Nearly a year after the announcement of their “formal process,” Newcastle’s chief operating officer Brad Miller provided an update on the team’s ongoing efforts to renovate their St James’ Park home.
In November 2023, Chief Executive Darren Eales announced that the team had enlisted the help of a “world-leading agency” to assist in their preparations and that they were beginning to seriously consider expanding the 52,305-seat stadium located in the center of the city.
Later, the team asked supporters in an unexpected survey if they were okay with moving to a new location or staying and expanding the renowned ground.
Due to a number of space and engineering challenges, increasing the size of St James’ Park represents the less straightforward option, but Miller was keen to stress that the club has not yet made a final decision. What the COO – who was appointed in May 2024 – did state was the club’s commitment to the idea of large-scale investment, and hinted at the ‘really big cheque’ the club’s hierarchy are prepared to write to realise their goal.
Miller told the I newspaper, “Darren (Eales) has previously gone on record to say “Look it’s imminent” but it really, truly is in terms of next steps (and) what direction we’re going to be taking.”
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CRAIG HOPE: Newcastle really can’t abandon their St. James’ Park pyre, can they?
article pictureIt would be imprudent of me to jump ahead and spoil the surprise, but I will say that STACK, the recently established St James’ Park fanzone, is merely a symbol of the aspirations, the desire, and the devotion that the club’s ownership and all of its members have for Newcastle United and the surrounding community.
We hope it serves as a representation of our goals and offers a little glimpse into what lies ahead. We really believe that this stadium investment is a once-in-a-generational chance, therefore we want to make sure we get it properly.
The football executive went on to say that the board is currently “working through the last couple of questions we’ve got” and that the investigation into the various possibilities has been completed. Of particular importance is the question of whether the club will remain at St James’ Park or move.
Regarding the significance of making a decision after careful consideration, Miller stated, “Now, when we get on with it, there is going to be a really big cheque that’s going to be written. So they want to make sure that we are doing it correctly and that it’s doing the right things, whether that be supporting the football team or doing the right thing by the fans.”
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Do we have the capability to increase it? “Will it genuinely yield a profit so we can keep funding the team?” he continued.
Among the challenges the Newcastle administration has is the location of St. James’ Park, which is surrounded by listed structures.
Miller is responsible for managing the club’s possible infrastructure projects, including renovations to the training facilities, in addition to investing in the stadium.
Following their acquisition of the team in 2021, the Saudi Arabian ownership made a partial renovation of the Benson training site one among their top goals. Newcastle disclosed the upgrades in May of last year.
Necessary additions included new hydrotherapy and plunge pools, improved changing rooms, an updated presentation room, a modern players’ lounge and a new, bigger, dining area.
However, there are large-scale infrastructural projects planned, so there may be more improvements to the ground in the future.
On the other hand, St. James’ Park last saw an expansion in 2000, after years in which around 36,000 people attended.
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