Tottenham Hotspur F.C. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tottenham Hotspur

Full name	Tottenham Hotspur Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Lilywhites
Short name	Spurs
Founded	5 September 1882; 142 years ago (1882-09-05), as Hotspur F.C.
Ground	Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Ground Capacity	62,850
Owner	ENIC International Ltd. (86.58%)
Chairman	Daniel Levy
Head coach	Ange Postecoglou
League	Premier League
2018–19	Premier League, 4th of 20
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, often called Tottenham or Spurs, is a professional football team. It is based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club plays in the Premier League, which is the top football league in England. Since 2019, the team has played its home games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. This new stadium was built on the same spot as their old home, White Hart Lane.

Tottenham Hotspur was started in 1882. Their team symbol is a cockerel (a rooster) standing on a football. Their Latin motto is Audere est Facere, which means "to dare is to do". The team usually wears white shirts and navy blue shorts for their home games. Their training ground is in Bulls Cross, Enfield.

Spurs won the FA Cup for the first time in 1901. They were the only team not in the main Football League to do this since 1888. In the 1960–61 season, Tottenham was the first club in the 20th century to win both the League and the FA Cup. This is known as "the Double". In 1963, they became the first British team to win a European club competition, the European Cup Winners' Cup. They also won the UEFA Cup in 1972. This made them the first British club to win two different big European trophies. They won at least one major trophy in every decade from the 1950s to the 2000s. Only Manchester United has done this too.

In England, Spurs have won two league titles, eight FA Cups, four League Cups, and seven FA Community Shields. In Europe, they have won one European Cup Winners' Cup and three UEFA Cup/Europa League titles. Tottenham also reached the final of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League in 2019. They have a big rivalry with nearby club Arsenal, which is called the North London derby. They also have a rivalry with Chelsea. The ENIC Group has owned Tottenham since 2001. In 2024, the club was worth about £2.6 billion ($3.2 billion). It was the ninth-highest-earning football club in the world.

Club History

How Spurs Started (1882–1908)

Spurs' first and second teams in 1885. John Ripsher is in the top row, second from the right. Team captain Jack Jull is in the middle row, fourth from the left. Bobby Buckle is in the bottom row, second from the left.

The club was first called Hotspur Football Club. It was started on September 5, 1882, by a group of schoolboys. Bobby Buckle led this group. They were part of the Hotspur Cricket Club. The football club was made so they could play sports in winter. A year later, the boys asked John Ripsher for help. He was a teacher at All Hallows Church. He became the club's first president and treasurer. Ripsher helped the boys a lot in the early years. He helped organize the club and find places for them to play.

In April 1884, the club changed its name to "Tottenham Hotspur Football Club". This was to avoid confusion with another London club called Hotspur. Mail for that club had been mistakenly sent to North London. People often call the club "Spurs" or "the Lilywhites".

Sandy Brown (not seen) scoring the third goal for Tottenham Hotspur in the 1901 FA Cup Final replay against Sheffield United.

At first, the team played friendly games against other local clubs. Their first recorded match was on September 30, 1882. They lost 2–0 to a local team called the Radicals. Spurs entered their first cup competition, the London Association Cup, in 1885. They won their first competitive match 5–2 against St Albans on October 17, 1885. More and more people came to watch their games. In 1892, they played in a league for the first time, called the Southern Alliance.

The club became professional on December 20, 1895. In the summer of 1896, they joined Division One of the Southern Football League. This was the third level of football at the time. On March 2, 1898, the club became a limited company. This meant it was owned by shareholders. Soon after, Frank Brettell became Spurs' first manager. He signed John Cameron, who became player-manager when Brettell left. Cameron helped the club win its first trophy, the Southern League title, in the 1899–1900 season. The next year, Spurs won the 1901 FA Cup by beating Sheffield United 3–1 in a replay. They were the only non-League club to win the FA Cup since the Football League started in 1888.

Joining the Football League (1908–1958)

In 1908, Tottenham joined the Football League Second Division. They were promoted to the First Division in their first season, finishing second. In 1912, Peter McWilliam became manager. Tottenham finished last in the league at the end of the 1914–15 season. Football was then stopped because of the First World War.

Spurs were sent down to the Second Division when football started again after the war. But they quickly returned to the First Division. They won the Second Division championship in the 1919–20 season.

Spurs captain Arthur Grimsdell showing the cup to fans on Tottenham High Road after the 1921 final.

On April 23, 1921, McWilliam led Spurs to their second FA Cup win. They beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 in the final. Spurs finished second in the league in 1922, behind Liverpool. But they usually finished in the middle of the table for the next five seasons. Spurs were sent down again in the 1927–28 season after McWilliam left. For most of the 1930s and 40s, Spurs stayed in the Second Division. They only had a short time in the top league in 1933–34 and 1934–35.

