Newcastle United are considering two options: building a new stadium or expanding the legendary St James' Park. However, whatever decision is made, it may be necessary to temporarily relocate games to... Stadium of Light? Is such a scenario realistic?

Temporarily to stadium of their biggest rival?

According to a report published by The Guardian, a decision on the future of Newcastle's stadium will be announced by mid-March. But regardless of the choice between building a new venue or redeveloping St James' Park, radical steps may be required. Louise Taylor of The Guardian has highlighted the possibility of temporarily sharing the stadium with eternal rivals Sunderland. As the author states: Either option will almost certainly prompt months of planning wrangles, not to mention the likely need to share Stadium of Light with Sunderland while a potential rebuild takes place.

However, comparing this situation to Milan and Inter sharing San Siro seems hardly apt. The Tyne-Wear derby has been rife with hooliganism and violence in the past, and the relationship between Newcastle and Sunderland is far more strained, making this scenario even more controversial.

The proposal to share a stadium with Sunderland is clearly being opposed by supporters of both teams. The potential logistical and security difficulties should also not be overlooked. Local authorities, including the police, will certainly have much to say about whether sharing a stadium is even possible.

© Roy Richard Llowarch | The stadium of local rivals, Sunderland

Alternative options

Are there other options? The option of temporarily using Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, which has a capacity of 34,000 spectators, is being considered. However, this is significantly less than the current capacity of St James' Park (52,257 seats) and the Stadium of Light (48,707 seats). Yet another idea is to use the stadium in Gateshead. This facility, however, has only 11,800 seats.

Gateshead could, however, offer other opportunities. The Newcastle club could buy the stadium from the local council, use it as a temporary facility and in the future use it for the women's team. So the idea seems logical, but it requires a huge amount of money and commitment from many parties.

As well as changes to the stadium, Newcastle United is also planning to build a modern training pitch. Brad Miller, in charge of this project, already has experience of large-scale developments such as the expansion of Stansted and Manchester airports. The announcement of the new training facilities seems to be a matter of time.

© Mark Lee| Riverside Stadium in nearby Middlesbrough