St James' Park

History

Early history

The site of St James' Park was originally a patch of sloping grazing land, bordered by Georgian Leazes Terrace, and near the historic Town Moor, owned by the Freemen of the city, both factors that later affected development of the ground, with the local council being the landlord of the site. Leazes Terrace was built c1830 by notable Newcastle residents, architect Thomas Oliver and builder Richard Grainger. Once the residence of high society in Newcastle, it is now a Grade 1 listed building, and, recently refurbished, is currently being used as self-catering postgraduate student accommodation by Newcastle University. The site was also near the gallows of the city, last used in 1844, lending the Gallowgate End its name.

The first football team to play at St James' Park was Newcastle Rangers in 1880. They moved to a ground at Byker in 1882, then returned briefly to St James' Park in 1884 before folding that year. Newcastle West End took over the ground in 1886. West End were wound up in 1892 and effectively merged into their rivals Newcastle East End, who took over the lease of St James' Park and became Newcastle United later that year. On 3 September 1892, Newcastle East End played its first game on the football ground.{{cite news | title = A significant first at St James' Park, Newcastle, back on this day in 1892 | access-date = 26 January 2020}} Local residents opposition to football being played at St James' dated back to the first games in the Football League following the building of the first small stand at the Gallowgate End. A redeveloped Gallowgate and further stands followed in 1899, bringing the first official capacity to 30,000 (standing).

While the stadium is now synonymous with the Black and Whites, Newcastle United actually played in red and white at St James' Park until 1904. In 1905, a doubling of capacity to 60,000, with a main stand on the Barrack Road (now Milburn Stand), and major other stands, produced a state-of-the-art facility, even boasting a swimming pool.

The second-ever rugby league test match, and first test victory by Great Britain, was played at the ground in 1908 against the touring Australian Kangaroos side on 23 January 1909.

1920–1990

Between 1920 and 1930, plans were drawn up for a double-tiered stand by notable football architect Archibald Leitch. However, after planning disputes, all that was achieved was a small roof over the Leazes Terrace side (Sir John Hall Stand). Floodlights were constructed in the 1950s, with the first match played using them held on 25 February 1953 against Celtic.

Up until the 1960s planning difficulties continued, culminating in lack of development of the ground being cited as the reason for failure of Newcastle United to secure the right to host a group stage of the upcoming 1966 World Cup following political disputes.

In the late 1960s further attempts were made to develop the site, and the council proposed a multi-use sports development of St. James' Park. This was rejected as not financially viable. Plans were drawn up by the club for a move to a stadium in Gosforth, These plans were withdrawn in 1971 after agreement to redevelop St James' Park was finally reached, after mediation by the then Minister for Sport, Denis Howell. In 1972, work started on the East Stand, 50 years after it was last permitted to be developed. In 1978 the Leazes End was demolished, but relegation and financial difficulties meant the new stand was not built.

Investigations following the Bradford City stadium fire in 1985 identified a need to replace the ageing West Stand, which was demolished in 1986. Its replacement, the Milburn Stand, was named in honour of Jackie Milburn and opened in 1987. Further development was again shelved for lack of finance.

Sir John Hall era

Until the early 1990s, the ground had achieved only modest expansion under various owners, with plans dogged by disputes and lack of finance due to poor on-field performances. In January 1992 businessman Sir John Hall, who had led the Magpie Group consortium in a hostile takeover of the club, was installed as chairman. Sir John used his experience in property development to rapidly gain approval and invested heavily in the stadium with finances gained from success under new manager Kevin Keegan.

1993 expansion

The Leazes End that had been demolished but not replaced was finally rebuilt, and opened as the Sir John Hall stand for Newcastle's debut season in the Premiership in 1993. The Gallowgate End was rebuilt, the Milburn Stand modified, and a new pitch, drainage and floodlights were installed. With all four corners filled in with seating, by 1995 the stadium had reached a capacity of 36,610.

