St James' Park

[Bellis80]

Just now, Dr Venkman said:

Became its servicing the same market: arena size gigs in Newcastle. Stadium shows are a completely different market.

Fair enough but no clubs in England are having more than a few concerts a year. Needing a new stadium for that doesn’t seen worthwhile.

[Dr Venkman]

1 minute ago, Bellis80 said:

What high profile sporting finals could they have? There hasn’t been a uefa final in England outside of Wembley since it was rebuilt. We’ve had Rugby finals as well as international games in rugby and football.

 

 
If the stadium/location is good enough, anything. Everyone loves an away trip to Newcastle because of the location.

[Bellis80]

Which ones then?

[Dr Venkman]

1 minute ago, Bellis80 said:

Fair enough but no clubs in England are having more than a few concerts a year. Needing a new stadium for that doesn’t seen worthwhile.

A few is better than none. And stadium gigs are just one of many extra sources income.

[Dr Venkman]

Just now, Bellis80 said:

Which ones then?

Spelling bee finals.

[Bellis80]

Just now, Dr Venkman said:

A few is better than none. And stadium gigs are just one of many extra sources income.

Sunderland are nicking the big concerts. They’ve got one this year.

[Bellis80]

Just now, Dr Venkman said:

Spelling bee finals.

The only finals I can think of hosting are Rugby or Football. You’re not getting a Uefa final away from Wembley and you’re not getting a Rugby final away from Twickenham, other than ones we’ve already had.

[LFEE]

1 minute ago, Bellis80 said:

What high profile sporting finals could they have? There hasn’t been a uefa final in England outside of Wembley since it was rebuilt. We’ve had Rugby finals as well as international games in rugby and football.

You name it we could host it with a new stadium. All UEFA Finals. Brazil friendlies. Final and later stages of any Euro’s. 
 

Don’t think so parochial. There’s a bigger plan to all this with the Saudis backing the ownership group.

[Fezzle]

50 minutes ago, Conjo said:

 

They're probably not wrong.

 

Hypothetically speaking (just pulling numbers out of my ass here), if we only expand with 7000 seats and nothing else is done:

The cost for upgrading is £50m.

Average income pr. additional seat £30

Average of 23 home games every season (and assuming full capacity in all games)

 

That's an additional £4,8m every season, meaning it would take 10+ years before we have recouped the outlay, before taking the loss of revenue due to reduced capacity during the expansion period, increased maintenance & running costs and inflation into account. In reality closer to 15 years.

 

It's a different matter with our current owners if the exercise is just to please fans and report a bigger revenue in order to increase our ability to spend more money on buying players within the FFP constraints, and the actual profitability to the business doesn't really matter that much. To Hall and Shepherd it naturally made more sense to just increase the ticket prices

Thats a spectacularly bad estimate mind. Try 5x although probably more 10x that

[Dr Venkman]

5 minutes ago, Bellis80 said:

Sunderland are nicking the big concerts. They’ve got one this year.

Because SJP is not setup for gigs. A lot of that business will come to us if we provide the venue.

[Tross]

If you all want concerts & NFL then I suggest fucking off to London. Lower the capacity at SJP, stick the Leazes roof back on and get it rocking again, that's all we need. 

[Shearergol]

1 minute ago, Tross said:

If you all want concerts & NFL then I suggest fucking off to London. Lower the capacity at SJP, stick the Leazes roof back on and get it rocking again, that's all we need. 

 

Doesn't help FFP though I'm afraid.

[OverThere]

1 minute ago, Tross said:

If you all want concerts & NFL then I suggest fucking off to London. Lower the capacity at SJP, stick the Leazes roof back on and get it rocking again, that's all we need. 

You are a fan of the FCB days I assume or just on a wind up?

[Dr.Spaceman]

36 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

Genuinely always try and get as close to the end as possible for this reason.

 

I'm smack bang in the middle of a row in the Gallowgate and feel like a complete twat if I make anyone stand up before 30 minutes or after 75 

[Yorkie]

1 minute ago, Dr.Spaceman said:

 

I'm smack bang in the middle of a row in the Gallowgate and feel like a complete twat if I make anyone stand up before 30 minutes or after 75 

 

Genuinely one of my worst nightmares. I'll try and go for a piss three times before I leave the pub. I've always been like it. 

