In the rapidly changing world of modern football, customs and tradition can be dearly cherished gifts.
It is no surprise that the token home ground, whether due to sentimental values or the serendipitous home win, is an irreplaceable aspect of every team’s foundation.
The half-season spent on the road prevails the most troublesome year-upon-year, yet finding refuge in familiar territory is a universal phenomenon; proved in both history and statistics.
With stadium development delays threatening a season of North London exile for Tottenham Hotspur, could life away from the domain be fatal for the Premier League side?
When district rivals Arsenal relocated from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium in 2006, manager Arsene Wenger described it as the “biggest decision in Arsenal’s history”.
The move had been penned for nearly a decade and, aside from temporary financial issues in 2002, the beginning of the 2006-2007 season marked the end of relatively inconspicuous transformation. In classic Arsenal manner, all creases had been ironed and all plans had been executed.
The transition into the new stadium was never easy, but whereas Arsenal’s regeneration saw the club move literally a mile up the road, Tottenham’s plans involve a direct renovation of the current White Hart Lane campus. But rather than meaning they won’t stray too far from home, this has brought up far more intricate complications.
Financial issues regarding the development seem to indicate that the stadium won’t be ready in time for the 2017-18 season, and resultantly Tottenham may not have a stadium to play at. Inevitably, this could entail a season of home games played in an entirely different location, with either Wembley or MK Stadium likely to play shelter.
The 12-mile move to Wembley would certainly the more appetising of the two, but this would involve sharing with future lease-holders West Ham.
It may not be the most controversial time a team has moved to MK Dons, but the 52-mile chasm will still have undoubted detrimental effects on Tottenham. Dropping from a stadium of 36,000 to 20,000 capacity would perhaps help cushion expected attendance plummets, but life outside of N17 would still be a culture shock.
The possibility of facing an entire season away from home may be novel to English football, but Tottenham will not be the first to do so. The fall through of renovation plans in 2009 began a stadium saga from Cagliari Calcio, who have spent the past three years playing away from their natural home-ground Sant’Elia.
After original renovations were deemed as unsafe, owner Massimo Cellino was forced to relocate his side to the nearest vacant stadium available. This was the Stadio Nereo Roccoin Trieste – more than 600 miles away from their home-island of Sardinia. Closed door matches, forfeits and double-figure attendances would remain until Cagliari took temporary residence at the Stadio Is Arena for the 2012-13 season.
Only four miles east of their home, Calcio spent a relatively uneventful season here before returning to Sant’Elia last year. During this extended time period away from home, Cagliari stagnated at mid table despite having one of the most promising young sides in the league.
But as if calling three stadiums ‘home’ isn’t enough, Sporting Kansas City have travelled the typically American path of going bigger and better. Since 2006, Kansas have played home fixtures at six stadiums as a result of numerous inter-sport ground shares and leases.
The Arrowhead Stadium and Community America Ballpark have both been league residency for the MLS side, who played at a further three stadiums specifically for US Open cup fixtures. The season before finally settling into Kansas City’s Sporting Park, the team had finished bottom of the table.
Settling in to a permanent home has proved invaluable, however. During their inaugural season at the exclusive Sporting Park, Kansas were awarded with a top place finish in the Eastern Conference. Since finding a stable home, they are yet to finish below third.
Although the boost of a new stadium is well documented, it is the problem before this stage that should worry Tottenham most. Those that have been forced to move away from their home ground have rarely seen flourishes of success, and if Tottenham are to make the move away from White Hart Lane, the outcome is looking distinctly negative.
While Arsenal’s last season at Highbury may have seen them reach the final of the Champions League, for Tottenham the change comes during a period of terminal underachievement. Grand expenditure in recent seasons may have reiterated Tottenham’s ambitions for a Champions League return, but these aims could be thoroughly dashed in 2017.
A team of great tradition – from the FA Cup, to years ending in ‘one’ – Tottenham could struggle if they are to feel the effects, like so many have, of life on the road.
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