Proposed Leazes Park development

As the expanded stadium still received full houses due to continuing success of the team led by the returning Kevin Keegan, in 1995, plans were submitted by the club to relocate to Leazes Park to the north. A new £65m purpose-built 55,000-seat stadium would be erected, less than two pitch lengths away from the original, but rotated, which would be similar to the San Siro in Italy. The old ground would be redeveloped to be used by Newcastle Falcons Rugby Club, as part of the wider envisaged 'Sporting Club of Newcastle', with basketball and ice-hockey teams purchased by Sir John Hall.

Leazes Park was historically part of the Town Moor, owned by the Freemen of Newcastle, but it led to political debate eventually gathered a 36,000-petition signature, equal to the then-current stadium capacity. Opposition also came from a conservation group Friends of Leazes Park led by Dolly Potter.{{cite news

It became clear that the relocation plan would not gain planning permission without a potentially long-running public enquiry. To quickly satisfy demand, the club decided to expand the current St James' Park instead.

Freddy Shepherd era

In 1997 Sir John Hall stepped down as chairman (remaining as a director until 2007, now life president of the club), and existing shareholder and board director Freddy Shepherd became chairman.

1998 expansion

Following the withdrawal of the Leazes Park plan, the club proposed expansion of St James' Park to over 52,000 capacity, through major construction of a second tier over the Milburn Stand, Leazes End and adjoining corner, adding to a structure that was itself just four years old. Ironically, after opposition from local residents to the relocation plan, the expansion of the current ground at the Leazes End has further reduced the view of Leazes Park from Leazes Terrace, although this is now student accommodation.

Save Our Seats campaign

The 1998 redevelopment caused controversy when the club informed 4,000 season-ticket-holding fans that their seat prices would be increased to corporate rates, with the option of paying these or being moved to seats in the proposed expanded sections. Half of these fans were 'bondholders', who had paid £500 in 1994 which they asserted guaranteed them an option on their specific seat for 10 years. Some fans resisted, and after two high-court cases and a Save Our Seats campaign, the club was allowed to move the fans, under an exceptional circumstances clause. As a gesture of goodwill, the club did not pursue the fans for legal costs awarded over their insured limit.

Casino plans

In late 2003, preempting the relaxation of the UK gambling laws, the club signed a deal with MGM Mirage to hand over the land above St James Metro station,{{cite news | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090214020607/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/is-this-the-future-for-uk-gambling-732252.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 14 February 2009

Gallowgate additions

2007 proposed expansion

It was announced on 2 April 2007 that the club intend to submit plans for a new £300million development of the stadium and surrounding areas, to include a major conference centre, hotels and luxury apartments. | access-date =2 April 2007 }} The proposals also include a plan to increase the Gallowgate End, eventually taking the capacity to 60,000.

This expansion would be funded by the city council and linked to the redevelopment of the land behind the stand and over the Metro Station, which had previously been earmarked for the casino project. Expansion of the Gallowgate end involves difficulties due to the proximity of a road, Strawberry Place, and issues surrounding reinforcement of the underground St James Metro station.

Mike Ashley era

The 2007 redevelopment plans announced under the previous regime were put on hold following the takeover of the club and its plc holding company by owner Mike Ashley. One of the first noticeable changes in the stadium in the new era was the removal of advertising mounted underneath the roofs (facing the crowd) for Shepherd Offshore and Cameron Hall Developments, companies associated with the previous regime. A large advertising sign for Sports Direct appeared on the lip of the roof of the Gallowgate, visible from the pitch.

A full review of the club performed by the new management team concluded that stadium expansion was not a priority. For the start of the 2008–09 season, the away section was moved from the corner of the Leazes stand/Milburn stand to the other end of the Leazes stand, where it abuts the East stand, at the same upper level. The area of seats designated as the family enclosure were expanded, and certain corporate areas saw increased pricing.

