WATCH: Newcastle announce £30m stadium and training ground changes

We are still waiting for an update on the long-term future of St James' Park and the training ground, soon to be known as The KNOX.

Those answers are 'coming in time' according to CEO David Hopkinson in a video put out by the club today.

The short video was shared on social media, and it explains the changes fans and players can expect to see between now and next season.

Sunday's game against West Ham wrapped up the season for St James' Park, and work has already begun on a host of improvements to the stadium ahead of the next campaign.

A new pitch and fancy new lights are incoming

An under-soil heating system is being installed, pictures of which have already circulated online. Not only will this help the groundskeepers maintain the pitch better, but it will also provide a better surface for concerts. Recently, Sam Fender's St James' Park gigs have caused damage to the playing surface that his new turf system will avoid, which means the venue should be able to host more gigs without having to worry about the pitch.

In the video, we hear from David Hopkinson, Ross Wilson, Brad Miller and Yvette Thompson, who give their own insight into the works going ahead over the summer, with Hopkinson confirming £30 million is being spent by the club over the summer.

"This summer we are investing more than £30m across our facilities. From fully rebuilding our pitch and enhancing fans' match day experiences at St James' Park to extending our training centre, which will become The KNOX, as well as investing in our Academy and Cochrane Park (NUFC women's HQ)."

We'd already heard about changes to the floodlights and more screens being placed inside the stadium, but the existing training facilities are also being upgraded, even though a new £200 million facility is moving closer to being built.

The overall message from the video is that "Progress at this club cannot and will not stand still."  

No answers on the long-term changes

Right at the end, Hopkinson acknowledges that there are still questions over the new stadium and training ground, but doesn't offer up any answers.

At least progress is continuing in some ways. Improvements to the existing facilities are still going ahead despite the impending arrival of newer facilities, and that has to be acknowledged as a positive. 

A new pitch, improved screens and improved floodlights are all good steps, along with 5G signal inside the stadium, which wasn't mentioned on the video but has been mentioned in the past.

This is the kind of thing that can help convince top players to join the club, even after this misstep of a season. If a player can see progress being made, they're more likely to be excited to join.