New St James' Park findings - PIF doubts, £500m expansion and new stadium concerns
Talk around where Newcastle United’s future lies is ongoing, with the Toon Army questioning if they will find a new home away from St. James’ Park or expand our current stadium.
It has been a conversation for several years; how could we expand our stadium given its location, and how can we secure planning permission to do so? Alternatively, if we can’t expand should we move, and where to?
The time for action is now it seems, with the club having to have their abode in whatever shape they deem fit before the 2028 European Championships - and the situation has become slightly clearer with the latest report.
'Special report' reveals findings on stadium plans
The Athletic's Chris Waugh has this week released an in-depth piece on Newcastle's stadium plans, with the big question remaining around what we do next - expand at St James' Park or build a brand new home elsewhere.
Geordies will hope that the fanbase is at the core of whatever decision is made, with West Ham’s London Stadium being considered quite soulless and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium catering by and large for a more modern fan, but a business, money generating focus will likely be the priority.
After speaking to 'stakeholders and insiders' about the huge decision and 'complicated' situation surrounding the situation, The Athletic shared these findings:
- Talks have yet to commence officially between the club and key stakeholders
- There are claims Newcastle cannot sell St James’ — should they wish to do so — because the land is managed by the Freemen of Newcastle
- Newcastle’s stadium must be ready “a minimum of six months” before it is due to host its share of matches at the 2028 European Championship, affecting building timescales
- Some figures within the club doubt majority owner PIF will invest the required funds, despite the hierarchy’s insistence it will
- Underground tunnels from the city’s Metro rail system present a key, expensive engineering challenge
- Leazes Park is the most obvious alternative stadium site but it will be very difficult to gain planning permission
'Doubts' that PIF will invest the required funds is a slight concern, although it seems there is conflicting views on that.
Waugh added: "A new stadium is predicted to cost between £1billion and £2bn, significantly more than the £500m to £1bn estimated for a widescale redevelopment of St James’. While the current ground already has 52,256 seats and a fresh site would require all those and more to be paid for, the latter could, according to Miller, generate up to twice as much revenue."
The price of a widescale redevelopment of SJP is estimated to be between £500m and £1bn, hardly cheap but considerably less than a new stadium which could cost up to £2bn - but that could generate up to twice as much revenue.
There would be the small matter of finding a suitable location, securing planning permission and replacing and adding to the 52,256 seats we currently boast, all by around the end of 2027 if we are to fulfill our European Championships obligations.
My preference on what happens next
A football club is more than just a business or an entity, or at least it should be. A stadium should serve the local community and St. James feels like home in more than one sense in that regard.
Newcastle is famed for how many bars are within a small radius of its city centre stadium and the impact on the local economy has to be considered if it was to be moved too far away. Leazes Park offers the perfect alternative, but may not be logistically possible.
I would be very hesitant to move away from SJP, the heartbeat of an entire city on a matchday. That roar against Southampton two seasons ago when we qualified for the Carabao Cup final can be replicated next month if we can replicate against Arsenal to show that this is our home.