The first home game of the 2008–09 season, at 3 pm on a Saturday, saw the lowest-ever Premier League attendance at the expanded ground, of 47,711, resulting in cash turnstiles. It was speculated at the time that this was due to the Great Recession; however, with the shock departure of Kevin Keegan before the next home game, future changes in attendances would be hard to attribute to this alone. The first game after Keegan's resignation, a league fixture against Hull on 13 September 2008, registered a crowd of 50,242 amid protests against Ashley and Dennis Wise. This was followed by an attendance of 44,935 on 27 September in a league fixture against Blackburn Rovers, which followed a record low attendance of 20,577 on Wednesday, 24 September in a League Cup fixture, the lowest ever attendance for a competitive first-team match since the 1993 promotion to the top flight, and a drop of over 4,000 from previous lows.

Although Newcastle's crowds inevitably fell in 2009–10 as a result of their relegation and the fact that Britain was still in recession, the Magpies still attracted a modern-day record average attendance for a club at this level with their attendance for the season averaging at 43,383. They also became the first championship club to attract a league attendance of more than 50,000 at this level in the modern era, and ended the season promoted as champions of the Football League Championship.

In October 2014, a scoreboard was installed in the far corner of the Sir John Hall Stand. The scoreboard was used for the first time on 18 October during a Premier League tie against Leicester City. However the game was delayed one hour, due to damage caused by strong wind to the paneling surrounding the scoreboard. Newcastle United later stated on their website: "Supporter safety was of paramount importance."

Renaming of the stadium

On 10 November 2011, Newcastle United announced that the stadium would officially be renamed Sports Direct Arena, as a temporary measure to "showcase the sponsorship opportunity to interested parties", whilst looking for a sponsor for possible future stadium re-branding. According to the club, the St James' Park title was dropped as not being "commercially attractive".

Previously, in 2009, the club had announced plans to sell the naming rights for the stadium. After protests about the possible loss of the name of the stadium, which included the tabling of an early day motion in Parliament, the club clarified the following week that the move would not involve the loss of the name St James' Park altogether, citing the example of 'SportsDirect.com@StJamesPark' as a potential stadium rights package.{{cite news |access-date=3 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091106095126/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/tyne/8339594.stm |archive-date=6 November 2009 |url-status=live |access-date=3 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091107025506/http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/nov/03/st-james-park-renaming-newcastle-united |archive-date=7 November 2009 |url-status=dead |access-date=4 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091105044920/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/n/newcastle_united/8342406.stm |archive-date=5 November 2009 |url-status=live

On 9 October 2012, payday loan company Wonga.com became Newcastle United's main commercial sponsor and purchased the stadium naming rights. They subsequently announced that the St James' Park name would be restored as part of the deal.

Saudi-led era

Following the takeover of Newcastle United, the new ownership would remove the Sports Direct sponsorship all over the stadium with co owner Amanda Staveley claiming she was "looking forward" to removing the Sports Direct branding to get new sponsors with the signs being removed on 6 December. With the removal of the sponsor in the stadium former owner Mike Ashley would take legal action against Staveley and her husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi after Ashley alleged that both Staveley and Ghodoussi breached their agreement to continue to sponsor the stadium until the end of the 2021–22 season.

Prior to the beginning of the 2024–25 season, the "Newcastle United" signage, located above the East Stand, was restored to the original font that was used prior to the Sports Direct sponsorship.

Stadium description

Name

Official names

St James' Park is spelt with James' featuring one s and an apostrophe mark, as seen on the signage of the St James' Park steps outside the entrance to the stadium, and signage inside the adjacent Metro station. The use of an apostrophe is in contrast with the name of the Metro station itself, which is signed as St James Metro station, and with the street signs of the nearby St James Street and St James Terrace. Further, the use of one s and an apostrophe mark differs from the common convention of adding a second s to monosyllabic possessives ending in s, as is the case with the well-known public space in London: St James's Park.

