St James' Park

[Jackie Broon]

7 minutes ago, Wallsendmag said:

 

That's because their average gate was 22,000 at the time. Not really comparable.

 

Yeah, but the point is having a 52,000 capacity isn't going to affect our ability to compete.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see us have a 60,000+ capacity.

 

[Wolfcastle]

3 minutes ago, maze said:

Is it possible to extend or rebuild in one of the nearby parks? (Genuine question from a foreigner)

 

I guess there is people living in the nearby buildings around the stadium? 

 

Its not the people living there but the historic buildings.

Rebuild in Leazes park has been mooted before. Certainly preferable to anywhere else for me. Extension very tricky but dearly hope so.

 

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by Wolfcastle

[Wallsendmag]

1 minute ago, Jackie Broon said:

 

Yeah, but the point is having a 52,000 capacity isn't going to affect our ability to compete.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see us have a 60,000+ capacity.

 

 

But it will ensure that 1000s of our future generations of fans are locked out of SJP. As I said earlier if I had been locked out 39 years ago when my dad first started taking me I probably wouldn't have ended up being a Newcastle supporter. I went along and I was hooked, I went the next game and kept on going back. Its a dangerous game locking out your next generation of fans.

 

Juventus old stadium was over 2/3rds empty on average for every match, that's why they downsized. We are sold out every match despite being in the relegation zone almost all season. It was a strange comparison.

[TBG]

1 hour ago, STM said:

??

 

[Karjala]

How much did Liverpool spend on their recent expansion and for how many extra seats?

Think their current expansion is around £60m for 8000 seats isn't it?

[Whitley mag]

2 hours ago, Yorkie said:

 

Here's me thinking there was more to football than just dick-swinging. 

It’s not about dick swinging, its about giving every fan young and old, who’s waited decades to finally see a competitive club having the chance to see matches in the flesh. 
 

You’d have a situation where young kids coming through could probably only attend meaningless cup ties, without much hope of ever seeing the big games. Who’s to say that lot down the road don’t pick up in 5 years time and kids in divided areas can actually get to see a live game by going there.

 

As someone else correctly said earlier the average age of the match day crowd was growing older by the season under Keegan. It’s not healthy to lock out future generations, which will undoubtedly happen if we stay at an undeveloped St James.

 

History is great but looking after the future is more important. This club has been weighed down by an unambitious owner for 14 years, the last thing we need is unambitious fans holding us back when our time has finally arrived.

 

 

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by Whitley mag

[SAK]

8 minutes ago, Karjala said:

How much did Liverpool spend on their recent expansion and for how many extra seats?

Think their current expansion is around £60m for 8000 seats isn't it?

Don’t new purpose built stadiums cost near enough a billion pounds? Wouldn’t that be good value at that price?

 

edit to expand question.

 

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by SAK

[Whitley mag]

2 hours ago, 54 said:

Man City Owners seem happy with a 55,097 seater stadium ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Aye because they’re struggling to fill it. They do have tentative plans to extend the other end behind the goal at some point.

 

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by Whitley mag

[Hudson]

20 minutes ago, Karjala said:

How much did Liverpool spend on their recent expansion and for how many extra seats?

Think their current expansion is around £60m for 8000 seats isn't it?

110m or more, that does not include the compulsory purchase order for the housing the expansion was built on. 

[Yorkie]

10 minutes ago, Whitley mag said:

It’s not about dick swinging, its about giving every fan young and old, who’s waited decades to finally see a competitive club having the chance to see matches in the flesh. 
 

You’d have a situation where young kids coming through could probably only attend meaningless cup ties, without much hope of ever seeing the big games. Who’s to say that lot down the road don’t pick up in 5 years time and kids in divided areas can actually get to see a live game by going there.

 

As someone else correctly said earlier the average age of the match day crowd was growing older by the season under Keegan. It’s not healthy to lock out future generations, which will undoubtedly happen if we stay at an undeveloped St James.

 

History is great but looking after the future is more important. This club has been weighed down by an unambitious owner for 14 years, the last thing we need is unambitious fans holding us back when our time has finally arrived.

 

Well none of that chimes with your opening gambit of "Eighth biggest in the league!? Puh!"

 

What you've said there is a reasonable argument but I still don't totally buy it. It's not like 49-51,000 seats is horribly inaccessible. If we're targeting a fanbase of millions then what difference is another 10,000 really going to make, at the expense of everything associated with SJP? 

