Spurs close to unveiling new stadium name

By Matthew Marinara 

TOTTENHAM hope to unveil the name of their new stadium as early as next month, after American sandwich giants Subway agreed to match the club’s sponsorship valuation in a record-breaking 15-year deal.

Owned by Doctor’s Associates, Inc, the franchise is the second-largest restaurant operator in the world, with over 32,000 restaurants in 91 countries.

Subway have verbally agreed a £115million deal with Tottenham, easily eclipsing the £100m that north London rivals Gooners negotiated with airline Emirates for a partnership of the same length. 

It represents another major coup for Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, who has been heavily involved in the negotiations ever since executive director Paul Barber announced he was quitting the club to join MLS outfit Vancouver Whitecaps in November - a role he took up on March 1.

Subway have been leading the race ever since the Lilywhites announced their intention to sell the naming rights for their 60,000-seater stadium, which could be ready for the 2012-13 campaign.

However, the two camps have been divided by Spurs’ insistence that their new partner sponsors both the stadium and the kit.

The higher premium that Tottenham expect for such an arrangement proved to be a major stumbling block, but Subway have caved in to Spurs’ demands to stave off a flurry of movement from social network website Facebook - who have been monitoring the talks with interest.

A Subway insider told the Journal: “We’ve yet to put pen to paper but the deal is agreed in principal. We’re talking about the small print now and I think it’s fair to say that a formal announcement is just a matter of time. 

“We need to consider certain elements of British advertising laws, how many restaurants we want to deploy in the stadium and how that will affect the structure of the finances. 

“Soccer is getting bigger and bigger, not only in America but all over the world. These days everyone is watching the English Premier League, and we feel that it is time to grab a piece of the pie.

“Tottenham is the perfect match for our brand, and should they qualify for the European Champions League in the next few years, the exposure will be phenomenal. We have done our research. 

“The Spurs have driven a hard bargain but we would expect nothing less from such an ambitious club. We would be fools to let this opportunity slip through our fingers, and we’ve had a big appetite for this deal from the very start.

“I think the fans will be very excited by our ideas. As we speak we are considering the possibility of having different logos on the front of the shirts for different matches - advertising the full range of the ‘Sub of the Day’.

“Fans could then have their favourite sub printed on their own shirts - the same way they put their favourite player’s name and number on the back.

“Hopefully, in two and a half years, people all around the world will be watching England international Tom Huddlestone proudly sporting his new ‘Italian BMT’ Tottenham shirt, as he walks out at the brand new Subway stadium for the first time. That would be a very proud day for everyone.