Newcastle United are “seriously” considering building a new stadium “that wouldn’t be far away”, alongside further exploring a potential renovation of St James’ Park, according to the club’s chief operating officer (COO).
No final decision has been taken and the club are continuing to look into the possibility of expanding and redeveloping St James’, with fans set to be consulted before any firm choice is reached. But Brad Miller, the COO, has given the strongest indication yet that relocation is a live option, stressing it could have twice the earning potential and scope for significantly greater capacity.
Last year, the club commissioned an in-depth report into the possibilities of extending the present ground — which is the preferred option of many inside the club, including Eddie Howe, the head coach — and alternative sites for a new purpose-built stadium have also been explored. The first phase of the process, which has determined “the art of possible” and the costs involved, according to Miller, is complete, and a “decision stage” is pencilled in for “early” 2025.
Miller was speaking on Wednesday evening at the “We Are United” fan event at STACK fan zone, which opened in August and is located outside the Gallowgate End of St James’. He was on stage alongside Darren Eales, the club’s chief executive officer (CEO), Paul Mitchell, the sporting director, Peter Silverstone, the chief commercial officer, and Simon Capper, the chief financial officer.
Asked about the stadium’s future, and his key role in the decision-making process, Miller said: “It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Do we invest and transform St James’ as we see it today on the site where we are? Or do we take that bold move and think about moving?
“We want to make sure it is a very robust process. So regardless of the outcome, I want to stand up in front of everybody throughout the process and say, ‘This is why it is a logical decision, with long-term competitiveness in mind.’ Because as you have heard a lot, it is all about revenue and PSR (the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules). We have to work hard to make sure we give as much money as possible to Paul (Mitchell) and the football side in order to remain competitive on the field.
“In terms of next steps, we are coming towards the end of the next stage, the briefing stage. There are a lot of risks and opportunities at St James’. We have to take time to dig into those and make sure we’ve got the devil in the detail — in terms of the programme, how long it will take and what it will do for us in terms of revenue.”
The dilemma, according to Miller, is that Newcastle are comparing “apples and pears, not apples and apples” when it comes to rebuilding St James’ or moving to a site nearby.
The implication was that the club have narrowed down options, and two of the most serious considerations which are being further explored are “transforming” the present ground so that it looks “amazing” and “earns significantly more money”, or moving close by, to a venue which potentially has “a lot more seats” and has “the potential to earn more than twice as much in terms of revenue.”
No alternative site was specified, but a move to nearby Leazes Park is a reported option, though that will be controversial and may face challenges, given it is a protected green space.
“We have also taken the opportunity to look at what will a new stadium look like,” Miller said. “It’s not comparing apples with apples, they are not like for like. It’s comparing apples with pears.
“The brilliant thing about St James’ is it is in an iconic location, the atmosphere and the competitive edge it gives the team on the pitch, and it has 52,000 seats already.
“But a new stadium doesn’t have that and we’d have to pay for all those seats again. A new stadium has the potential to earn a lot more, both on matchdays and non-matchdays, a bit like STACK. It is giving us an indication that we can actually contribute even more to the football club and football side if we had a new stadium.”
(Top image: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
