Newcastle United’s ambition to fulfil their undoubted ‘big club’ potential rests heavily on their ability to build a new stadium.
The club has been exploring ways to build the largest possible stadium they can on land adjacent to their current St James’ Park ground.
Plans to build some of the stadium where the Leazes End stands appear to have been shelved to ensure Newcastle can remain as a host city for the 2028 European Championship.
Club officials reportedly believe that a 65,000-capacity will be sufficient, but recent developments have cast doubt on that estimate.
More than 300,000 people hit the streets to celebrate Newcastle’s League Cup success, highlighting what the club means to the city.
The club is now considering pushing the capacity of the proposed new stadium to 70,000, but many fans believe that will still not be enough.
The land earmarked for the development includes the multi-story car park next to the Leazes End and the area directly behind the stand.
The club is proposing to replace the green space needed for the construction of their new stadium with a new park where the current pitch is now.
The listed buildings behind the East Stand would open on to the new park, which would make the proposed stadium more palatable to the local community.
The club has yet to acquire planning permission for any of their proposed options, which further complicates the matter.
However, while the club is understandably eager to maximise their matchday revenue, the proposed capacity for the stadium may have been underestimated.
Becoming a regular fixture on the annual sporting events calendar is another major consideration when grounds are redeveloped or new stadiums are built.
Many southern based pundits are unable to comprehend the size of Newcastle and the potential for the club to cram more fans into their new ground.
The 2021 census reported that Newcastle’s population was slightly over 300,000 people, making it the most populus settlement in the region.
However, when you consider that the city is only a small part of the conurbation of Tyneside, the actual numbers who form the club’s fanbase are significantly higher.
Unlike big cities such as London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and others, Newcastle has just one major football club.
There is also little competition from other major sports, which effectively gives Newcastle a free run at a massive potential audience.
Putting an accurate figure on the people who identify themselves as Newcastle fans is impossible but estimating it at more than two million would not be overstating things.
Sunderland and Middlesbrough are their closest rivals, yet neither of them comes close to matching the size of the fanbase Newcastle have at their disposal.
In simple terms, local-based support for the Magpies is massive. Other clubs may have more global appeal, but that is a debate for another day.
Building an 80,000-capacity stadium would not be fanciful for a club which boasts such a massive local fanbase across the north-east region.
That would allow the club to boost their matchday revenue, which currently falls significantly short of the biggest Premier League clubs.
For instance, Arsenal generated £153 million in matchday revenue during the 2023/24 season, dwarfing Newcastle’s figure of £68m.
Manchester United (£152m) and Tottenham Hotspur (£123m) were among the other English clubs who put the Magpies’ matchday revenue in the shade.
Increasing the annual matchday revenue is crucial to Newcastle’s hopes of complying with the Premier League’s stringent Profit and Sustainability regulations.