September 14: Tottenham Hotspur is taking a more hands-on approach to finding its next generation of business partners, launching a venture platform that will bring growing businesses inside the club before they reach the traditional sponsorship stage.
Hotspur Labs, created with The Players Fund, will target venture-backed companies between Series A and Series C and will give selected companies access to Tottenham’s audience, technology and business infrastructure.
Spurs say they are the first Premier League club to adopt the model.
The idea is to find companies that can eventually become business partners at the front of the queue, help them grow through the Tottenham platform and share some of that growth rather than waiting until they are big enough to buy a conventional sponsorship package.
All applicants will be initially assessed by TPF Labs, a new division of The Players Fund, before a shortlist is presented to the club.
Ryan Norys, Tottenham’s Chief Revenue Officer, said: “Hotspur Labs is the next step in our journey to identify more innovative ways to refine and diversify our revenue streams. By supporting ambitious companies early on, we can help them reach new audiences while building meaningful partnerships with brands that share our culture and values. It’s a real value model that strengthens both sides of the business connections between the Club and our partners.”
The move is in line with a wider strategy for Tottenham who are no strangers to looking for revenue beyond the football team, and with a goalless start to the campaign after four games, that is a relief.
The club says commercial and other income reached £277.1m in 2024/25, up from £255.2m, thanks to sponsorship, merchandising and, crucially, the continued use of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for concerts, NFL matches and other events. Total revenue came to £565.3m, although the club still posted a loss of £94.7m after tax.
Hotspur Labs is another attempt to expand this commercial base, but on a different time scale.
Andy Marston, managing director of TPF Labs, said the ambition is for companies joining the program today to become “the main partners of the Club in a few years’ time”.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at (email protected)
