Newcastle United fans are eagerly anticipating a final decision on new stadium plans.
The future of St James’ Park has been a long, drawn-out process ever since the takeover in 2021. There are two options on the table, expand St James’ Park or build a new stadium on a different site.
Newcastle are expected to announce the stadium decision in March, but the feeling around the club is that the PIF want to stay at St James’ Park due to its location and history.
That is believed to be the feeling of many fans who would rather see the Gallowgate End expanded than have a new stadium built. Expanding St James’ Park expansion would cost around £1bn whereas Newcastle’s prospective new stadium would cost around £3bn.
Newcastle’s COO Brad Miller said a new stadium “has the potential for more revenue.” The idea is that a modern stadium would open up the possibility of more concerts and different sports. St James’ Park is currently the home of the Rugby League’s Magic Weekend and will host local musician Sam Fender in June.
A recent report suggested that Newcastle could ground share with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light while work commenced. Words from a recent Sunderland supporters meeting have now confirmed their decision on that
Sunderland won’t ground share with Newcastle
Ground sharing with a local rival would have been a big decision to make – it would not have gone down well with fans of either club.
In a recent Sunderland Supporter Collective Meeting, the club was asked about the recent report of Newcastle potentially ground sharing with Sunderland for the foreseeable future.
Sunderland executives confirmed that nothing like that has been discussed and even if they were it would not be something the club would entertain.
It leaves Newcastle scratching their heads over potential alternatives if they need to vacate St James’ Park to make improvements.
Club executives may even need to look as far up as Scotland before finding a suitable alternative while changes are made. The Stadium of Light can hold 49,000 supporters on a matchday – it would have been more than enough to house Newcastle’s season ticket holders.
PIF could break Newcastle stadium promise
While a decision will be made public soon, the feeling around Newcastle is that the PIF could drop a bombshell on any stadium plans.
A record report suggested that the PIF may not provide funds for Newcastle’s stadium work. Club staff are believed to have grown frustrated with the lack of significant funding for other projects like training ground improvements which has led them to believe that they may not cough up the large amount of money needed for the work to go ahead.
Elsewhere, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has expressed his desire to stay at St James’ Park for the long term.
This is truly a once-in-a-generation decision to make. Whatever Newcastle choose, fans will be hoping it will benefit the club for years to come.
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