Newcastle announce St James’ Park stadium update with plans to transform Gallowgate into one of Europe’s largest stands
NEWCASTLE UNITED are plotting a huge new Gallowgate End modelled on Borussia Dortmund’s "Yellow Wall" if they stay at St. James’ Park.
Toon chiefs have said an update on plans to either redevelop their current 52,000 home or move to a new mega stadium elsewhere will not be given until next year.
The current spot and the nearby Leazes Park area are believed to be the most favoured option.
And now it has emerged that Newcastle want the purpose-built new SJP to feature a spectacular new version of the Gallowgate End.
Plans are to construct one of Europe’s largest stands in a move that would see the capacity boosted to around the 65,000 mark.
The new stand would look to replicate Dortmund’s iconic 25,000-seater ‘Yellow Wall’.
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And it could be as big as the 17,500-seater South Stand at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The new Gallowgate would be part of a huge multi-sports venue still at the heart of the city.
And it would also include restaurants and bars in order to bolster the club’s revenue streams.
Newcastle’s chief operating officer, Brad Miller, told supporters last month: “The first choice is to stay. If we stayed at St. James’, we have 52,000 seats already.
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"It comes with significantly more money if we transform it and it will look amazing. That’s option one.
“Option two is if we were to move away, and not too far away as we aren’t going to stretch the elastic band to the point of breaking.
"The second option, we are looking at it seriously as it does have the potential to earn more than twice as much in terms of revenue, compared to a transformation of St. James’ Park. And more seats, a lot more seats potentially.
“The brilliant thing about St. James’ is it is an iconic location, the atmosphere and the competitive edge it gives the team on the pitch – and it has 52,000 seats already.
“A new stadium doesn’t have that, and we’d have to pay for all those seats again.
"But a new stadium has the potential to earn a lot more, both on match days and non-match days.
“It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So, everything we are doing, do we invest and transform St James’ as we see it today on site where we are? Or do we take that bold move and think about moving?”