The Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns 85% of Newcastle United, established Riyadh Air in March 2023 and recently signed a lucrative sponsorship deal with Atletico Madrid. All this is happening as The Magpies contemplate the future of St James' Park.

Feasibility study is at an important stage

Riyadh Air is described by Atletico as the most important sponsor in the club's history, having signed a shirt sponsorship deal worth £33.5 million per season. An additional investment from naming rights for the stadium has been described as significant, but the exact amount has not been disclosed. At the same time, Newcastle United is considering options for expanding or relocating from St James' Park to meet ticket demand and create a state-of-the-art home for the team.

COO Brad Miller provided new information on St James' Park and any potential renovations in early October, revealing that the stadium's feasibility study has entered a key second phase. However, its findings will not be published until next year.

© Hassan Bagheri

What do Newcastle fans think about the future of the stadium?

In a survey conducted by the Shields Gazette, 68% of respondents believe that Newcastle United should build a completely new stadium, while 28% feel that the club should stay at St James' Park no matter what.

Although a significant majority of survey respondents believe a new stadium should be built, over a quarter still want the club to remain at St James' Park, highlighting the challenging situation Newcastle United's management faces in making a decision about relocating or renovating, which happens once in a generation.

© Mark Walker

Newcastle must remember past mistakes

A decision on this matter is expected to be made in early 2025, and the investment, regardless of the option chosen, will certainly involve selling naming rights for the venue. St James' Park was controversially renamed The Sports Direct Arena by former owner Mike Ashley in 2011. The name change met with overwhelmingly negative reactions, as it brought no benefits to the club beyond promoting Ashley's Sports Direct business.

Any name change for St James' Park under the current owners would mean a significant increase in the club's commercial revenue. Newcastle already has contracts with several companies associated with PIF, such as Sela, Noon, and Riyadh Air.