Former Spurs player Arthur Rowe became manager in 1949. Rowe created a style of play called "push and run". This style was very successful in his early years. He led the team back to the First Division. They finished first in the Second Division in the 1949–50 season. In his second season, Tottenham won their first ever top-tier league title in the 1950–51 season. Rowe left in April 1955 because of stress from managing the club. Before he left, he signed Danny Blanchflower. Blanchflower became one of Spurs' most famous players. He won the FWA Footballer of the Year award twice while at Tottenham.

The Glory Years with Bill Nicholson (1958–1974)

Danny Blanchflower with the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup trophy in 1963.

Bill Nicholson became manager in October 1958. He became the club's most successful manager. He led the team to win major trophies three seasons in a row in the early 1960s. They won the Double in 1961, the FA Cup in 1962, and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1963. Nicholson signed Dave Mackay and John White in 1959. These two players were very important to the Double-winning team. He also signed Jimmy Greaves in 1961. Greaves was the best goal-scorer in the history of English top-tier football.

The 1960–61 season started with 11 wins in a row. Then came a draw and four more wins. This was the best start ever by any club in English top-flight football at that time. They won the league title on April 17, 1961. They beat Sheffield Wednesday 2–1 at home, with three games still to play. They achieved the Double by winning 2–0 against Leicester City in the FA Cup final. This was the first Double of the 20th century. The next year, Spurs won their second FA Cup in a row. They beat Burnley in the final.

On May 15, 1963, Tottenham became the first British team to win a European trophy. They won the 1962–63 European Cup Winners' Cup by beating Atlético Madrid 5–1 in the final. Spurs also became the first British team to win two different European trophies. They won the 1971–72 UEFA Cup with a new team. This team included Martin Chivers, Pat Jennings, and Steve Perryman. They also won the FA Cup in 1967. They won two League Cups (in 1971 and 1973). They also finished second in the league in 1962–63. In total, Nicholson won eight major trophies in his 16 years as manager.

From Burkinshaw to Venables (1974–1992)

Famous Spurs players from the early 1980s: Steve Perryman, Osvaldo Ardiles, and Glenn Hoddle. This photo is from a game against Ajax in 1981.

Spurs had a difficult time after their successes in the early 1970s. Nicholson resigned after a bad start to the 1974–75 season. The team was then sent down at the end of the 1976–77 season. Keith Burkinshaw was the manager then. Burkinshaw quickly brought the club back to the top league. He built a team that included Glenn Hoddle. It also had two Argentinian players, Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa. This was unusual because players from outside the UK were rare then. The team Burkinshaw built went on to win the FA Cup in 1981 and 1982. They also won the UEFA Cup in 1984.

The 1980s brought many changes. There was new building work at White Hart Lane. The club also got new directors. Irving Scholar took over the club. He made it more focused on business. This was the start of English football clubs becoming big businesses. Debts at the club led to more changes in leadership. In June 1991, Terry Venables joined with businessman Alan Sugar to take control of Tottenham Hotspur. Venables, who became manager in 1987, signed players like Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker. Under Venables, Spurs won the 1990–91 FA Cup. This made them the first club to win eight FA Cups.

Premier League Era (1992–Present)

Spurs players from the 2016–17 season. They include Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Son Heung-min, Christian Eriksen, Victor Wanyama, and Jan Vertonghen.

Tottenham was one of the five clubs that helped start the Premier League. This new league replaced the old First Division as the top league in English football. For a long time, until the late 2000s, Spurs often finished in the middle of the Premier League table. They won few trophies. They won the League Cup in 1999 under George Graham. They won it again in 2008 under Juande Ramos.

The team's performance got better under Harry Redknapp. Players like Gareth Bale and Luka Modrić helped. The club finished in the top five in the early 2010s. Both Bale and Modrić were later sold to Real Madrid. Bale's sale for £85.3 million was a new club record. Spurs continued their success later in the decade under Mauricio Pochettino. New stars like Harry Kane and Son Heung-min helped. Tottenham became part of a group of top clubs known as the Big Six.

In February 2001, Alan Sugar sold most of his shares in Spurs to ENIC Sports plc. This company is run by Joe Lewis and Daniel Levy. Lewis and Levy eventually owned 85% of the club. Levy is in charge of running the club. They hired Mauricio Pochettino as head coach. He was in this role from 2014 to 2019. Under Pochettino, Spurs finished second in the 2016–17 season. This was their highest league finish since 1962–63. They also reached the UEFA Champions League final in 2019. This was the club's first Champions League final. They lost 2–0 to Liverpool. Pochettino was later fired in November 2019 after a poor start to the 2019–20 season. José Mourinho replaced him.

