Tottenham Hotspur

Around and about the club

1. Where is Tottenham?
Tottenham is in London, and is 11 kilometres north-east of the centre. The River Lea runs through Tottenham.

2. And is Tottenham served by the London Underground?
Yes it is. But its station is not Tottenham Court Road – that is in the Oxford Street shopping area in the city centre. Tottenham’s station is called Tottenham Hale. The station is unusual because it has barriers which can stop the water from getting into the station and tunnels if the River Lea floods. Tottenham is one of the suburbs of North London that grew up around the railway lines which were laid in the mid 19th century.

3. What is Tottenham known for?
Besides the football club, Tottenham is known for being very multicultural. In fact, South Tottenham is said to be the most ethnically diverse place in Europe, with 300 languages being spoken by its residents. Tottenham has the largest population of Ghanaians outside Ghana, as well as large Turkish, Turkish Cypriot, Albanian, Jamaican and Portuguese communities.

4. How did the club get the name Hotspur?
This is from the name of a 14th-century Tottenham man, Sir Harry Hotspur, who featured in one of Shakespeare’s plays, Henry the Fourth. He was a soldier, and a very fierce fighter.  So the team from Tottenham adopted this name and became Tottenham Hotspur, which is shortened to ‘Spurs’.

5. Why is the club’s crest a cockerel?
Cockerels were used in the sport of cock-fighting. Sharp blades (called ‘Spurs’) are sometimes attached to the feet of the cocks so that the birds can kill each other in the fight. If you look closely, you can see the spurs on the cock’s foot in the club crest. Cock-fighting has actually been illegal in England since 1835.

6. Who are Spurs’ greatest rivals?
Spurs have a long rivalry with North London’s other Premier League club, Arsenal.

7. What plans do the club have for Tottenham?
Spurs are planning to build a new, state-of-the-art stadium close to their current ground. It will feature a club museum, housing and a hotel. The seating would be closer to the pitch than at other grounds which the club expect will create a great atmosphere.

Click here for a vocabulary activity

What do you remember about Tottenham

Read the statements about Tottenham and decide if they are true or false.

Exercise

What else has the old stadium been used for?
In 1995, White Hart Lane was used by a team called the London Monarchs, even though the pitch was not actually the correct size. But what sport do the London Monarchs play?

• Hockey
• American football
• Cricket
• Rugby

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