The soccer industry may have been hard hit by the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, but some clubs continue to thrive without fans attending games. One of the clubs finding success in the English Premier League in 2020 is Tottenham Hotspur, the London-club chaired by the entrepreneur Daniel Levy. After taking control of the iconic Tottenham brand in December 2000, Levy has overseen a radical change in the culture and success of the club on and off the pitch.
Daniel Levy has been pushing for his Tottenham Hotspur brand to continue to lead when it comes to the extension of the brand as a leader in customer experience. Levy points to the lack of care regarding the way fans were treated during the matchday experience which his new stadium is hoping to change. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Levy and Tottenham Hotspur have been looking to the future as the club applied to add another bank of more than 500 seats to the stadium. The owner of the club appears undeterred by the closure of English soccer stadiums amid a national lockdown and was approved for more than 500 new seats to be installed by Haringey Council.
Despite a shift towards TV revenues for most clubs, Levy believes a successful sporting culture cannot be built without fans attending games. The plan to upgrade the historic White Hart Lane stadium had been in Levy’s plans since taking over the club and resulted in the development of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2017. Building a competitive and successful culture is not solely done on the soccer field, but Levy believes every aspect of the business needs to be pulling in the same direction. For example, the decision to build the new stadium came after a partnership with the NFL guaranteed live games in London each season.
Tottenham Hotspur made an appearance in the UEFA Champions League Final to show on the field success is just as important as that achieved off the pitch. Levy has been pushing for on the field success to make sure the club continues to grow its fanbase by appearing in showpiece finals and rising the Premier League. Among the reasons why Tottenham have become so successful in the sporting arena is the constant upgrading of staff and coaches. The arrival of Maurizio Pochettino, a young and successful coach led to initial success. However, as documented in the “All or Nothing” series, a more ruthless, winning culture has been achieved with the arrival of head coach, Jose Mourinho. A winning culture can be achieved in many ways, including identifying which members of staff have bought into the culture being created and are looking to extend the success of the organization.