Newcastle United are edging closer towards leaving St James’ Park and building a new stadium.
In a week that Manchester United announced their new stadium plans, there has been an update on the Magpies’ situation.
Talk has ramped up in recent weeks that Newcastle United will be leaving St James’ Park for a new ground. PIF are set to make the final decision, after Yasir Al-Rumayyan was shown proposals during a recent visit to Tyneside.
It has been reported that PIF are expected to greenlight Newcastle’s stadium project, which would see them wave goodbye to their current home.
Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images
How Darren Eales feels about the capacity of Newcastle United’s new stadium
With Newcastle set to put their stadium plan to the government to be signed off, new details on the capacity of the Magpies’ potential new ground have emerged.
According to the Daily Mail, Toon CEO Darren Eales is against the new Newcastle stadium having a capacity of around 70,000, amid fears that it might not be sold out for every game.
The report adds that the new stadium will hold 65,000 people, which would mean 13,000 more seats than what St James’ Park currently has.
Following this story, the Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has stated on X that no final decisions have been made by the club.
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He wrote: “According to Newcastle United this evening they have not decided on capacity of new stadium, various options are being looked at for land adjacent to SJP, of varying sizes. Also adamant that final decision on whether to build new home or expand SJP has still not been made, presumably because PIF have to make it. Preferred option is a new stadium internally. I think we all need to wait for final plan to be made public. As frustrating as it is waiting.”
Newcastle United right to be cautious with stadium capacity
A final decision is yet to be made, but all roads lead towards Newcastle United moving out of St James’ Park.
That will delight supporters who are struggling to get tickets to watch the Magpies at home.
However, Darren Eales’ cautious approach towards how many seats the new stadium should have is sensible.
Moving grounds will be difficult, as the club must ensure they do not lose the atmosphere that makes St James’ Park so special.
And while there is a demand for tickets at this moment in time, the club does not want a situation where there are empty seats for certain games. That is why Eales wants a capacity of nearer 65,000, rather than 70,000.
On top of that, it would reflect badly on PIF’s investment if the shiny new stadium they funded is not sold out every week.
The caution may frustrate some supporters, while an official decision on exactly how big the new stadium will be is yet to be made.