While the new stadium was being built, Spurs played their home games at Wembley Stadium. This was because the old White Hart Lane was knocked down before the new, larger stadium was ready. The team played at Wembley for the 2016–17 and 2017–18 seasons. They also played there for most of the 2018–19 season due to building delays.

Mourinho was fired in April 2021. Nuno Espírito Santo was manager for only four months. The next manager, Antonio Conte, led Spurs to fourth place in the 2021–22 season. This brought them back into a Champions League spot. He left the club in March 2023. In the same month, Harry Kane became the club's all-time top goalscorer. He then left Spurs at the end of the season to join Bayern Munich.

Ange Postecoglou became head coach on July 1, 2023. In his first season, he led the club to a fifth-place finish in the Premier League. This meant they qualified for the UEFA Europa League for the 2024–25 season. Under Postecoglou, the club ended a 17-year wait for a trophy. They won the Europa League with a 1–0 win over Manchester United.

Club Stadiums

Early Playing Fields

Spurs first played their games on public land at the Park Lane end of Tottenham Marshes. They had to mark out and prepare their own pitch. Sometimes, fights would break out with other teams over using the field. The first Spurs game reported by local news was on October 6, 1883. It was on Tottenham Marshes against Brownlow Rovers, and Spurs won 9–0. In 1887, Spurs first played against Arsenal (then called Royal Arsenal) at this ground. Spurs were winning 2–1, but the game was stopped because it got too dark. The away team arrived late.

Northumberland Park, January 28, 1899. Spurs played against Newton Heath (later called Manchester United).

Since they played on public land, the club could not charge people to watch. Even though a few thousand people came, the club made no money from tickets. In 1888, the club rented a pitch at Northumberland Park for £17 a year. Spectators were charged 3d (threepence) to watch a game, which went up to 6d for cup matches. The first game at Northumberland Park was on October 13, 1888. It was a reserve match and made 17 shillings from tickets. The first stand with over 100 seats and changing rooms was built for the 1894–95 season. It cost £60. However, the stand was blown down a few weeks later and had to be fixed.

In April 1898, 14,000 fans came to watch Spurs play Woolwich Arsenal. Some people climbed on the roof of a refreshment stand to see better. The stand collapsed, and a few people were hurt. Northumberland Park could no longer handle such large crowds. So, Spurs looked for a bigger ground and moved to the White Hart Lane site in 1899.

White Hart Lane Stadium

The first game at White Hart Lane. Spurs played against Notts County for the official opening on September 4, 1899.

The White Hart Lane ground was built on an unused plant nursery. It was owned by the Charrington Brewery. The ground was behind a pub called the White Hart on Tottenham High Road. Spurs first rented the ground from Charringtons. The stands they used at Northumberland Park were moved here. This gave shelter to 2,500 fans. Notts County was the first team to visit 'the Lane' in a friendly game. 5,000 people watched and the club made £115. Spurs won 4–1. Queens Park Rangers were the first competitive visitors. 11,000 people watched them lose 1–0 to Tottenham. In 1905, Tottenham raised enough money to buy the land.

Since 1909, Tottenham has had a statue of a cockerel. It was first made in bronze by a former player.

After Spurs joined the Football League, the club started to build a new stadium. Stands designed by Archibald Leitch were built over the next 25 years. The West Stand was added in 1909. The East Stand was also covered that year and made bigger two years later. Money from the 1921 FA Cup win was used to build a covered terrace at the Paxton Road end. The Park Lane end was built for over £3,000 about two years later. This made the stadium's capacity about 58,000, with room for 40,000 under cover. The East Stand was finished in 1934. This increased the capacity to about 80,000 fans and cost £60,000.

Aerial view of White Hart Lane. This stadium was redeveloped from the early 1980s to the late 1990s.

Starting in the early 1980s, the stadium was redeveloped again. The West Stand was replaced with an expensive new structure in 1982. The East Stand was updated in 1988. In 1992, after a report said that Premier League clubs should not have standing areas, the lower parts of the south and east stands were changed to seats. The North Stand became all-seater the next season. The South Stand redevelopment finished in March 1995. It included the first giant Sony Jumbotron TV screen for live game coverage. In the 1997–98 season, the Paxton Road stand got a new upper level and a second Jumbotron screen. Small changes were made to the seating in 2006. This brought the stadium's capacity to 36,310.

