Newcastle will make a decision early next year on the redevelopment of St James’ Park or whether to build a new stadium.
The club have confirmed that members of the Fan Advisory Board have now been talked through the initial findings of a feasibility study into what options are viable, as reported by Mail Sport last week.
But further investigation into what project represents the best affordability and sustainability means that supporters will have to wait before learning what happens next.
The club’s hierarchy and their Saudi owners are committed to increasing the capacity of the home stadium, be that at St James’ – with a current capacity of 52,300 - or elsewhere. Both options remain on the table.
Brad Miller, the club’s chief operating officer, said: ‘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.
Newcastle's owners are keen to boost the capacity of the 52,300-seater ground and will either redevelop or build on a new site
Chief operating officer Brad Miller previously shared that the club are prepared to commit significant investment to the project
‘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.
‘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. 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.’