Newcastle United may soon have a new ground.
St James’ Park has been the iconic home of Newcastle United for 133 years but there has long been talk of the club moving to a new stadium.
Now, it seems owners PIF are set to accelerate plans to leave St James’ and build a 65,000-seater arena on Leazes Park. It has previously been reported that Newcastle’s new stadium could cost £3bn, albeit any exact details of course remain to be seen.
PIF view a new stadium as one of the next steps for Newcastle as they look to expand the club’s commercial horizons in an attempt to raise revenue closer to that of their ‘Big Six’ rivals. The ambitious plans have been labelled ‘Project 2030’, with the Newcastle owners of the belief they can transform the club into one of the biggest in the world.
Leaving St James’ will not be easy, of course. It is one of the most iconic grounds in English football and capable of creating an atmosphere few stadiums can match. The emotional connection supporters have to it cannot be quantified but it seems there have now been big developments in regard to the move.
Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Newcastle new stadium move edges closer as new developments emerge
According to The Daily Mail, the club are preparing to take their plans for a new stadium to the Government, who will need to sign-off on the project.
Downing Street officials are set to give it the green light and could help cut through any red tape on a project that could create hundreds of jobs, boosting the local economy as a result.
Newcastle had considered redeveloping St James’ but those plans have been shelved in favour of moving to nearby Leazes Park.
That would obviously ensure the club still have a ground in the city centre, which feels important. St James’ is the beating heart of the city, something that is fairly unique in football.
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Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan is said to be fully supportive of the project and the next step is talking to both the Government and local authorities. After those discussions and it’s decided the plans are feasible, the decision to move grounds will reportedly be communicated to supporters.
Alan Shearer gets wish for Newcastle’s stadium granted by PIF
Club legend Alan Shearer looks likely to be pleased and it’s not hard to imagine many supporters would feel the same.
To say fans will be happy about the idea of moving grounds would of course be too much. St James’ means an awful lot to hundreds of thousands of people across generations.
Still, Shearer is keen to see Newcastle stay in the city centre if they build a new stadium, which would happen at Leazes Park.
That feels important. Certainly, it theoretically softens the blow about leaving St James’, even if not everyone will be happy with the developments.