Newcastle are now seriously planning an ’emotional journey’ to leave St James’ Park

Newcastle United hierarchy gave the strongest hint that the departure from historical St James’s Park may become imminent after the opening of a new stadium could ‘double’ revenue.

The club’s long-term feasibility study, now a year old, is in its second and final phase after identifying the risks associated with staying at St James’ Park.

Newcastle claim no final decision has been made, but I understands that discussions are planned with key stakeholders, including transport operators Nexus and the city council, in the new year before the final options under consideration are made public.

But in a revealing speech at an event at the STACK fan zone in Newcastle, chief operating officer (COO) Brad Miller said the club was “seriously” considering moving to another location near St James’s Park. That opportunity would involve adding “a lot more seats,” he said.

This is the most direct acknowledgment that a new stadium is on the agenda, and also reflects the history surrounding the project. Although Newcastle’s official poll commissioned by the CAA last year found that 71 per cent of fans surveyed wanted to stay, it appears that momentum is now lagging behind movement – should the circumstances be right.

There are several reasons for this. The first thing the club hinted at on Wednesday night was that with the Profitability and Sustainability Regulations (PSR) so stifling, they need to make the stadium “sweat”.

Whatever they do with St. James Park, the revenue opportunities will never compare to a custom-built facility that will have an expanded corporate offering as well as facilities for concerts, NFL games and high-profile boxing events.

Lee AKP Whether its successor – ‘team cost control’ – exists in its current form or not, Newcastle’s need for more revenue to compete with more established clubs will continue. Frustrated fans now understand this better than ever, which has changed the debate at the stadium.

Another compelling factor is the sheer number of fans currently barred from games.

Two years ago, Newcastle implemented a membership scheme under which fans pay an annual fee to gain access to ballot papers for the few thousand tickets that go on general sale. But the chances of getting one are slim, and that has fueled the feeling among supporters that more seats are needed.

The prospect of a new generation of young fans not attending St James’ Park was also discussed.

I also understands that stadium specialists contacted by the club early on in the feasibility study were unanimous that bolting on additional seats or adding pieces of St James’ Park would be expensive and less than ideal from an aesthetic point of view . .

It is understood that the temporary solution of slightly increasing capacity or renovating the stadium – one of the options initially considered – has been ruled out in favor of much more ambitious options.

Here are the thoughts of Alex Thomas, director of HKS, the architects who designed the £4.8 billion SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, on Newcastle’s dilemma.

“There is a big difference between using an existing facility with all its difficulties and limitations and building something new,” he said.

“If we were going to build a new stadium for Newcastle, we would do it very differently to the existing structure. You will always be compromised by trying to attach to the back of another structure that you have already screwed to three times.

“Often it costs more per square meter because you’re trying to do surgery on this complex, compromised thing, whereas a new building per square meter is much better value for money.

“Objectively, you get a better project, but that’s without getting into the emotions of it, having the center circle where it’s been for centuries, and the connections that its supporters have.

“A lot of clubs have gone through this emotional journey and it’s difficult. But when a new place turns out to be really great, people think differently: their new place might be amazing, there’s new technology, there’s opportunity.

“It must be night and day at Newcastle, but you could pick up some of the club DNA at the old stadium. There are ways to make the club’s values, the iconic nature of St James’s Park and its architecture part of the new stadium experience.”

It’s not much different from what Miller said in front of fans on Wednesday night, outlining two options for the doubling ahead of Newcastle.

“The first option is if we stay in St James, we will already have 52,000 beds,” he said.

“If we transform it, it will make significantly more money and it will look amazing. This is option one.

“Option two is if we move further back, and not too far because we’re not going to stretch the elastic to the point where it breaks.

“The second option, we are looking at it seriously as it has the potential to generate more than double the revenue of converting St James’s Park. And more places, potentially many more places.”

You suspect the devil is in the details. A new building that looks fantastic and is centrally located may eventually convince even those who think St James’s Park is still the best option.

If Plan B is located outside the city center (Newcastle’s current Gosforth Racecourse has been mentioned as a possible option), the club may not be able to handle the majority. The city center location is what makes Newcastle Stadium unique.

It certainly appears that the messaging on this issue has changed recently. Insiders also emphasized I that a move is being discussed but it feels like the message has changed since Miller, who joined in the summer, joined the club to lead the project.

“We took the opportunity to see what the new stadium would look like?” he said on Wednesday.

“This is not comparing apples to apples, they are not alike. This is comparing apples to pears.

“The great thing about St James’s is the iconic venue, atmosphere and competitive advantage it gives to the team on the pitch – and it already seats 52,000.

“The new stadium doesn’t have that and we’ll have to pay for all those seats again. But the new stadium has the potential to earn much more, both on match and non-match days.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. So, everything we do, are we investing and transforming St. James to what we see today where we are? Or do we take that bold step and think about moving?”

The club say they will consult with fans and supporters’ groups when they announce the next steps for the project in early 2025.

“We want to make sure it’s a very robust process,” Miller says.

“So, regardless of the outcome, I want to stand in front of everyone throughout the process and say: This is why this is the logical decision.”