Newcastle United ponder stadium options

Image: St. James' Park, Arne Müseler/www.arne-mueseler.com, CC BY-SA 3.0 de

Newcastle United chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan has been presented with plans for a new stadium as well as a redeveloped St James’ Park as the club considers its options for a future venue.

The Telegraph said Saudi Arabian Al-Rumayyan met with senior club officials to discuss the construction of a new stadium.

It is understood the board have explained to Al-Rumayyan that their preferred option would be to move to a purpose-built new stadium on land adjacent to St James’ Park rather than renovate the old venue.

St James’ Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England (UK). It is the home of the Premier League team Newcastle United F.C.

With a seating capacity of 52,350 seats, it is the eighth-largest football stadium in England. St James’ Park has been the home ground of Newcastle United since 1892 and has been used for football since 1880.

Late last year, the club’s chief operating officer (COO) Brad Miller gave a strong indication that relocation is a live option, and that he believes a new stadium could have twice the earning potential and scope for significantly greater capacity.

The club has commissioned an in-depth report into the possibilities of extending the present ground, while also looking at alternative sites for a new purpose-built stadium.

Newcastle’s preference has always been to remain at their historic home but the study has identified “risks” around expanding on the current site, one of which relates to the complexities of building out the Gallowgate End, which is situated close to the nearby St James’ Metro station.

If a new stadium was to be built, it would have a capacity of just under 70,000, and would be a multi-sport venue built on some of the land already occupied by St James’ Park using an overlapping footprint.

And a new green space would be built on the site of the current stadium.

The Telegraph further stated that at a cost of around £1.5 billion, the impressive stadium, which will be taller than their current home, would be the second-largest club ground in the country with state-of-the-art facilities that would enable it to stage other large events.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is expected to take some time to consider the cost implications and how the stadium will be funded.

There are still some behind the scenes who argue it would be better to stay at St James’ Park because of the emotional pull of staying at their historical home as well as the far cheaper cost of expansion compared to a completely new build.

Sources are confident that the new stadium proposal will eventually get the green light from PIF, but they are also happy with the second option should the Saudis decide to remain at St James’ Park.

If Newcastle do decide to modernise and expand St James’ Park the capacity will also be well in excess of 60,000 and could be completed within five years at a cost of £800 million.

The new stadium is likely to take around seven years to construct.

The feeling is that the PIF will eventually conclude that it is better to go for a completely new stadium which will be part of a wider regeneration of the surrounding area, but such a big project will need to go through several stages in Saudi Arabia before it is agreed.

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