‘Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ - Newcastle United release biggest update yet on St James’ Park future
Newcastle United’s Chief Operating Officer Brad Miller has promised a “once-in-a-generation investment” to either upgrade - or demolish - St James’ Park.
A club feasibility study is ongoing, with a “design team” drafted in to assess how best to tackle the stadium dilemma. The logistics of increasing St James’ Park’s current capacity are difficult - due to its close proximity to Leazes Park, Leazes Park Terrace and the St James Metro station.
The Telegraph reported last week that Newcastle have been quoted up to £1billion to increase the venue to 60,000 capacity. For context, Tottenham Hotspur forked out £1.2billion for their state-of-the art stadium.
Toon chiefs also met with the club’s Fan Advisory Board to gauge the consensus among supporters. In an official statement, Miller, who arrived on Tyneside over the summer, stressed the risks of redeveloping the ground - and set a final decision date as early next year.
"This is an exciting but extremely complex project, and I'd like to thank supporters for their patience as we conduct this key phase of the feasibility process. We aren't quite at a decision-making stage yet, but we are targeting the early part of 2025 to complete the next essential tasks.
"We know what a transformed St James' Park would give us and we now have a significant amount of data and feedback on our stadium footprint and surrounding area, so we are several steps forward. But it is also clear that this option has several risks associated with it, so we need to fully analyse those risks against the opportunities to reach truly informed and intelligent outcomes.”
Miller also confirmed that an “investable return” is also a top priority - perhaps preparing fans for a new stadium. The Toon chief claimed Newcastle cannot afford to “miss” an opportunity they could later regret.
United made around £1.9million per game last year - a figure that places them as the “best of the rest” outside the big six. But club officials - especially PIF - know the possible commercial upsides should they build a new ground.
"We are challenging our appointed design team, and ourselves, to make sure our eventual chosen route delivers a fantastic fan experience - one that represents the fans, city, region and club, and aligns with the long-term ambitions of our ownership group,” Miller added. “But it must provide an investable return, and not least deliver strong revenue growth to increase our PSR headroom, which, as everyone knows, means we can invest more in football.
"Part of the process is also to understand alternative options so that we see the bigger picture and, again, find the right balance between risk and opportunity. This is a once-in-a-generation investment, so we don't want to look back in years to come, as a club or as a city, and regret an opportunity missed.
“Our objective is to select a scheme that is deliverable, affordable, and sustainable, so we are investing this time to make sure we are only going to spend money on the project where it will make the biggest difference - to fan experience, revenue, competitiveness, investment in football and operational efficiency. All this requires a robust process that leaves no stone unturned.”