Controversial Newcastle United St James' Park change proposed amid £1bn stadium plans

Newcastle have conducted the first stage of a stadium expansion feasibility study that could see St James’ Park expanded to a capacity in excess of 60,000. But no decisions have been made on the stadium’s future so far with a move to a new stadium on a different site still under discussion.

An update is expected in early 2025, but for now, the future of St James’ Park remains a sensitive and hotly debated topic surrounding Newcastle United. St James’ Park has been Newcastle’s home since its inception and its city centre location makes it unique amongst its Premier League counterparts.

But its location has also hindered any major redevelopment with its proximity to the Leazes Conservation Area, the St James’ Tyne and Wear Metro Station and listed buildings on Leazes Terrace making an expansion of the current ground difficult. The feasibility study will give Newcastle options and expanding St James’ Park is understood to be possible, but there are limits.

Newcastle chief operations officer Brad Miller has described a decision regarding the future of St James’ Park as a ‘once-in-a-generation’ opportunity. And with that is the hint that Newcastle could look to move to a new state-of-the-art stadium.

Watch on Shots! Geordie Journos Man City legal battle & Brighton talk

Expanding St James’ Park as it currently stands to 60,000, while a potential solution, risks the club being in a similar situation discussing further expansions in the future.

But location is key to Newcastle and unless the club can negotiate an agreement with the freemen of the city and the council to construct a new stadium just north of St James’ Park at Leazes Park, a new stadium risks being a non-starter in the eyes of most.

A stadium expansion of St James’ Park could cost up to £1billion for Newcastle while a new stadium nearby could see costs rise to £3billion, according to recent estimates.

Football finance expert Borson, weighed in with an independent voice on the situation. Suggesting that it would make much more financial sense for Newcastle to completely relocate its club stadium for a state-of-the-art rebuild for a much cheaper cost.

“Maybe they will have to move away from St James’ Park,” Borson told Football Insider. “That might be the other option.

“It would certainly be a much cheaper option to move the stadium to the outskirts of the city and to hand over that land in the centre to a developer.

“That would definitely make financial sense, but I suspect it would send Newcastle fans into some kind of dissent.”

Major Newcastle United relocation unlikely - but not impossible

Moving Newcastle’s stadium to the outskirts of the city would be viewed as a complete non-starter for many fans - fortunately, key figures at the club are of the same opinion.

Newcastle chief executive Darren Eales said earlier this year: “St James’ Park is a great location at the heart of the community, up on the hill, and if we can expand St James’ Park, then clearly that would make sense. But we have to know what’s possible.

"That is our number one approach, and that’s what our experts are doing now. We’ve got world leaders looking at it in terms of what is architecturally possible and what that would mean from a capacity and revenue perspective.

"If there’s a way that we can expand St James’ Park, then all things being equal, that would be the route that we would like to take."

Eales will be stepping away from his role as CEO an realistically won’t be at the club once the stadium plans come to fruition. But COO Miller has hinted at the possibility of a new stadium.

“Part of the process is also to understand alternative options so that we see the bigger picture and, again, find the right balance between risk and opportunity,” he said. “This is a once-in-a-generation investment, so we don't want to look back in years to come, as a club or as a city, and regret an opportunity missed.”

Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe highlighted St James’ Park’s location as its key strength.

“I think my natural instinct was always to stay at St James’ Park,” he said. “It’s an incredible place to play football.

“It’s our home, so to think about moving somewhere else feels a little bit of a betrayal to somewhere that has served us so well, but we are well aware that as a football club we need to increase our revenue so people with more brain cells will make the decision for the benefit of the long term future of the football club and that’s always the most important thing so I could be swayed but just my natural instinct is to want to stay.

“It’s not necessarily the biggest, there’s just something about the look of the stadium and the feel of it. When you’re there it’s just a great place to play football.

"The positioning where it is in the city is totally unique. I'd hate to see the stadium move from its current position because it dominates the eyeline of the whole city and you can see it from miles around. That's really inspiring.

“Wherever you are in Newcastle, you get a glimpse and, personally, I always think to the next game where we are going to be there.

“When you're in it, I don't know how it creates it, but the atmosphere, the look of the stadium, is a beautiful thing. I love being there, I love experiencing games there and I love winning there. That's the best bit.”