[Conjo]

10 minutes ago, Fezzle said:

Thats a spectacularly bad estimate mind. Try 5x although probably more 10x that

 

Yeah, I assumed it was optimistic, but the higher the cost, the stronger the point I was trying to make is.

[Fezzle]

Just now, Conjo said:

 

Yeah, I assumed it was optimistic, but the higher the cost, the stronger the point I was trying to make is.

Totally agree mind, its a huge financial and logistical mess for a very small reward

[timeEd32]

9 hours ago, cubaricho said:

This makes me want to hear the opinions of my American dudes who have been ( @Kanji @Ameritoon etc) - how do the facilities at SJP compare with say the Bucs or Lions stadiums? Or even baseball stadiums? As far as the experiences go. Is it a pretty stark difference in facilities when you walk in?

 

I've been to SJP and White Hart Lane (and Hillsborough and Millmoor, though a long time ago). It's a bit like stepping back in time and I mean that in the absolute best possible way. Everything a bit smaller and more cramped than the 21st century ideal, minimal comforts, and a singular focus on the game because you couldn't do anything else even if you wanted to. 

 

The best comparison I have is the old Yankee Stadium and especially its right field bleachers. The concourse, if you could even call it that, was dim with a place to piss and basic beer/food stands but not anywhere you'd want to spend an extra moment. The experience was all about the stands and the game. And on special nights it was loud.

 

They tried with the new one. They brought back the facade and the monuments, they kept the dimensions and the bleachers. Objectively it's a cool building right next door to the old one. But with the wider concourses and larger seats (which meant 5k less of them) came the loss of the old place's soul and character. It's too comfortable and too expensive, and it's not the same field that Ruth and Mantle played on.

 

It's a good example of how you can do so many things right -- they even preserved the old location as a field for local kids -- and yet miss on the most important parts (for me; the owners are plenty happy). There are a lot of parallels here to the idea of building a new stadium near SJP.

[Ameritoon]

1 hour ago, Superior Acuña said:

Shit, the only time I used to like to go in early was to watch the players train when I was a little kid.

 

 

 

This is why I go in early now. Such a novelty for me to see a football match in Europe I'm basically a kid Love getting up close watching warm ups and taking in the atmosphere.

 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

1 hour ago, Tross said:

If you all want concerts & NFL then I suggest fucking off to London. Lower the capacity at SJP, stick the Leazes roof back on and get it rocking again, that's all we need. 

 

Do what they'll never expect, lower the capacity

[OverThere]

19 minutes ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

 

Do what they'll never expect, lower the capacity

Its a cunning plan to ensure we stay in the lower reaches of the Prem. or perhaps the Championship.

[wormy]

Tbf considering the amount of comments I've started seeing about people buggering off mid-match for chicken bites at SJP, I can't wait to see the reactions to fairweather fans wanting to make use of genuinely quality facilities if we move to a state of the art stadium.

[Guest]

21 hours ago, gbandit said:

Outside the city centre is surely a non-negotiable for all fans, would be utter shit both for the city and the club 

It won't happen. They know they'd lose support. I know things change but Newcastle moving out of the city is the same as Milton Keynes dons for me. I'd rather just go to the bars in town than traipse to some industrial estate or backend of neewhere. 

[gjohnson]

Realistcally expanding at the current location is a logistical and financial nightmare. The only realistic way is a new location, or a temporary home where the current site is bulldozed and rebuit. Without change we are stuck, and and have no chance of catching up. 

 

Every team with a new ground had the majority of fans objecting to it, but I doubt there many Arsenal fans who now prefer Highbury(the libary) to the Emirates or Spurs that prefer the old White Hart Lane. Hell even Radcliffe is trying to get away from Old Trafford at the tax payers expense, knowing that a decent upgrade would be looking at billions. Perhaps we should try that and become the real "Wembley of the North"

[OverThere]

20 minutes ago, wormy said:

Tbf considering the amount of comments I've started seeing about people buggering off mid-match for chicken bites at SJP, I can't wait to see the reactions to fairweather fans wanting to make use of genuinely quality facilities if we move to a state of the art stadium.

 

I haven't seen this happening in modern stadiums (I can only go by NFL, NHL and MLB stadiums I have been in). There are so many choices and the queues never all that large so people don't seem to go early. Also, there are in seat sellers that pass the beer and food along to the seat so you don't need to move if you are that desperate to eat and drink during the match.