The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has released an in-depth piece on Newcastle United’s bid to expand St James’ Park, discussing potential options being explored if the club reluctantly built a brand new stadium elsewhere.
It’s believed Newcastle’s ‘overwhelming preference’ is to remain at St James’, but Grade One listed buildings behind the East Stand and the Metro tunnel and station behind the Gallowgate End have are creating big obstacles from a planning and architectural perspective.
It’s left Newcastle with a big decision to make and it’s believed the club’s Saudi owners are considering building an entirely new stadium on two possible sites, allowing the club to boost revenues and bring in far more fans each week now the demand for tickets has outgrown the supply.
The first option is thought to be the current Metro Radio Arena on the banks of the Tyne and the second is Leazes Park, allowing us to rebuild a bigger and better version of the current stadium on a different site.
It’s thought the PIF are keen to build a multipurpose venue that can hold England internationals, high-profile concerts and NFL matches that would ‘significantly boost revenue streams’ to ease our PSR constraints. Newcastle’s ambition is to develop a “Wembley of the North”, much like Man Utd’s Ineos owners.
If the current feasibility study shows that St James’ Pack could reach a capacity of 60-70,000, the club will remain at the current site and look to deal with the complications that would bring, but The Telegraph stress that his won’t be easy.
The best option would be to buy the arena and surrounding land and build a new stadium as much as I’d want to stay I think it’s going to be impossible to do so
Porkpie(Quote)
if the fans want real progress then a move to a new stadium with all its advantages is a must, then the club may be able to keep st James Park as a alternative venue for other uses, reserves or women’s team or pop concerts etc. sure they would br able to make it viable , after all we only lease it from the council !!!
David jobling(Quote)
The situation is fairly clear.
We can either summon some kind of architectural miracle and expand on the current site, or we do what we have to assume was the plan from the get-go and build a huge sports complex elsewhere.
Anyone believing that expanding on the current site to a capacity worth expanding to was ever an option is dreaming.
Daveys **** mate(Quote)
For start why would you expand something that doesn’t belong to you.
Move and create space , state of the are stadium, training ground for the first team and juniors beside each other.
BMlondon(Quote)
Has anyone looked at the attendance figures at Newcastle racecourse? There are 2 days/year when they get over 10,000 people attending. The majority of racedays have attendances in the hundreds and it is owned by the Reubens. There is also a golf course which probably only caters to hundreds, if that. I for one would not cry if they closed Newcastle racecourse, bought the golf club, demolished it all and built a brand new stadium. Close to good transport links and the space to have a 1st class training set-up alongside it…..just a thought!!!
Paulogeordio09(Quote)
When the Saudis bought the club it was pointed out that Saudi has a number of huge “Sports Cities” with venues that have facilities for football , Tennis, concerts, hotels, convention centres, the lot. It was also mentioned that to move forward higher revenues are essential.
Look at the language. We need to be able to expand to 60-70,000.
What a load of 80LL0X! 60-70,000 isn’t a number. Somewhere an accountant has sat down and decided exactly what that number is. Whether it’s 62,403, or 69,987 it’s a number. Businesses do not work on 60-70,000.
There’s going to be a load of people looking busy, and paper shuffling, and meetings, and maybe another couple of polls, or surveys to give the fans that warm fuzzy feeling they get from thinking they are involved, then an announcement will be made, saying that to expand SJP to the level needed is not possible, and to get the club to be the best in the world we have to move to a new site.
The plans for the new sports complex will then miraculously immediately appear.
The second the deal to buy the club was ratified by the FA, this process was started, regardless of what the fans wanted. It just had to be managed in such a way that the fans “had their say!”
And that’s where Staveley came in.
BykerBill(Quote)
Firstly, the Arena site has already been earmarked for a new housing development & besides, wouldn’t be anywhere near big enough for a state of the art stadium.
Secondly, Leazes Park was added to English Heritage’s Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in 1992.
It’s a grade 2 listed conservation area.
Well done to the author of this piece for doing their research (not)!
James William Monks(Quote)
There’s a site next to the metro centre, with all the land that’s needed, teach Newcastle council for damaging the club by allowing that monstrosity next to the strawberry, it is the next biggest obstacle after leazes terrace, and the council gave planning permission for strawberry Place too, that site only became available because the owners went bust, the councils attitude is 52,000 is big enough.
David Render(Quote)
Philip(Quote)
We are going to Wembley next weekend on Saturday 6th April
Haaland kane as Signed Newcastle is on the way Sela football shirt
Philip(Quote)