Newcastle United’s 70,000-seater stadium next to St James’ Park now the frontrunner

Newcastle United's ownership is said to favour a new stadium on Leazes Park as Newcastle's plans to replace St James' Park move forward.

A new report from The Telegraph has suggested that the new £1.2 billion project would see Newcastle United construct a new stadium in the current Leazes Park area, though it would also overlap St James' Park.

It was revealed last week that club officials had seen plans for both a new stadium and a St James' Park expansion. However, now it appears a new stadium is indeed the preferred option for the people at the top of the club.

The new stadium would sit at a total capacity just shy of 70,000, which would be a nearly 20,000 increase on the current St James' Park capacity. With season ticket waiting lists of well over 25,000 when last recorded, it's no wonder the club is looking to the stadium to increase revenue.

Newcastle United new stadium

For now, club officials are keen to express that a decision has not been made. This is likely due to an upcoming fan forum in March, which will raise the question of a new stadium or expansion for fans. The PIF, who are the majority owners of the club, will have the final say on any new project. However, momentum is said to be growing around the idea of a new stadium.

Once completed, the new stadium would put Newcastle United second in the largest capacity in the Premier League table, just behind Old Trafford.

For Newcastle United, the steps will now be to get verbal approval from the council before submitting any plans. Based on the designs seen, it looks like the way the club intends to combat this is by building the new stadium on some of the current lands of St James' Park. Based on the image below presented by the Telegraph, the side would overlap with St James' Park by at least 25%, meaning it will only encroach on the green space land of Leazes Park by a fraction.

If approved, the new stadium is set to take six to seven years to construct, with plans to have it ready for the 2031/32 season.

St James' Park could remain?

Plans don't appear to stop at just a new stadium, however. The club still owns the St James' Park land, plus Strawberry Place, where the Stack fan zone currently sits. This means plans for a larger complex would also come into play, including a retail area and leisure activities.

Crucially, the stadium would remain in almost the same position it is now, retaining its iconic city centre status. The club will face a lot of local backlash; however, with part of the park taken up for construction and while it's a football-mad city, other things also matter.

One key aspect of this project is that it would allow Newcastle to continue to use St James' Park in its current form for much longer, even allowing the project to happen while St James' Park fulfils other obligations. This might also mean the club looks to maintain the St James' Park name rather than opting for a Leazes Park Stadium name.

FGG says: A compromise between fans and club?

We've seen a fair few options thrown around when it comes to St James' Park. While a new stadium in Leazes Park was always considered by fans, staying at St James' Park was more favourable. This new plan seems to be a compromise by the club, however. While it's a new stadium, it will (almost) remain in the same location as before. This could mean the club opt to keep it as St James' Park and seeing more as a 2.0 rather than a new stadium.

This way, fans can keep the name, and the club can maintain the “castle on the hill” vibe that the current St James' Park has over the rest of the city. A major fan forum in March is likely to be a key factor for the club's PR machine to turn fans towards the same direction as the club. Me as a fan, I can see fans liking this new project a lot more as it keeps the club in the same area while also bringing the benefits of an increased capacity and more revenue.