The debate over Newcastle's current stadium or building a new facility continues. The oldest existing football arena in the north-east of England is regularly filled, and the club's management aims to realise its full potential. Do we know the future of Newcastle's stadium yet?

Growing interest in Newcastle United matches

Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup or League Cup match - Newcastle United sells out every game. Over the course of this season and last season, attendances at St James' Park stands have not gone below 50,000 fans on a single occasion. Since former owner Mike Ashley sold the club in 2021 to a consortium including the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), the Magpies have been making steady progress sport-wise too. Those who attend Newcastle games are seeing even more of how their team has gone from a league average to even a Premier League title contender.

Increased demand for tickets has meant that there is simply no more room in the stands for many fans who want to witness great excitement at St James' Park. The consequence of this is that the club has launched a feasibility project with CAA Icon. This is an industry-leading strategic management consultancy for sports venue owners, having helped, for example, create Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The company is to look at expanding the facility the club has called home since 1892.

© Mark Walker

Will St James' Park have a larger capacity?

The Newcastle venue is the oldest existing stadium in the North East of England and also one of the most iconic in the world. Matches have been played there since 1880 and, interestingly, back in 1905 the stands held 60,000 standing places. At the beginning of the current century, the club rebuilt the facility and another level was added above the two existing stands, making part of the stadium much higher than the rest. This unusual enlargement created the largest externally supported roof in Europe.

Newcastle's excellent results and the considerable funds the club currently has in hand - this is why more than 20 years after the last significant modernisation, we are hearing about it again. Newcastle CEO Darren Eales spoke openly about the plans for the future, talking to talkSPORT: What we're actually doing is getting world leading experts to look at what the possibilities are. So the whole idea is a blank sheet of paper, what is possible in terms of St James' Park. If there's a way we can expand it, that's what we'd like to do. We're 52,000 at the moment, we've got a huge demand, way more demand than we have supply, so we'd love to be able to do something, perhaps what Liverpool are doing with Anfield and extend the stadium where it is.

© Alvin Leong (cc: by-sa)

Will Newcastle build a new stadium?

Similar questions have also been asked of Liverpool over the past decades. The Reds, however, have recently increased the capacity of their stadium by adding 7,000 seats, soon bringing the total capacity to more than 61,000. Eales says that as well as just studying and looking to Anfield Road for inspiration, the club is determined to listen to its supporters. Most of them would be opposed to a move to another venue, even if one were on the horizon.

The Magpies' chief executive himself is also not considering a move. Asked if the club had identified other locations to which the club could move its home, Eales replied in the negative. Newcastle's feasibility study will therefore focus on how to expand the Gallowgate End and the East Stand at St James' Park.

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