By the year 2000, White Hart Lane's capacity was smaller than other big Premier League clubs. Talks began about the future of the ground. They thought about making the current stadium bigger or using the 2012 London Olympic Stadium. Eventually, the club decided on the Northumberland Development Project. This meant a new stadium would be built on a larger piece of land that included the old site. In 2016, part of the old stadium was removed to help build the new one. Because this made the stadium too small for European games, Tottenham Hotspur played all their European home games in 2016–17 at Wembley Stadium. Domestic games in the 2016–17 season were still played at White Hart Lane. But the rest of the stadium started to be knocked down the day after the last game of the season. White Hart Lane was completely gone by the end of July 2017.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in February 2019.

In October 2008, the club announced a plan to build a new stadium. It would be just north of the old White Hart Lane stadium. The southern part of the new stadium's pitch would overlap the northern part of the old Lane. This plan became the Northumberland Development Project. The club sent in a building application in October 2009. But after some negative feedback, they changed the plan. A new, much bigger plan for the stadium was sent in and approved in September 2010. An agreement for the project was signed on September 20, 2011.

Fans showing the club motto 'To Dare Is to Do' on the South Stand. This was before the UEFA Champions League quarter-final with Manchester City on April 9, 2019.

There was a long delay because of local businesses on land north of the stadium. A legal challenge against buying their land was settled in early 2015. A new design for the stadium was approved on December 17, 2015. Construction started in 2016. The new stadium was planned to open during the 2018–19 season. While it was being built, all Tottenham home games in the 2017–18 season were played at Wembley Stadium. Most games in 2018–19 were also played there. After two successful test events, Tottenham Hotspur officially moved into the new ground on April 3, 2019. Their first Premier League match there was against Crystal Palace, which Spurs won 2–0. The new stadium is called Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for now, until a naming-rights deal is made.

Training Grounds

An early training ground for Tottenham was at Brookfield Lane in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. The club bought the 11-acre ground from Cheshunt F.C. in 1952 for £35,000. It had three pitches, including a small stadium for junior team matches. This ground was later sold for over £4 million. The club then moved its training ground to Spurs Lodge in Chigwell, Essex. This opened in September 1996. The training ground and press center in Chigwell were used until 2014.

In 2007, Tottenham bought land at Bulls Cross in Enfield. This was a few miles south of their old ground in Cheshunt. A new training ground was built there for £45 million. It opened in 2012. The 77-acre site has 15 grass pitches and one and a half artificial pitches. It also has a covered artificial pitch in the main building. The main building on Hotspur Way has hydrotherapy and swimming pools, gyms, and medical facilities. It also has dining and rest areas for players. There are classrooms for academy and schoolboy players too. A 45-bedroom players lodge was added in 2018. It is next to the training site. The lodge is mainly used by Tottenham's first team and Academy players. National football teams have also used it, like the Brazilian team before the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Club Crest

Between 1956 and 2006, the club crest showed a shield. It had local landmarks and symbols.

This crest is from the 2017–18 season. The club brought back a shield design. It was like the one from the 1950s.

Since the 1921 FA Cup Final, the Tottenham Hotspur crest has shown a cockerel. Harry Hotspur, who the club is named after, was called "Hotspur" because he would dig his spurs into his horse to make it go faster in battles. Spurs are also linked to fighting cocks. The club used spurs as a symbol in 1900. This then changed into a fighting cock. A former player named William James Scott made a bronze statue of a cockerel standing on a football. It cost £35. This 9-foot, 6-inch tall statue was placed on top of the West Stand at the end of the 1909–10 season. Since then, the cockerel and ball symbol has been a key part of the club's identity. The club badge on the shirt in 1921 had a cockerel inside a shield. But it changed to a cockerel sitting on a ball in the late 1960s.

Between 1956 and 2006, Spurs used a shield-like crest. It showed local landmarks and symbols. The castle is Bruce Castle, which is close to the ground. The trees are the Seven Sisters. The crest had the Latin motto Audere Est Facere (to dare is to do).

In 1983, the club changed its badge to stop others from illegally copying it. They added two red lion-like figures to the sides of the shield. These came from the family symbol of the Northumberland family, which Harry Hotspur was part of. The motto scroll was also added. This design was on Spurs' playing kits from 1996 to 1999.

In 2006, the club updated its image. The old badge and crest were replaced with a new, modern logo. This new logo showed a smoother, more elegant cockerel standing on an old-style football. The club said they would only use this new logo on their playing kits. In November 2013, Tottenham made a smaller club, Fleet Spurs, change their badge. Tottenham said the new design was "too similar" to their own crest.

In 2017, Spurs added a shield around the cockerel logo on their shirts. It was similar to the 1950s badge, but with the modern cockerel design. However, the shield was removed the next season.