The full stop after the St giving St. James' Park is both included and omitted by many sources, including the club's official website address information.{{cite web |access-date = 11 February 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080830021114/http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ClubFactfile/0,,10278,00.html |archive-date = 30 August 2008 |url-status = dead |access-date = 11 February 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080907094839/http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/StJamesGuide/0,,10278,00.html |archive-date = 7 September 2008 |url-status = dead

Post-millennium it has been debated both whether the written name should include an apostrophe mark after St James,{{cite news |access-date=11 February 2008 |orig-year=30 May 2008|date=4 June 2008 |access-date=11 February 2008

In May 2008 BBC Look North examined the case for adding an extra 's', to denote the ground is "the park of St James". The club stated that the ground is named after its neighbouring street, St James Street, which predates the ground, although it was pointed out the road sign of that street, and that of the adjacent St James Terrace, did not feature apostrophes. The BBC stated that both local newspapers The Evening Chronicle and The Journal write the name with a second 's', reinstating it partially in response to reader complaints after a period of publishing stories without it.

The club insisted the name is pronounced without a second 's', whilst it was asserted by the BBC that older fans, in particular, pronounce it with two.

A professor of applied linguistics of Newcastle University stated that if a second 's' was added to the name, it has to ultimately be pronounced in speech. The BBC went on to state that according to the Apostrophe Protection Society, if the ground is named as the "Park of St James", the name of the ground is correctly written as St. James's Park, with the second 's' pronounced.

Commenting on the written form on Radio Newcastle a week after the BBC story, a different senior lecturer in applied linguistics also of Newcastle University stated that if the name is to denote "the park of St James", the written form should feature an apostrophe, but the use of an additional 's' after it is optional and both are correct.

Match-day programmes printed up until the late 1940s have written the name as St. James's Park. According to the club historian, the oldest memorabilia in the club museum refers to the ground as being pronounced without a second 's'. However, a match-day programme dating from 1896, reprinted in the match-day programme of a home match against Derby County (23 December 2007) depicts the stadium name as St. James's Park.

Other sources also support the idea that the name should have no apostrophe as found in the name of the adjacent St James Street{{cite book

Nicknames

The stadium is known by its initials, SJP, or as St James'. In reflection of the early use of the site, it is also often referred to as Gallowgate, distinct from similarly unofficially named Gallowgate End, the name of the south stand.

Location

Architecture

The Milburn stand is the 'main' stand of the stadium, housing the main entrance, lifts and escalators behind a glass fronted atrium. The dugouts and player's tunnel is located in the traditional position of the middle of the main stand. Behind the seating terraces of the stands, the Milburn/Leazes structure contains four concourse levels, the Gallowgate End has three concourse levels, and the East stand has two concourse levels.

The stadium has an asymmetrical appearance from the air and from some angles from ground level, due to the discrepancy in height between the sides and ends of the ground. The height difference between the Leazes/Milburn complex and the East/Gallowgate stands allows views of the city centre from many seating positions inside the ground. Further expansion of the Gallowgate End could potentially produce a more balanced horseshoe arrangement of equal height stands, similar to that of Celtic Park.

The Milburn stand and Leazes end are double tiered, separated by a level of executive boxes; The East Stand and Gallowgate End are single tiered, with boxes also at the top of the Gallowgate. The three newest sides, the Milburn Stand, Leazes End and Gallowgate End are of structural steel frame and pre-cast concrete construction. In common with many new or expanded British football stadiums, the traditional box shaped 'stands' were augmented in the 1993 expansion by filling in the corners to maximise available seating, up to a uniform height. The Milburn Stand and Leazes End now rise higher than this level, covered by a one piece cantilevered glass roof. A further smaller stand section rises above this level behind the Gallowgate End.

The 1998 built steel truss cantilever roof above the Milburn/Leazes complex is the largest cantilever structure in Europe at 64.5 m, eclipsing the 58 m cantilevers of Manchester United's Old Trafford.

