Newcastle have confirmed the appointment of new CEO David Hopkinson as Darren Eales’ successor.
Eales announced he would be departing Newcastle last year for health reasons, but has continued in the role while the club has searched for a replacement.
In the meantime, Newcastle’s stadium plans that looked to be gathering momentum have stalled. Last year, Newcastle released a statement declaring that an announcement over the future of St James’ Park would be made in ‘early 2025’ after conducting a full feasibility study and engaging with Newcastle City Council.
But almost a year on, an official update from the club is yet to be made. Newcastle’s initial preference was to expand St James’ Park but it is understood the club’s stance has changed and alternative options regarding the construction of a new stadium on a different site have been explored.
There has been talk of a new state-of-the-art arena built just north of the current stadium site.
Although the club’s stadium plans are yet to be officially announced, the suggestion that a new stadium would be built on Leazes Park has already been met by a significant backlash. Over 28,000 people have signed a petition opposing the rumoured plans for building a new stadium on Newcastle’s oldest public park.
The Daily Telegraph claimed back in June that an official stadium update is expected in the coming weeks with Newcastle now looking at a new attendance of 70,000 opposed to the originally suggested 60,000-65,000. Now the summer is over, an update is yet to transpire.
A 70,000-seater stadium would make Newcastle’s new ground up there with the biggest in the Premier League once again, second only to Manchester United’s Old Trafford. Newcastle had the second-largest club football stadium in the country behind Manchester United the last time St James’ Park was expanded around the turn of the century.
25 years on and the stadium is the eighth largest in the Premier League behind the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton - all of whom have had new stadiums built. Liverpool’s Anfield stadium has also been expanded to exceed St James’ Park’s capacity in recent seasons.
But Newcastle face significant challenges when it comes to expanding St James’ Park due to its city centre location and proximity to the listed buildings on Leazes Terrace.
One of the long-term tasks for Hopkinson as Newcastle’s new CEO will be to find a suitable resolution to the club’s stadium situation after years of uncertainty surrounding the project.
No official stadium designs have been made public at the time of writing but stadium concept designer and 3D animator Damián Bosio has shared his ideas on what a proposed expansion of St James’ Park or new stadium could look like via his YouTube channel, Bondibot. The designs were made public last year, but provide an idea of what an expanded St James’ Park or new ‘Leazes Stadium’ could look like.
13. Same height all around
This concept would see all four stands the same height. | Bondibot
14. How will it impact the listed buildings?
The concept suggests the listed buildings would not be impacted by the expansion should the pitch be raised and moved. However, exact measurements and architectural designs could suggest otherwise. This design as is would also impact the residents 'right to light' easement on Leazes Terrace. | Bondibot
15. Capacity?
This expansion would likely increase St James' Park's capacity to in excess of 60,000 despite losing a lot of seating from the Leazes Stand and Milburn Stand due to the pitch being moved. | Bondibot
