Newcastle United will hold the club’s annual open day at St. James’ Park on Thursday 17 August, giving thousands of young fans the chance to watch first-team training up close.
The event has become a hugely popular part of the club’s summer schedule in recent years, with a combined total of around 25,000 fans attending open days in the last two seasons.
The open day, which will include a dedicated Fan Zone, is free of charge for fans of all ages and will run from 9am until 2pm.
The Fan Zone will include fairground rides and a number of football-related activities, including a penalty kick area and speed cage.
Inside the stadium, which can be accessed via the East Stand, local youngsters will get the opportunity to step out onto the pitch from 9:45am when both the Newcastle United Foundation and Newcastle United Academy run training sessions.
Fans will be able to see Rafa Benítez putting the first team through their paces from approximately 10:30am, before a few lucky supporters get the chance to take part in a special challenge at the end of the session.
The full schedule is as follows:
9am – Fan Zone and East Stand turnstiles open
9:45am – 10:15pm – Foundation and Academy training sessions
10:30am (approx.) – 11:45am – First team training session
11:45am – Fan challenge
2pm – Fan Zone closes
Residents and visitors to the city are advised that Strawberry Place will be closed to traffic from midnight until 4pm on Thursday 17 August.