 

I went to SJP three times before I was 18. It didn't turn me off. 

[Dokko]

Just double the price of the tickets. Problem solved.

[Wallsendmag]

1 minute ago, Yorkie said:

 

Well none of that chimes with your opening gambit of "Eighth biggest in the league!? Puh!"

 

What you've said there is a reasonable argument but I still don't totally buy it. It's not like 49-51,000 seats is horribly inaccessible. If we're targeting a fanbase of millions then what difference is another 10,000 really going to make, at the expense of everything associated with SJP? 

 

I went to SJP three times before I was 18. It didn't turn me off. 

 

Another strange argument as we don't have millions of matchgoing fans. However increasing capacity by 20% makes a massive difference. It means 10,000 more people in our Region will be able to come and support the team.

 

I'd reckon most regular matchgoing NUFC fans went to more than 3 games before they reached adulthood so you'll be in a very small minority there. Being taken on a regular basis from being 5 years old was what got me hooked. It was a big part of my childhood growing up, and I have countless happy memories of it.

[AJ9]

12 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

Well none of that chimes with your opening gambit of "Eighth biggest in the league!? Puh!"

 

What you've said there is a reasonable argument but I still don't totally buy it. It's not like 49-51,000 seats is horribly inaccessible. If we're targeting a fanbase of millions then what difference is another 10,000 really going to make, at the expense of everything associated with SJP? 

 

I went to SJP three times before I was 18. It didn't turn me off. 

I only managed to start getting tickets for games through selling the Mag before I was 16, and had been on a season ticket waiting list for a few years before. 
 

Edit - and I was Newcastle daft before all of that. Had kits, annuals, posters, duvet sets, the lot. 

 

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by AJ9

[Jackie Broon]

57 minutes ago, Wallsendmag said:

 

But it will ensure that 1000s of our future generations of fans are locked out of SJP. As I said earlier if I had been locked out 39 years ago when my dad first started taking me I probably wouldn't have ended up being a Newcastle supporter. I went along and I was hooked, I went the next game and kept on going back. Its a dangerous game locking out your next generation of fans.

 

Juventus old stadium was over 2/3rds empty on average for every match, that's why they downsized. We are sold out every match despite being in the relegation zone almost all season. It was a strange comparison.

 

But is it really the case that thousands will be locked out? It wasn't difficult to get tickets for most games during the Robson era. If anything we got a bit spoilt and demand actually dropped a bit. I don't think demand necessarily increases linearly with success. 

 

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by Jackie Broon

[Wallsendmag]

5 minutes ago, Jackie Broon said:

 

But is it really the case that thousands will be locked out? It wasn't difficult to get tickets for most games during the Robson era. If anything we got a bit spoilt and demand actually dropped a bit. I don't think demand necessarily increases linearly with success. 

 

 

 

 

Different times now. The next home game v Brighton sold out within an hour of hitting public sale. Its conceivable the crowd could have topped 60k for that one had capacity allowed. That wouldn't have happened in the Robson era. Its changed times.

 

Back then our next opponents West Ham rarely filled 35,000 Upton Park. Now they have a 60,000 capacity stadium and a season ticket waiting list of 55,000. 

 

You've got to move with the times otherwise you get left behind.

[Kid Icarus]

I'm going to be blunt, this whole 'giving everyone a chance' bollocks is just PR brainwashed mind feedback. Even a cursory glance at how these things go (higher ticket prices, lower attendances, more corporate seats) should tell you that there's a 0% chance the people you reckon you're helping would benefit at all.

 

 

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by Kid Icarus

[NE27]

 

3 minutes ago, POOT 2.0 said:

I feel the expansion has an easy solution if taken seriously. Expensive? Yes. Fugly? Yes.  

 

But the solution doubles the size of land available and has been forwarded to the club for consideration. The additional structure would be barely noticeable. 

 

  Hide contents

 

Thank you for your time. 

 

Yes, but don't you think this may block leazes terrace from its right to light/souls/virginities?

 

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by NE27

[Ben]

That's a cricket pitch 

[Wallsendmag]

1 minute ago, Kid Icarus said:

I'm going to be blunt, this whole 'giving everyone a chance' bollocks is just PR brainwashed mind feedback. Even a cursory glance at how these things go (higher ticket prices, lower attendances, more corporate seats) should tell you that there's a 0% chance the people you reckon you're helping would benefit at all.