Team Kit

The first Tottenham kit in 1883 was a navy blue shirt. It had a letter H on a red shield on the left side of the chest. They wore white shorts. In 1884 or 1885, the club changed to a "quartered" kit. This was like the one Blackburn Rovers wore when they won the 1884 FA Cup Final. After moving to Northumberland Park in 1888, they went back to navy blue shirts for the 1889–90 season. Their kit changed again in 1890 to a red shirt and blue shorts. For a while, the team was known as 'the Tottenham Reds'. Five years later in 1895, when they became a professional club, they switched to a chocolate and gold striped kit.

In the 1898–99 season, their last year at Northumberland Park, the club changed to white shirts and blue shorts. These were the same colours as Preston North End. White and navy blue have been the club's main colours ever since. The white shirts gave the team the nickname "The Lilywhites". In 1921, the year they won the FA Cup, the cockerel badge was added to the shirt for the final. A club crest has been on the shirt ever since. Spurs became the first major club to have its crest on players' shirts for every match, except during the war years. In 1939, numbers first appeared on the back of the shirts.

In the early days, the team wore kits sold by local shops. An early supplier of Spurs' jerseys was HR Brookes. In the 1920s, Bukta made the jerseys for the club. From the mid-1930s onwards, Umbro supplied the kits for forty years. In 1959, the V-neck shirt replaced the old collared shirts. Then in 1963, the crew neck shirt appeared. The style has changed many times since then. In 1961, Bill Nicholson told Spurs players to wear white shorts instead of navy for their European games. This started a tradition that continues today in European competitions.

In 1977, a deal was signed with Admiral to supply the team's kits. Even though Umbro had sold plain coloured kits to fans since 1959, the Admiral deal helped the market for replica shirts grow a lot. Admiral changed the simple colours of earlier kits. They made shirts with more detailed designs. These included the manufacturer's logos, stripes down the arms, and trims on the edges. Le Coq Sportif replaced Admiral in the summer of 1980. In 1985, Spurs partnered with Hummel, who then supplied the kits. However, Tottenham's attempt to expand the business side of the club did not work out. In 1991, they returned to Umbro. In 1991, the club was the first to wear long-cut shorts. This was a new idea at a time when football kits all had shorts cut well above the knee.

Umbro was followed by Pony in 1995, Adidas in 1999, Kappa in 2002, and a five-year deal with Puma in 2006. In March 2011, Under Armour announced a five-year deal to supply Spurs with shirts and other clothing. This started in the 2012–13 season. The home, away, and third kits were shown in July and August 2012. The shirts had technology that could check players' heart rate and temperature. This information could be sent to the coaching staff. In June 2017, Nike became their new kit supplier. The 2017–18 kit was released on June 30. It had the Spurs' crest inside a shield. This was a nod to Spurs' 1960–61 season, when they won both the Football League First Division and the FA Cup. In October 2018, Nike agreed to a 15-year deal with the club. It is reportedly worth £30 million a year and lasts until 2033.

1883–84: First kit

1884–86

1889–90

1890–96

1896–98

Kit Suppliers and Sponsors

Shirt sponsorship in English football started with a non-league club in 1976. The FA first banned it, but then allowed it. By 1983, sponsored shirts were allowed for televised games. In December 1983, Holsten became the first sponsor logo on a Spurs shirt. In 2002, some Tottenham fans were unhappy when Thomson became the sponsor. This was because their logo was red, the colour of their rivals, Arsenal. In 2006, Tottenham signed a £34 million sponsorship deal with Mansion.com. In July 2010, Spurs announced a £20 million shirt sponsorship deal with Autonomy. A month later, they made a £5 million deal with Investec for Champions League and domestic cup games. Since 2014, AIA has been the main shirt sponsor. This deal is worth about £40 to £45 million per year and lasts until 2027. In 2023, Tottenham agreed to a three-year shirt sponsorship deal with South Africa Tourism.

Club Ownership

Tottenham Hotspur F.C. became a limited company on March 2, 1898. This was to raise money and limit the financial risk for its members. 8,000 shares were offered, but only 1,558 were bought in the first year. By 1905, 4,892 shares were sold. A few families owned many shares, like the Wale, Richardson, and Bearman families. From 1943 to 1984, members of these families were chairmen of Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

In the early 1980s, building a new West Stand cost more than expected. This, plus the cost of rebuilding the team, led to growing debts. In November 1982, a fan named Irving Scholar bought 25% of Tottenham for £600,000. He and Paul Bobroff took control of the club. To get more money, Scholar made Tottenham Hotspur a public company in 1983. This meant its shares could be bought and sold on the London Stock Exchange. It was the first European sports club to do this. Fans and companies could now buy and sell shares in the club. The shares sold quickly.

However, bad business decisions under Scholar led to financial problems. In June 1991, Terry Venables teamed up with businessman Alan Sugar to buy the club. Each invested £3.25 million at first. Sugar increased his share to £8 million by December 1991. He became the main owner. In May 1993, Venables was removed from the board after a disagreement. By 2000, Sugar thought about selling the club. In February 2001, he sold most of his shares to ENIC International Ltd.

