White Hart Lane

Lore & Background

The stadium hosted 2,533 competitive Spurs games in its 118-year history. It was also used for England national football matches and England under-21 football matches. White Hart Lane once had a capacity of nearly 80,000 with attendances in the early 1950s that reached the 70,000s, but as seating was introduced, the stadium's capacity decreased to a modest number in comparison to other Premier League clubs. The record attendance at the ground was 75,038, for an FA Cup tie on 5 March 1938 against Sunderland. Tottenham's final game at White Hart Lane was played on 14 May 2017 with a 2–1 victory against Manchester United.

Reader's Guide

The new ground was never officially named, although names such as Gilpin Park and Percy Park were suggested. In its early days it was normally referred to as the Hotspur's or Spurs' Ground by the club or the High Road Ground by the public, in time it became popularly known as White Hart Lane, which is in fact the name of the street on the western side of High Road, away from the ground. It is however unclear how it became so-named; some thought that it acquired the name because spectators would first meet up at the White Hart Lane railway station; another suggestion is that it referred to the lane leading to the stadium entrance beside the White Hart pub, later officially named Bill Nicholson Way.

Did You Know?

• The first game at White Hart Lane was a friendly against Notts County on 4 September 1899, with around 5,000 supporters attending.
• The original cockerel on a ball was erected in 1909 and was cast by William James Scott, who had played for the club when it was an amateur club.
• During World War I, the stadium was taken over by the Ministry of War and the East Stand was turned into a factory for making gas masks, gunnery and protection equipment.