Orientation

The stadium has a rough pitch alignment of north easterly. The four main stands are as follows:

• Gallowgate End (previously known as the Newcastle Brown Ale Stand and before that the Exhibition Stand), at the southern end of the ground, named unofficially for its proximity to the old City gallows, and officially after the long association with the club of sponsor Scottish and Newcastle Breweries;
• Leazes End (previously the Sir John Hall Stand), at the northern end of the ground, named for its proximity to Leazes Park, and after the club's Life President Sir John Hall; The Singing Section was positioned in Level 7 of this stand.
• Milburn Stand, the main stand, on the west side of the ground. Named after 1950s footballer Jackie Milburn
• East Stand, whose name is self-explanatory, and the smallest stand of the four. Following the death of Sir Bobby Robson, a plan to rename the East Stand the Sir Bobby Robson Stand (or the Robson Stand) was drawn up. As yet, this has not been made official.

The unofficial new home of the singing section is located in the "Strawberry Corner" (South East Corner, located next to the Strawberry Pub) - between the Gallowgate End & East Stand.

Capacity

The stadium has a maximum seating capacity of 52,350, making it:

• the ninth-largest club football stadium in England, behind Wembley Stadium, Old Trafford, London Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Anfield, Emirates Stadium, Etihad Stadium and Everton Stadium;
• the eleventh-largest football stadium in the United Kingdom overall when including the Millennium Stadium (the national stadium of Wales), and Celtic Park (a Scottish club football ground);
• the thirteenth largest stadium in the United Kingdom overall when including the rugby venues of Twickenham in England, Murrayfield in Scotland.

Developments since 1993 have ensured the lower tier of seating of the ground still forms a continuous bowl around the pitch, below the level of the executive boxes. The club record attendance is 68,386 set in 1930 against Chelsea, when standing was allowed on the terraces.

Seating layout

The current stadium design offers an unobstructed view of the pitch from all areas of the ground. The Milburn stand is the location of the directors box and press boxes, and the main TV camera point for televised games.

Away fans for league matches were originally accommodated in the upper level, in the north west corner, which can hold a maximum of 3,000 fans. However, plans were made at the end of the 2007–2008 season to relocate the away supporters to the far end of the upper level of the Leazes End. This location has attracted criticism due to the poor view offered by being so far from the pitch due to the height of the stand, and the 14 flights of stairs to reach the upper level. For FA Cup matches the lower section of the corner is also used.

The traditional home of the more vocal fans is considered the Gallowgate End, in the same vein as The Kop for Liverpool F.C. The Gallowgate End was the end that the team attacked in the second half if they win the coin toss. In recent years there has been unofficial fan movement to create a singing section in the Leazes End upper tier, partly to counter the away fans, and partly to recreate some atmosphere lost since the recent expansion over 36,000. This group of fans call themselves the 'Toon Ultras'. Level 7 of the Milburn Stand houses the official Family Enclosure. Due to the expansion of the Family Enclosure, many fans from the singing section have relocated to the Strawberry Corner.

In 2013 a group began to help 'Bring Back The Noise' as St.James Park, this being branded as 'Division '92'. This group first began at home to Metalist Kharkiv in the Europa League. From that date the group began to move from strength to strength with new aims set to develop a singing section within the ground for all league games.

Facilities

As well as the normal Premiership football stadium facilities, the stadium contains conference and banqueting facilities. These comprise a total of 6 suites with a total capacity of 2,050, including the 1,000 capacity Bamburgh Suite containing a stage, dance floor and 3 bars, and the New Magpie Room, on two levels with a pitch view.

The stadium houses premium priced seating areas designated into clubs, each with their own access to a bar and lounge behind the stand for use before the match and at half-time. The Platinum Club, Bar 1892, Sovereign Club and the Black & White Club are in the Milburn Stand, and the Sports Bar is in the Leazes End

The Gallowgate End houses Shearer's, a sports bar and lounge, which is effectively another city centre nightspot in Newcastle, accessible only from the exterior of the ground. The bar is named after Alan Shearer. The Gallowgate also houses a large club shop, a police station. The Milburn stand houses the main box-office. In the south west corner there is also a cafe and a club museum.

