WHAT HAPPENED?
The Daily Mail reports that the UK Government is expected to give their plans to move from St James’ Park to Leazes Park the ‘green light’, in a project that will ‘create hundreds of jobs and pour money into the local economy’. The ‘super stadium’ is reportedly set to have a ‘bubble-wrap-type exterior’ and will still be in the city centre.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Newcastle have played at St James’ Park since 1892. It is one of the most iconic stadiums in the British Isles and for many Newcastle fans it will be gut-wrenching to say goodbye to it. But with thousands on the waiting list for season tickets and matchday tickets hard to come by, moving to a bigger ground may be the best option to help the club grow. The exact cost of this is unknown.
DID YOU KNOW?
The report adds that there were tentative plans to redevelop St James’ Park but that has now been shelved and the goal is to move to Leazes Park. The club’s Saudi Arabian owners were presented with the plans last month and chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan is said to be ‘fully behind the project’.
WHAT NEXT?
The next step for Newcastle is to continue talks with local authorities and the government before these plans can properly take shape.