The decision regarding the future of St James' Park remains unclear. As admitted by team manager Eddie Howe, discussions about renovation or building a new facility have stalled, and results will take a long time to appear.

Stadium and training ground in suspension

Newcastle United's head coach, Eddie Howe, revealed that plans for both stadium expansion and a new training centre are currently in suspension. He stressed that there is a 99.9% probability that he will no longer be the team's manager when these projects are completed.

Fundamentally, looking at the club with a broader view, the training ground, the stadium, that part of the club is in limbo at the moment said the coach. In terms of which direction the club is going to take, that would be a big step forward to get clarity on that and to take everything into the future in a really positive way.

Howe noted that infrastructure development could have a game-changing effect on everything, including the youth academy's operations. If we can move everything forward in terms of facilities - not that I believe facilities are the be all and end all - but they are a great way of setting standards higher and showing your ambition in a really clear and strong way he added.

© Mark Walker

Ambitious but complex St James' Park projects

Newcastle has been analysing the possibility of modernising St James' Park or erecting a new facility elsewhere in the city for several years. The club's CEO, David Hopkinson, reported that despite long-term plans, the team will play at the current stadium for many years.

St James' Park, home to Newcastle United since 1892, seats 52,257 spectators. In the past, it was England's second-largest club stadium, but it has now been overtaken by venues such as those of Tottenham and Manchester City. Differences in capacity and commercial potential have become one of the main barriers to competing with the Premier League elite.

As Hopkinson emphasises, developing a renovation plan is extremely complex due to the historic surroundings of the stadium, particularly on the east side with protected heritage buildings, and the proximity of the metro station to the Gallowgate End stand. A new venue with 65–70,000 seats was considered in the Leazes Park area, but implementation costs could reach £1 billion.

© Mark Walker

Training ground and academy in modernisation plans

The club is working to double the area of its existing training centre in Benton. Although modernisation has been carried out in recent years – including hydrotherapy pools, a canteen and new changing rooms – Howe admits that the infrastructure still lags behind leading facilities in the country.

Work is going on behind the scenes. There just needs to be a bit of patience to make sure it’s the right solution, explains the manager. You need the right site and designs. I would rather it was correct than rushed. I know there’s a 99.9 per cent chance that I’m not going to see either [the new stadium or academy] in my position. But I’m still passionate about making sure it’s there for the future generations of Newcastle, whether that’s supporters or players.