Newcastle delay major St James’ Park decision after striking £18m agreement

The uncertainty over Newcastle's future at St James' Park is set to continue over the summer, but that doesn't mean to say the club aren't working behind the scenes on a way to bring in more revenue in other ways.

It's set to be a big summer at the club, with key decisions to be made on Eddie Howe's future as manager and several members of the playing squad.

At the beginning of April, it was announced that the club had secured an £18m deal with KNOX Hydration for the naming rights to their training ground. Could that be a signal that St James' Park could soon be subject to a similar deal?

Newcastle are ‘not currently working on' St James' Park naming rights

A report in the Chronicle has alleviated fears, for the time being at least, that St James' Park could be renamed any time soon.

Sources have told the publication that the club's owners recognise the iconic nature of St James' Park and are therefore ‘not currently working on pitching naming rights' for the stadium.

However, there is also a feeling behind the scenes that this is something that could reappear on the agenda once the club have made a final decision on whether to renovate St James' Park or build an entirely new stadium on the land adjacent to their current home.

We have signed a transformative multi-year partnership with KNOX Hydration, the world’s fastest-growing hydration brand.

Effective from 1 July 2026, our Training Centre at Darsley Park will be officially renamed The KNOX. In an historic first for the club, the partnership also… pic.twitter.com/mAKGwF0v9y

— Newcastle United (@NUFC) April 2, 2026

If the club does ultimately move forward with a different name for the stadium, they can expect backlash from supporters. Back in 2011, Mike Ashley made the controversial decision to rename St James' Park the ‘Sports Direct Arena' but was forced to switch back just ten months later due to fan revolts.

While there isn't currently the same hostility in the air between Newcastle supporters and the club's owners, a move like this could sour things very quickly.

FGG says: Treading carefully

As we know, Newcastle supporters are some of the most passionate around, and the vast majority would not take kindly to the idea of selling the naming rights to St James' Park. However, there is an argument that selling the stadium naming rights could actually benefit the club in the short and long-term, as it would free up more cash to spend in the transfer market.