A decision on the future of St James’ Park is set to be made before the end of the season.
The decision has been a long time coming for many fans who now just want to know what is happening to St James’ Park.
Discussions over whether the ground will be expanded or knocked down in favour of a new stadium have heated up in recent weeks. The PIF will be in Newcastle to make a decision ahead of the Magpies important Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
A recent report said that expanding St James’ Park would cost £800m and give them an increased capacity of around 60,000. The Magpies are due to host games in the 2028 European Championship, so an expansion could have an impact on their involvement in the tournament.
If PIF opted to move away from St James’ Park, a new stadium would cost Newcastle £1.2bn but would have a capacity of 70,000 and have the possibility of generating twice as much revenue on matchday.
Fans are eagerly awaiting a decision on stadium plans. Now, a new report has claimed that there is a baffling third option that would surely let Newcastle fans down.
Newcastle could scrap stadium expansion plans
Amidst all the speculation, Newcastle could still opt to remain at St James’ Park and not bother expanding.
According to the Guardian, PIF will be presented with a surprise third option which would be to just give St James’ Park a makeover and not bother completing any structural work. The decision would be a much cheaper one, but one that may not leave the best impression on Newcastle fans.
The report states that nobody is sure if Newcastle’s Saudi owners will deem expanding the ground worth the time and money.
Despite the bizarre report, it is believed that PIF wants to build Newcastle a new ground – which makes the most financial sense. In reality, expanding the Gallowgate End comes with many logistical problems, and the listed buildings behind the East Stand make expanding that side of the ground very tricky.
Toon fans got a glimpse of life in a new stadium after Everton held a test event at their new Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium. Newcastle fans weren’t impressed with Everton’s new ground – claiming PIF will make their proposed new ground much bigger.
- READ MORE – He wants to manage Newcastle United one day but secretly hated managing at St James’ Park
Newcastle also drawing up new training ground plans
For many years, Newcastle have been stuck in the cramped Darsley Park in Benton. They could soon be leaving there in favour of a new state-of-the-art training complex. Plans have been drawn up for two possible sites including Gosforth Racecourse which is believed to be the frontrunner.
It is believed that Newcastle staff were frustrated about the training ground in November about how long it had taken for an update on plans but they can now see that the wheels are beginning to turn in that regard.
Eddie Howe won’t be involved in training ground development like he was during his spell at Bournemouth but hoped that he and other Newcastle staff will be ‘looking on in awe’ in years to come.
It is unknown whether PIF will also decide on the location for the training complex. Reports have claimed Newcastle’s training ground will take ‘several years’ to finish once production starts.
For the immediate future, Newcastle will still be training at Darsley Park, and playing their football at St James’ Park.
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