerships, EMEA. “As we continue on our mission to protect the future of sport, we’re excited to bring this innovation to the N17 Arena, in partnership with Tottenham Hotspur, whilst providing a safe space for the local community to play.”

Further details on programming for N17 Arena and how to take part in the activities on offer will be communicated in due course. The NFL will be utilising the space to deliver a series of activations around its back-to-back gamedays being held at the stadium in October, commencing on Sunday 10 October.