Amanda Staveley reveals real reason for buying Newcastle United four years on
Amanda Staveley remains a beloved figure at St James’ Park for her role in Newcastle United’s takeover.
Amanda Staveley has credited Newcastle United supporters as the deciding factor that persuaded her to buy the club.
In October 2017, Toon fans were apathetic towards their club. Rafa Benitez - preparing to face former club Liverpool - had recently earned promotion to the Premier League but, under Mike Ashley’s ownership, the Magpies continued to stagnate.
There was never any real hope of taking on the big boys despite Benitez wanting to kick Newcastle on further. That all changed almost four years to the day when a Saudi-backed consortium liberated the club, evoking booze-fuelled limbs outside of St James’ Park.
Why Newcastle United, Amanda Staveley?
Reflecting on the decision to buy Newcastle, former co-owner Staveley - who sold her remaining shares in July 2024 - opened up about “falling in love” with the fans. The 52-year-old’s first taste of black-and-white adulation came during that 1-1 draw with Liverpool.
Staveley showed up to watch the Reds, but little did she know her attendance would begin a four-year pursuit to wrangle Newcastle from Ashley. She told the World Sports Summit: “At the heart of every sport are the fans. And the one thing that brought us to invest and partner with PIF with Newcastle was the wonderful fans and the community.
“It was a quick love affair. We were looking at (buying) Liverpool. We ended up going to a Newcastle game and just fell in love with the fans, the stadium… I talk a lot about getting goosepimples. I think that was the heart of our football story.
“When we went there, we wanted to provide the best football for the most brilliant fans. And to provide the best football, we needed to build the business from scratch because there wasn't the infrastructure in place in the club.
“It was a great club, a great brand, but a lot of people said to me, ‘I don't think you'll build Newcastle into a global brand. I don't know how you're going to take a club in the North East of England and put that on the world stage’. That was the challenge.”
Mehrdad Ghodoussi on business vs club nuance
Staveley’s husband and business partner, Mehrdad Ghodoussi, stressed the importance as being “custodians” of a football club, rather than viewing it as a business. He added: “When we looked at Newcastle, we identified that as an incredible brand. It was just a sleeping giant.
“The brand is hugely important because, if the brand isn't there, even though it's asleep, you're not going to be able to take it to where you want it to be. We knew that Newcastle had a history. We knew that we could take it up to a top-six club.
“At the end of the day, yes, we do look at it as a business, but they are football assets. They are clubs. People want these clubs to win. The fan base is hugely important, as Amanda said.
“You should never lose sight of what they are… which is competitive football clubs. And also, you should never lose sight that you're a custodian of these clubs. Ownership sits with the fans.
“I learned that very quickly when we did the deal. I remember walking out (Jesmond Dene House) and all the fans came and hugged us. Every single fan said ‘Thank you for saving my club’. During our time there, not a single individual ever changed that wording. It was always ‘My club’. So we knew how important that connection and integration with the fan base was from day one.”