Newcastle United CEO confirms St James' Park upgrade will be complete for new Premier League season

In February 2023, the Magpies' owners re-purchased Strawberry Place - the land situated behind the Gallowgate End - four years after it was sold by Mike Ashley for £9milllion. Plans to build a fan zone - known as St James' STACK powered by Sela - were announced and approved by the local authorities in September.

Construction started in January 2024 with the first of 56 shipping containers being installed in March. Work is now nearing completion and while there is no official opening date, Eales has said it is “going to open for the new season”, which begins when Southampton visit Tyneside on Saturday, August 17.

Discussing the club’s financial situation last week, in line with Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR), Eales said: “We’ve now got a new (PSR) cycle that kicks into play because we had a couple of years where we were £70million in losses which meant it was quite tight for us this financial year until June 30.

“Now we lose one of those years with £70million [losses] so that’s good news for the supporters and the club - looking forward now we’ve got a new cycle.

“We’ve got new revenues coming online so things like Adidas, we have that partnership, we have the merchandise we get from Adidas, St James’ STACK is going to open for the new season, so all those factors help us.”

The fan zone is expected to be given an initial lifespan of three years as Newcastle explore potential uses for the site, including possible expansion of the 52,000-seater stadium.