Thinking the previously unthinkable at Newcastle United
Newcastle United's thinking on St James' Park expansion is seemingly changing amid extraordinary demand for tickets – and a stadium move is on the agenda.
Tens of thousands of Newcastle United fans found out the result of the club’s latest member ticket ballot this week.
This ballot was for the Boxing Day home game against Aston Villa.
Sadly, many of them received an email with the following first line: “Unfortunately, your application for the Member Ticket Ballot has been unsuccessful for our game against Aston Villa.”
It has been that way for some time.
Since the club’s takeover in late 2021, demand for tickets has far, far outstripped supply. Every competitive game at the 52,000-capacity stadium has been sold out.
And this demand, if the team continues to prosper and progress on the pitch, will only grow over the coming seasons as the ambitious club, 85%-owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, becomes a bigger global brand. That means even more fans will be locked out in future unless something changes.
Not surprisingly, stadium expansion was floated by Mehrdad Ghodoussi, then a co-owner, soon after the takeover.
Ghodoussi, in an interview with The Athletic in early 2022, suggested a potential future capacity in excess of 60,000. That would be expensive, but doable, following the re-acquisition of Strawberry Place, land behind the Gallowgate end of St James’ Park which had been sold to developers by Mike Ashley during his time as owner.
“If we can get it to 60 or 65,000 thousand, amazing,” said Ghodoussi.
Just a few years ago, a stadium of that size would have been more than enough to satisfy demand for tickets.
Not now. And more and more fans are thinking the previously unthinkable – an all-new stadium with an even bigger capacity. A 70,000-seater stadium, for example, would truly enable Newcastle to compete – on and off the pitch – with Europe’s elite clubs.
‘Iconic’ stadium site
United’s hierarchy have been looking into expansion and relocation options for some time, and the club, which is losing out on millions of pounds in valuable revenue every home game due to St James’ Park’s capacity, plans to update fans early next year.
However, chief operation officer Brad Miller hinted at the club’s thinking at a fan event at the St James’ STACK on Strawberry Place last night.
Miller, as reported by The Athletic, said: “The brilliant thing about St James’ is it is in an iconic location, the atmosphere and the competitive edge it gives the team on the pitch, and it has 52,000 seats already.
“But a new stadium doesn’t have that, and we’d have to pay for all those seats again. A new stadium has the potential to earn a lot more, both on matchdays and non-matchdays, a bit like STACK. It’s giving us an indication that we can actually contribute even more to the football club, and football side, if we had a new stadium.”
Miller added: “It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Do we invest and transform St James’ as we see it today on the site where we are? Or do we take that bold move and think about moving?”
The feeling on Tyneside is that a move is now looking more likely given the compelling commercial case for an all-new ground, though supporters will be consulted before any final decision is taken.
A short move to Leazes Park is the obvious option, though any such proposal would face planning challenges.
What makes St James’ Park, Sir Bobby Robson’s beloved “Cathedral on the Hill”, truly unique in English football is its location in the heart of the city. An out-of-town move really is unthinkable.
So if the club’s home is to move, it cannot move too far.
It’s all about location, location, location.