‘We know’ - Newcastle United chief drops major St James’ Park update following feasibility study

With demand for tickets at St James’ Park continuing to soar, the club are looking into ways of either extending St James’ Park or building a new stadium entirely to match with increasing matchday demand. The club have revealed that their stadium feasibility study has entered a ‘crucial’ second stage - although results of that are not expected until next year.

Speaking at a meeting with the club’s Fan Advisory Board (FAB), Miller said: “This is an exciting but extremely complex project, and I'd like to thank supporters for their patience as we conduct this key phase of the feasibility process. We aren't quite at a decision-making stage yet, but we are targeting the early part of 2025 to complete the next essential tasks.

“We know what a transformed St. James' Park would give us and we now have a significant amount of data and feedback on our stadium footprint and surrounding area, so we are several steps forward. But it is also clear that this option has several risks associated with it, so we need to fully analyse those risks against the opportunities to reach truly informed and intelligent outcomes.

“We are challenging our appointed design team, and ourselves, to make sure our eventual chosen route delivers a fantastic fan experience - one that represents the fans, city, region and club, and aligns with the long-term ambitions of our ownership group. But it must provide an investable return, and not least deliver strong revenue growth to increase our PSR headroom, which, as everyone knows, means we can invest more in football.

“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. 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.

“Our objective is to select a scheme that is deliverable, affordable, and sustainable, so we are investing this time to make sure we are only going to spend money on the project where it will make the biggest difference - to fan experience, revenue, competitiveness, investment in football and operational efficiency. All this requires a robust process that leaves no stone unturned.”

Whilst the club’s preference is to remain at St James’ Park, the logistics of extending the capacity at the stadium may mean that a new ground will have to be built in order to not just accommodate more fans on matchdays, but to also expand into hosting other events, much like the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. PSR restrictions also mean the club have to generate revenue in anyway possible, with an all-purpose stadium being a lucrative area for them to use.

Any construction work to expand St James’ Park, however, will be subject to the club extending its current leasehold with Newcastle City Council, which expires in 2097. A 99-year lease was agreed around the last time St James’ Park was expanded in 1998.