The main owner, ENIC International Ltd, is an investment company. It was started by the British billionaire Joe Lewis. Daniel Levy, Lewis's partner at ENIC, is the club's Executive Chairman. They first bought 29.9% of the club in 1991. 27% of this was bought from Sugar for £22 million. ENIC's ownership grew over the next ten years. They bought Alan Sugar's remaining 12% in 2007 for £25 million. They also bought a 9.9% share from Stelios Haji-Ioannou in 2009. In August 2009, the club said they had issued 30 million more shares. This was to pay for the first costs of the new stadium project. ENIC bought 27.8 million of these new shares. By 2010, ENIC owned 76% of all regular shares and 97% of other special shares. This meant they owned 85% of the club's total shares. The rest of the shares are owned by over 30,000 people.

From 2001 to 2011, Tottenham Hotspur F.C. shares were listed on a special stock market (AIM index). In January 2012, Tottenham Hotspur confirmed that the club had removed its shares from the stock market. This made it a privately owned company again.

Lewis' shares are owned by the Lewis Family Trusts. In October 2022, Lewis was no longer a person with major control of the club. This was after a change in the Trusts. The club is still owned by Levy and the Lewis trusts. In the summer of 2022, ENIC planned to invest up to £150 million into the club by issuing new shares. Only £100 million of shares were bought. This increased ENIC's shareholding to 86.58%.

Club Supporters

Tottenham has many fans in the United Kingdom. Most of them come from North London and the surrounding areas. The number of people attending their home matches has changed over the years. Five times between 1950 and 1962, Tottenham had the highest average attendance in England. Tottenham was 9th in average attendances for the 2008–09 Premier League season. In the 2017–18 season, when Tottenham used Wembley as its home ground, they had the second-highest attendance in the Premier League. They also hold the record for attendance in the Premier League. 83,222 people watched the North London derby on February 10, 2018. Famous supporters of the club include the philosopher A. J. Ayer. There are many official supporters' clubs around the world. An independent supporters club, the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust, is officially recognized by the club.

Historically, the club had many Jewish followers from Jewish communities in east and north London. About a third of its supporters were thought to be Jewish in the 1930s. Because of this early support, all three chairmen of the club since 1984 have been Jewish businessmen. They had supported the club before becoming chairmen. The club no longer has more Jewish fans than other major London clubs. Jewish supporters are estimated to be at most 5% of its fanbase. But it is still seen as a Jewish club by rival fans.

Fan Culture

There are many songs linked to the club that Spurs fans often sing. One is "Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur". The song started in 1961 after Spurs won "the Double". The club then played in the European Cup for the first time. Their first opponents were Górnik Zabrze, the Polish champions. Spurs lost 4–2 in a tough match. The Polish news said that Tottenham's strong tackles meant "they were no angels". These comments made three fans angry. For the return match at White Hart Lane, they dressed as angels. They wore white sheets like togas, sandals, and fake beards. They carried signs with Bible-like sayings. The angels were allowed around the edge of the pitch. Their excitement got the home fans going. The fans then sang "Glory Glory Hallelujah". This song is still sung at White Hart Lane and other football grounds. Spurs also played well and won the match 8–1. Bill Nicholson, the Spurs manager at the time, wrote:

A new sound was heard in English football in the 1961–62 season. It was the hymn Glory, Glory Hallelujah being sung by 60,000 fans at White Hart Lane in our European Cup matches. I don't know how it started or who started it, but it took over the ground like a religious feeling.

There have been some incidents of hooliganism involving Spurs fans. This was especially true in the 1970s and 1980s. For example, Spurs fans rioted in Rotterdam at the 1974 UEFA Cup Final against Feyenoord. They rioted again during the 1983–84 UEFA Cup matches against Feyenoord in Rotterdam and Anderlecht in Brussels. Although fan violence has decreased, occasional incidents of hooliganism are still reported.

Club Rivalries

Tottenham supporters have rivalries with several clubs. Most of these are in the London area. The strongest rivalry is with their north London rivals, Arsenal. This rivalry started in 1913 when Arsenal moved from Plumstead to Highbury. The rivalry grew stronger in 1919 when Arsenal was unexpectedly promoted to the First Division. Tottenham believed that spot should have been theirs.

Tottenham also has notable rivalries with other London clubs, Chelsea and West Ham United. The rivalry with Chelsea is less important than the one with Arsenal. It began when Tottenham beat Chelsea in the 1967 FA Cup Final. This was the first FA Cup final between two London clubs. West Ham fans see Tottenham as a big rival. However, Tottenham fans do not feel the same strong dislike for West Ham.

