New Newcastle United hint on 'exciting' plans for St James' Park

Newcastle United's new sponsor have dropped a hint on their plans for matchdays at St James' Park.

The club last week confirmed a front-of-shirt deal with Saudi Arabian firm Sela which will be worth upwards of £25million a season.

And Darren Eales, United's chief executive officer, revealed that Sela, an events company, would work with the club to create a fan zone on land at Strawberry Place, which has been bought back from developers following a controversial sale in 2019 when Mike Ashley was owner.

The area behind the Gallowgate End, which was formerly a car park, has been fenced off for some time.

"Fan engagement is central to what we do at Newcastle United, and, in Sela, we're partnering with an organisation with shared interests that has delivered incredible events and experiences to millions of people over many years," said United chief executive officer Darren Eales.

"Closer to home, we'll work closely on the design and operation of a new fan zone area at St James' Park, taking inspiration from Sela's incredible properties elsewhere."

Newcastle are 80%-owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which has invested in Sela.

And, on Friday night, the BLVD RUH City area in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was used to promote the club, which will be playing in the Champions League next season following a fourth-placed finish.

And Ibrahim Mohtaseb, senior vice president at Sela, wants the proposed fan zone on Strawberry Place to "bring more life to matchdays" at St James's Park.

"We have interesting and exciting ideas, and we're working closely with the club to bring more life to matchdays at St James' Park – and to put together a fan zone that fans will enjoy," said Mohtaseb.

St James' Park expansion

Newcastle's hierarchy also hope to expand St James' Park amid unprecedented demand for tickets after agreeing to buy back land at Strawberry Place.

Speaking late last year, Eales said: “It’s one of the areas we’re looking at. It’s a champagne problem, because we’re sold out – and it’s not a situation like the past where you’re almost giving away season tickets to fill the stadium.

"The reality is, we are in a situation where we’re limited in capacity. We’ll obviously be looking at if there are ways we can flex that. That’s one of the things we will be looking at over time.”

Co-owner Mehrdad Ghodoussi has spoken about increasing the capacity of St James' Park to at least 60,000.