Major St James Park development teased by Newcastle United ahead of England fixtures

Newcastle United have teased ongoing work over a new St James STACK development ahead of what is hoped to an official opening in June.

A social media post released by the Magpies has shown work on the Strawberry Place site is now underway and it is expected the new development will be open seven days a week and will provide a fan zone for supporters on matchday at St James Park. The site is likely to mirror a similar development on Pilgrim Street that proved popular in the city centre prior to its closure in May 2022.

It seems unlikely the St James Park STACK will be open prior to the end of the Premier League season - but there are hopes an official opening could take place before the Magpies famous old home plays host to England’s friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first week of June.

Should that target be met, the new venue is also expected to become a key venue for supporters to watch England games during this summer’s European Championships in Germany.

Magpies chief executive officer Darren Eales previously told The Gazette: “We're full steam ahead on [the fan zone]. Our plan is to get it open for that spring, summer time and we're looking to try and get it open for the end of the season, certainly by the start of next season to have that fully open.

“To be clear it's not just on matchday, St James' Stack will be open seven days a week and we're excited because it gives us more of that footprint. It goes back to our fan base and we've got this amazing fan base which is twice the size of St James' Park.

“The ability for us to have a footprint with St James' Stack to do events there and make fans feel connected without a season ticket is part of how we're thinking about our ability to grow the club and make our supporters feel more connected.

"It's not just on a match day, it's about what else we can do around the club 365 days a year.”