Social Responsibility

Since 2006, the club has worked with Haringey Council and the Metropolitan Housing Trust. They also work with the local community. They develop sports facilities and social programs. Barclays Spaces for Sport and the Football Foundation have also helped financially. The Tottenham Hotspur Foundation received support from the prime minister. It was launched at 10 Downing Street in February 2007.

In March 2007, the club announced a partnership with the charity SOS Children's Villages UK. Player fines would go to this charity's children's village in Rustenburg, South Africa. This supports community development projects in and around Rustenburg. In the 2006–07 financial year, Tottenham gave the most money to charity among Premier League clubs. They gave £4,545,889. This included a one-time contribution of £4.5 million over four years to start the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.

However, the club successfully asked for fewer building requirements for the new stadium project. At first, the plan included 50% affordable housing. But this rule was later removed. A payment of £16 million for community facilities was reduced to £0.5 million. This is a debated topic in an area with high poverty. Spurs had bought properties for redevelopment, removing existing jobs and businesses. But they did not create enough new jobs for the area. The club argued that the project, once finished, would support 3,500 jobs. It would also bring an estimated £293 million into the local economy each year. They said it would help a larger 20-year plan to improve the Tottenham area. In other developments in Tottenham, the club has built 256 affordable homes and a primary school for 400 students.

London Academy of Excellence

As part of building the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the club built a top-level school. The London Academy of Excellence Tottenham (LAET) is a state-funded Sixth Form. The Club and Highgate School sponsor it. Highgate School helps with teaching. LAET was named the Sunday Times Sixth Form College of the Year in 2020. In 2022, LAET received an 'Outstanding' rating from Ofsted.

Environmental Sustainability

Spurs are a well-known participant in the 10:10 project. They joined in 2009. In one year, their carbon emissions were reduced by 14%. This was about 400 tonnes of carbon. The club also said it wants to reduce the environmental impact of its activities. They aim to cut carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and become net-zero by 2040.

In September 2021, the club worked with Sky Sports. They hosted the world's first net-zero carbon top-level football game. This effort won an award in the Sustainability category at the 2022 Football Business Awards. In 2023, the club was ranked first in the Premier League's Sustainability Rankings for the fourth year in a row.

Club Honours

Sources: Tottenham Hotspur – History

Other Titles

• Anglo-Italian League Cup
  • Winners (1): 1971
• Sheriff of London Charity Shield
  • Winners (1): 1902

Statistics and Records

Chart of Tottenham's performance since joining the Football League in 1908.

Steve Perryman holds the record for playing the most games for Spurs. He played 854 games for the club between 1969 and 1986. 655 of these were league matches. Harry Kane holds the club goal scoring record with 280 goals.

Tottenham's record league win was 9–0 against Bristol Rovers in the Second Division on October 22, 1977. The club's record cup victory was a 13–2 win over Crewe Alexandra in the FA Cup on February 3, 1960. Spurs' biggest top-flight win was against Wigan Athletic on November 22, 2009. They won 9–1, with Jermain Defoe scoring five goals. The club's biggest loss was 8–0 to 1. FC Köln in the Intertoto Cup on July 22, 1995.

The record home attendance at White Hart Lane was 75,038. This was on March 5, 1938, for a cup game against Sunderland. The highest recorded home attendances were at their temporary home, Wembley Stadium. This is because Wembley has a larger capacity. 85,512 people were there on November 2, 2016, for a Champions League game against Bayer Leverkusen. 83,222 people attended the North London derby against Arsenal on February 10, 2018. This is the highest attendance ever recorded for any Premier League game.

Club Players

Current Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Guglielmo Vicario 3 DF Sergio Reguilón 4 DF Kevin Danso (on loan from Lens) 6 DF Radu Drăgușin 7 FW Son Heung-min (captain) 8 MF Yves Bissouma 9 FW Richarlison 10 MF James Maddison (vice-captain) 11 FW Mathys Tel (on loan from Bayern Munich) 13 DF Destiny Udogie 14 MF Archie Gray 15 MF Lucas Bergvall 16 FW Timo Werner (on loan from RB Leipzig) 17 DF Cristian Romero (vice-captain) 19 FW Dominic Solanke

No. Position Player 20 GK Fraser Forster 21 FW Dejan Kulusevski 22 FW Brennan Johnson 23 DF Pedro Porro 24 DF Djed Spence 28 FW Wilson Odobert 29 MF Pape Matar Sarr 30 MF Rodrigo Bentancur 31 GK Antonín Kinský 33 DF Ben Davies 37 DF Micky van de Ven 40 GK Brandon Austin 41 GK Alfie Whiteman 44 FW Dane Scarlett

