It’s not often a football club gets the chance to move into a new stadium, and to take advantage of the undoubted boost that it brings to fans and players alike.

Rarer still is the opportunity to move in during the season – even though it’s far from an ideal situation. There’s plenty of debate over whether, in a sporting sense, the move will help or hinder their season, and clearly the plan was to move at the start of the season rather than the end of it. Off the pitch, though, this is a chance to rally fans ahead of a few big weeks in Europe and in the race for the Premier League top four.

#SPURSAREHOME

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⏱️ 7.45pm (UK) #SpursNewStadium ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/RFPTikB1Gn

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 3, 2019

So given the circumstances, you’d expect Spurs to go in hard on the social media build-up ahead of the new White Hart Lane’s first official game against London rivals Crystal Palace. After defeat at the weekend against Liverpool, Spurs find themselves clinging onto a top four spot, having added just one point to their tally in the last five games. With Manchester City to come in the Champions League next week, a boost from the new ground would be very welcome. Social media is certainly a great way of fostering that excitement and emotion that the new stadium can engender – and when moving into new stadium atmosphere is a key issue, so this is an area in which social media can actually play a role (admittedly a minor one) in what happens on the pitch.

Excitement is riding high and anticipation is at fever pitch thanks to the delay in delivering the ground, and Tottenham are using that fervour in order to promote two things at once. Using the public interest in the club’s social media posts about the stadium move, the club are trying to drum up interest in their new club app, too, with build-up videos are being used to drive downloads.

Tonight, our boys are coming home. #SpursAreHome ⚪️ #COYS

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 3, 2019

There’s been lots of talk in the football media about Tottenham’s move. Observers look towards Arsenal and West Ham – both bitter rivals – and point out that no matter how good the new ground may look, there are always problems. Some can be foreseen but many can’t – or can’t be prepared for.

Spurs will hope that it doesn’t take them years to settle into the new place: indeed, given we’re now at the business end of the season, they don’t even have weeks. But with a social media strategy designed to play on the emotion and excitement of the new stadium and a return ‘home’ to White Hart Lane, the club are playing on the unique aspects of their strange, mid-season move. And that could be the boost they need to turn their season around.