Newcastle United staff shown St James’ Park expansion and Leazes Park Stadium proposals

Newcastle United chiefs are set to decide on whether to expand St James' Park to 60,300 capacity or build a new 70,000-seater stadium in a new report.

According to the Daily Mail, staff at the club have now seen drawings from architect firm KSS, alongside local firm Ryder. A decision was expected in March, but the news is now likely to come closer to the end of the season.

For now, the club will be left to decide between expanding St James' Park to 60,300 capacity or constructing a new 70,000-seater stadium. A fan forum is scheduled for March, which will likely be used to gauge fan opinion once and for all.

Update: The club now favour the new stadium on the current St James' Park site!

St James' Park expansion: Big decision await

With the clubs having now concluded their feasibility study, it is understood that two proposals have been made to the club from KSS. The firm recently did the work on Anfield's Main Stand, and it is considered a major coup for the club to attract for the project.

The mail claimed that a “bubble wrap” style design would be shown to club officials if a new stadium were built. If St James' Park is expanding, however, it is expected the majority of the work will be done on the Gallowgate End, though no major style change is expected outside of the increased size. It is, however, expected that a number of areas of the ground will get minor capacity increases.

KSS, who are tipped to lead the project also worked on Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Qatar, which was used during the 2022 World Cup. They also worked on the Stade Oceane stadium in France, which used the “bubble wrap” design proposed for the new stadium. Speaking about this style of cladding, KSS said, “The pixelated ETFE shell cladding imitates the two core elements of sea and sky and acts as a shining beacon for the city, day and night.”

If the new stadium is chosen, the Mail confirms rumours that the Leazes Park site would be the club's desired location for the new 70,000-capacity stadium.

FGG says: Fan will should dictate the future

Right now, Newcastle United are between a rock and a hard place. St James' Park is an iconic stadium in English football, and the thought of losing it just doesn't sit right. While a new stadium would bring in another 18,000 capacity, it would (only) be an increase of 10,000 on the expansion plans. While a new stadium could likely be expanded further much easier, it might not be worth losing such an iconic venue.

One possible solution the club might choose is to make it clear to fans. If we expand St James' Park, assuming the surrounding area remains the same, no future expansion can be achieved. At this point, many might look at 60,000 as small fry in a world where clubs are already moving into the 70,000-plus territory.

A fan forum in March will likely now be key to deciding what happens, though it has always felt like the club and the majority owners, the PIF, favour a new stadium.