Players on Loan

No. Position Player 5 MF Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (at Marseille until June 30, 2025) 18 FW Yang Min-hyeok (at Queens Park Rangers until June 30, 2025) 27 FW Manor Solomon (at Leeds United until June 30, 2025) 35 DF Ashley Phillips (at Stoke City until June 30, 2025)

No. Position Player 36 FW Alejo Véliz (at Espanyol until June 30, 2025) 45 MF Alfie Devine (at Westerlo until June 30, 2025) FW Bryan Gil (at Girona until June 30, 2025)

Youth Academy

Tottenham Hotspur has a top-level Academy. It helps develop players from age eight to 21. More than 200 players are in the Academy. The Under–21s are the Development Squad. The Under–18s are the youth teams. The Under–21 players play in Premier League 2. They also compete in the EFL Trophy. The Academy's Under–18s play in the U18 Premier League (South). The following current Under–21 or Under–18 players have played in a competitive first-team match for Tottenham Hotspur.

No. Position Player 42 FW Will Lankshear (at West Bromwich Albion until June 30, 2025) 43 FW Jamie Donley (at Leyton Orient until June 30, 2025) 47 MF Mikey Moore 48 DF Alfie Dorrington (at Aberdeen until June 30, 2025)

No. Position Player 50 MF George Abbott (at Notts County until June 30, 2025) 51 MF Matthew Craig (at Mansfield Town until June 30, 2025) 63 FW Damola Ajayi 64 MF Callum Olusesi

Management and Staff

Ange Postecoglou is the current head coach of Tottenham Hotspur.

Role	Name
Head coach	Ange Postecoglou
Senior assistant coach	Matt Wells
Assistant coach	Mile Jedinak
	Ryan Mason
	Nick Montgomery
	Sergio Raimundo
Goalkeeping coach	Rob Burch
Club ambassadors	Michael Dawson
	Ledley King
	Gary Mabbutt
Technical director	Johan Lange
Head of football insights and strategy	Frederik Leth
Head of loans and pathways	Andy Scoulding
Head performance analyst	Ross Johnston
Academy director	Simon Davies
Lead player development and methodology analyst	Alex Vinall
Professional development phase coach	Paul Bracewell
Head of academy football development	Gary Broadhurst
Head of recruitment	Rob Mackenzie
Chief scout	Alex Fraser
Scout (First Team)	Max Legath
Scout (First Team)	Sebastian Taghizadeh
Chief international scout (First Team)	João Ferreira
Director of performance services	Adam Brett
Head of sports science	Nick Davies
Head physiotherapist	Stuart Campbell
Head of kit and equipment	Steve Dukes

Club Directors

Managers and Players

Managers in Club History

• Listed by when they became managers for Tottenham Hotspur:

• (A) – Acting
• (C) – Caretaker
• (I) – Interim
• (FTC) – First team coach

Club Hall of Fame

The following players are known as "greats" for their important contributions to the club. Some have been added to the club's Hall of Fame. The most recent players added were Steve Perryman and Jimmy Greaves on April 20, 2016.

Player of the Year

Voted by members and season ticket holders (calendar year until 2005–06 season)

Tottenham Hotspur Women

Tottenham's women's team started in 1985 as Broxbourne Ladies. They began using the Tottenham Hotspur name for the 1991–92 season. They played in the London and South East Women's Regional Football League. They won promotion after finishing first in the league in 2007–08. In the 2016–17 season, they won the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division. This earned them promotion to the FA Women's Super League 2.

On May 1, 2019, Tottenham Hotspur Ladies won promotion to the FA Women's Super League. A 1–1 draw at Aston Villa confirmed they would finish second in the Championship. Tottenham Hotspur Ladies changed their name to Tottenham Hotspur Women in the 2019–20 season.

Tottenham Hotspur Women announced they signed Cho So-hyun on January 29, 2021. With Son Heung-min, the men's Korean National Team captain, already at the club, Spurs had both the men's and women's Korean National Team captains at one club.

Formula Racing

Duncan Tappy on the grid during the 2008 Donington weekend.

Tottenham Hotspur competed in Superleague Formula for three seasons, from 2008 to 2010. Duncan Tappy was the main driver in the first season. He raced 10 times and finished in the top three three times. In 2010, Tottenham won the trophy with driver Craig Dolby.

Through its partnership with F1, the club has also added kart racing. This attraction, called F1 Drive, is located under the south stands. Three track layouts are available. They suit everyone from beginners to expert karters.

Affiliated Clubs

• Internacional
• San Jose Earthquakes
• South China AA
• Supersport United
• Kickstart FC

See also

In Spanish: Tottenham Hotspur Football Club para niños