 

 

 

 

 

If the Gallowgate End was extended there's no chance those seats are sold as corporate/more expensive seats purely because of their location in the stadium.

 

I'd have thought that would be pretty obvious. When the Leazes was extended the majority of those people who took advantage if these new seats were of the younger more vocal type, hence a cracking atmosphere up there and serious banter with the away fans.

[Kid Icarus]

Just now, Wallsendmag said:

 

If the Gallowgate End was extended there's no chance those seats are sold as corporate/more expensive seats purely because of their location in the stadium.

 

I'd have thought that would be pretty obvious. When the Leazes was extended the majority of those people who took advantage if these new seats were of the younger more vocal type, hence a cracking atmosphere up there and serious banter with the away fans.

 

I agree. I'm more thinking about those seemingly happy to relocate.

[Wallsendmag]

2 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

 

I agree. I'm more thinking about those seemingly happy to relocate.

 

Ah got you, my apologies! My opinion is I'd only be happy to relocate if a new stadium could either be built on Castle Leazes or on the current Arena site and there was no chance SJP could ever have its current capacity increased.

[Whitley mag]

48 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

Well none of that chimes with your opening gambit of "Eighth biggest in the league!? Puh!"

 

What you've said there is a reasonable argument but I still don't totally buy it. It's not like 49-51,000 seats is horribly inaccessible. If we're targeting a fanbase of millions then what difference is another 10,000 really going to make, at the expense of everything associated with SJP? 

 

I went to SJP three times before I was 18. It didn't turn me off. 

Good article about how clubs are looking to expand or increase match day income. Even with our wealthy backers we need to consider FFP to compete. The mission statement from our new owners appears to be about being the best, unfortunately nothing about staying at an undeveloped St James ties in with that vision. I’ve got no doubt there’ll be many like you who don’t want to move, but a new stadium at Castle Leazes, or the arena site with maybe a big stand behind the goal like Spurs have would be pretty spectacular and may even have a better atmosphere if built well.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-10234693/Chelsea-Liverpool-City-Man-Uniteds-matchday-income-revealed-does-club-make.html

[Wallsendmag]

10 minutes ago, Whitley mag said:

Good article about how clubs are looking to expand or increase match day income. Even with our wealthy backers we need to consider FFP to compete. The mission statement from our new owners appears to be about being the best, unfortunately nothing about staying at an undeveloped St James ties in with that vision. I’ve got no doubt there’ll be many like you who don’t want to move, but a new stadium at Castle Leazes, or the arena site with maybe a big stand behind the goal like Spurs have would be pretty spectacular and may even have a better atmosphere if built well.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-10234693/Chelsea-Liverpool-City-Man-Uniteds-matchday-income-revealed-does-club-make.html

 

I don’t think it would be difficult to build a new stadium that could generate a better atmosphere than SJP. The current layout with 2 huge stands, a very small stand, and then another stand with a low roof isn't ideal as far as the acoustics are concerned.

 

As we move into an era where safe standing is starting to become a thing, imagine a stadium with 20,000 NUFC fans stood behind one goal! It would blow anything we currently have away!

 

I'd repeat though that this would only be of interest to me if it could be built at Castle Leazes/current site of the Arena. No out of town stadium please!

[Exiled in Texas]

Would love to see a land swap with the city between the current site and Castle Leazes. The new Stadium would be even higher on the hill making it even more prominent over the city.  The ground would still be in walking distance from the city center pubs.  And if they redevelop the current site back into a park, it would be a fantastic walk for the fans, through the park, up to the ground.

 

I remember seeing a drawing, on here, of what the redeveloped park could look like with the new Stadium in the background and it looked great.  Would be a real asset to the city.

 

And if the Reubens are the property magnets they say they are, they should buy buy up Leazes terrace now, and then sell it as high-value residential property once the park is redeveloped and the views are open over the park.  

 

 

[TomYam]

2 hours ago, maze said:

Is it possible to extend or rebuild in one of the nearby parks? (Genuine question from a foreigner)

 

I guess there is people living in the nearby buildings around the stadium? 

Newcastle only has one park in the city centre - and some people on this forum want to build a football stadium on it.

Leazes Park is the oldest park in the city boundaries. It's Grade II listed and is in a Conservation Area. 

Leazes Terrace is Grade I listed building (the highest rank of national importance ) and is in a Conservation Area - some on this forum wish it be demolished or moved elsewhere.