Newcastle United have made a change outside St James’ Park following last week’s club crest announcement.
Newcastle United have followed up on the announcement of its new club crest by removing the old one from the St James’ Park sign outside the stadium.
General view as fans gather outside the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Manchester City FC at St James' Park on September 28, 2024 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)placeholder image
General view as fans gather outside the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Manchester City FC at St James' Park on September 28, 2024 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Magpies announced their new club crest on October 1 and will progressively roll it out across physical signage, digital and broadcast platforms before it features on the club’s official kits from the 2027/28 season. The new badge and Adidas home kit set to be on display for the final Premier League home match against Crystal Palace on May 23.
Newcastle’s social media channels have already adopted the new crest, which marks the club’s first major crest change since 1988. Now changes to the physical signage outside of St James’ Park have taken place.
The old St James' Park sign outside of the stadium has been taken down and replaced.placeholder image
The old St James' Park sign outside of the stadium has been taken down and replaced. | Getty Images
While the large Newcastle crests outside of the club shop, Gallowgate Stand and Milburn Stand remain unchanged for now, the St James’ Park sign next to the Milburn reception has been taken down and replaced.
And rather than the new Newcastle club crest, a bespoke St James’ Park logo has been unveiled by the club.
The new St James’ Park logo outside of the stadium.placeholder image
The new St James’ Park logo outside of the stadium. | NW
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The lettering has also been changed so that it is consistent with the new Newcastle United brand typeface that coincided with the new crest launch.
The changes come as part of a wider branding strategy regarding Newcastle’s home stadium.
St James’ Park naming rights
As previously revealed by the Gazette, Newcastle do not intend to sell the naming rights of St James’ Park.
It comes amid long-term uncertainty regarding the future of United’s home ground and whether it will be redeveloped or a new stadium will be built on a nearby site.
Rather than sell the naming rights of one of English football’s most iconic stadiums, Newcastle want St James’ Park to be a brand in itself and the soft launch of a new stadium logo reflects that. Merchandise will naturally follow.
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Newcastle’s chief executive officer, David Hopkinson, has been a driving force behind several of Newcastle’s lucrative commercial agreements since his appointment last year. But that aggressive commercial approach has not carried over to the stadium, where a more sensitive strategy has been adopted.
Hopkinson’s previous role as chief operating officer of Madison Square Garden Sports perhaps offers some insight into the approach.
Madison Square Garden is a global brand in its own right, arguably as recognisable as the sports teams it houses.
The New York Knicks and New York Rangers play at the only major venue in their respective leagues without a sponsor incorporated into its name. Instead, Madison Square Garden has retained its identity while building major commercial partnerships around the venue.
That includes a lucrative agreement with Chase, which serves as a primary venue partner and marquee sponsor without holding naming rights.
St James’ Park is a different proposition, but a similar model will offer Newcastle another route to increasing commercial revenue.
Rather than selling the stadium name outright, securing a major venue partner would allow Newcastle to monetise one of their most valuable assets while preserving the St James’ Park identity.