Newcastle United's St James' Park compared to Leeds United, Sunderland and more - take note PIF

Newcastle United fans know just how special a matchday visit to St James’ Park has always been.

From the arrival into the heart of the city centre, walking up the hill towards Gallowgate and witnessing the Magpies famous old ground appearing is truly a unique experience within the Premier League. It is one of the reasons why there is such an emotional decision lying ahead as the United hierarchy consider building a new stadium to meet the demand for matchday tickets.

However, it is not just Newcastle fans that now realise how special St James’ Park is after a study by SeatPin ranks the Magpies home at the top of the Premier League when it comes to matchday street surrounding. They have produced a points system based on local businesses, pubs and public art, green space, architecture, memorable settings, regeneration and cleanliness and rated all 20 Premier League grounds out of 100.

Galin Ananiev, founder and CEO at SeatPin commented: "A great matchday experience isn't just about attending the match live inside the stadium, it's shaped just as much by what surrounds the stadium. The pubs fans gather in beforehand, the local businesses that benefit from matchday footfall, the character of the streets fans walk through on their way to the entrance. All of it plays a part in the wider atmosphere and experience of following a club. It's clear from the data that the clubs topping the table have stadiums that feel properly woven into the fabric of their city, and that's something every fan can appreciate, whatever their result on the day."

So what were the final ratings?

Premier League stadiums ranked by matchday street surroundings

20th: Coventry City - 33.4/100 19th: Bournemouth - 34.4/100 18th: Hull City - 36.1/100 17th: Fulham - 37.8/100 16th: Everton - 38.4/100 15th: Crystal Palace - 39.3/100 14th: Brighton and Hove Albion - 40.1/100 13th: Leeds United - 46.2/100 12th: Brentford - 49.4/100 11th: Manchester City - 50.1/100 10th: Sunderland - 50.4/100 9th: Arsenal - 52.2/100 8th: Ipswich Town - 52.9/100 7th: Tottenham Hotspur - 53.3/100 6th: Aston Villa - 56.9/100 5th: Manchester United - 57.5/100 4th: Chelsea - 59.6/100 3rd: Liverpool - 61.3/100 2nd: Nottingham Forest - 70.3/100 1st: Newcastle United - 81.6/100

A statement from SeatPin read: “Newcastle United’s St James' Park tops the list with a score of 81.6/100, powered above all by its immediate surroundings: 68 local businesses and 15 pubs and bars sit within 250 metres of the ground, both the highest counts in the league. Strong scores for its modern look (8.2/10), with plenty of new homes completed within the catchment since 2015 and an architecture score of 7.7/10, reflecting a stadium embedded right in the heart of the city centre, with matchday spilling seamlessly into the streets around it.”

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