With a stadium call this size, Newcastle will take their time.
Newcastle United is looking to make a decision that is “deliverable, affordable, and sustainable,” which is why club executives won’t be pressured into making a stadium choice, according to COO Brad Miller.
Following the announcement in July that the club’s stadium feasibility study results were “imminent,” departing CEO Darren Eales, the Newcastle supporters have been waiting anxiously for an update on the St James’ Park extension. “We’re anticipating the final report, which should arrive soon,” Eales said reporters in a summer update.
Since then, Miller, the current COO of Newcastle, has attempted to temper expectations around an impending decision regarding whether the Magpies would continue to play at their historic stadium or construct a brand-new, cutting-edge facility somewhere else. Miller described the choice as a “once-in-a-generation” call earlier this week, and he emphasized it once again to the Fan Advisory Board [FAB] members when he said they shouldn’t expect a decision until early 2025.
In recent days, it has been reported upgrading St James’ Park to boost the capacity to north of 60,000 might cost the club up to £1billion. For context, Everton’s new 52,000-seat stadium is anticipated to cost a total of £800 million, while Tottenham Hotspur just announced one of the world’s most extravagant and ambitious stadiums for little over £1 billion.
Miller’s remarks earlier this week have given eager fans at least a little update, as the club president emphasizes that a choice this significant must be handled carefully despite the overwhelming need for a resolution.
“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 stated at this week’s FAB meeting.
To raise our PSR headroom and, as everyone knows, allow us to invest more in football, it must, however, yield a return on investment that is investable and, at the absolute least, exhibit robust revenue growth.
Understanding other choices is a necessary step in the process to help us see the wider picture and strike the correct balance between opportunity and danger once more. We do not want to look back in years to come as a club or as a community and lament a squandered opportunity since this is a once-in-a-generation investment.
“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. Our goal is to choose a scheme that is deliverable, affordable, and sustainable. All of this calls for an extensive procedure that does not omit any details.
READ MORE ON:https://sportip.co.uk/