Statues and memorials

Usage

Club football

Newcastle United have played their home league matches continuously at St James' Park. The stadium had not featured a scoreboard or big screen of any kind since the 1993 expansion displaced one from The Gallowgate end, although in 2007 bright red digital time displays were installed near the corner flags at pitch level. A big screen for the stadium was mooted as a possibility as part of a proposed new stadium branding exercise for 2010. On 18 October 2014 a large scoreboard was erected onto the side of the Leazes End, adjacent to the Milburn Stand. The first day of its use in a game versus Leicester City saw a one-hour delay to kick-off over safety concerns around the screen due to high winds.

International football

The stadium hosted three matches during Euro 1996. Along with Elland Road it was assigned to Group B, which comprised France, Spain, Romania and Bulgaria.

The stadium was one of several venues used as temporary home grounds for the England team while the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium took place.{{cite news |access-date=29 May 2007

St James' Park also hosted some football matches in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

The stadium hosted two international friendlies in September 2023 between Saudi Arabia and Costa Rica on the 8th, and Saudi Arabia and South Korea on the 12th.

England Women played against France in 2024, the first time The Lionesses have played at St James park

The stadium will host matches in UEFA Euro 2028.

Matches

Pitch

For football use, the pitch has the maximum international dimensions of 105 by 68 metres.

Rugby league

On 30 and 31 May 2015, the stadium held the Super League Magic Weekend. St James' Park was chosen to host the event after the City of Manchester Stadium, which had hosted the event annually since 2012, became unavailable.

The event was considered a success, with the 2015 event setting both single-day and aggregate attendance records for the event. The Magic Weekend returned to St James' Park in 2016, breaking the aggregate crowd record in the process, and returned once again for 2017 and 2018.

Magic Weekend returned to Newcastle in April 2021, for the 2021 Season, after previously been held at Anfield for the 2019 Season and being cancelled for the 2020 season. Magic continued to be played at Newcastle in 2022 and 2023, before being moved to Elland Road, home of Leeds United, for the 2024 season, where it was renamed to "MAGIC WKND". It was again used for MAGIC WKND 2025 on the 3&4 of May.

There have been three rugby league internationals played at St James' Park. The stadium is hosted the opening ceremony and opening game of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup – Men’s tournament, the first rugby league international to be played at the stadium for 110 years.

Rugby union

England national team

On Friday 6 September 2019, England defeated Italy in a warm-up match for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. This was England's first Test match in Newcastle and first away from Twickenham (outside the World Cup) since 2009.

2015 Rugby World Cup

The stadium hosted three 2015 Rugby World Cup matches.{{cite news |access-date=15 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803080622/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/8170488.stm |archive-date=3 August 2009 |url-status=live

European professional club rugby

In April 2017 the stadium was announced as the host for the 2019 finals of the European Rugby Challenge Cup and Champions Cup.

Newcastle Falcons

On 21 November 2017 it was announced that Newcastle Falcons would take their Premiership Rugby match against Northampton Saints on 24 March 2018 to St James' Park. The match dubbed The Big One was the first Premiership game at the venue.

The Falcons would return the following year to host Sale Sharks on 23 March 2019.

Charity matches

As well as professional matches, the stadium has been the venue for several charity football matches, including testimonial matches for Alan Shearer and Peter Beardsley. The stadium was also the venue of the final of The Prince's Trust Challenge Trophy, on 14 October 2007, between the Duke of Northumberland and Earl of Durham teams.

On 26 July 2009 St James' Park hosted the Sir Bobby Robson Trophy match, in aid of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, in which the famous Italia '90 World Cup semi-final loss against West Germany, in which Robson's England team were beaten 4–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw, would be replayed featuring players from the original World Cup squads and other special guests.{{cite news |access-date=24 April 2009 |archive-date=27 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090427171500/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/england/5214081/England-Italia-90-team-to-re-stage-Germany-semi-in-aid-of-Sir-Bobby-Robson-charity.html |url-status=dead |access-date = 24 April 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090426045829/http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10278~1638348,00.html |archive-date = 26 April 2009 |access-date=24 April 2009 |archive-date=23 December 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121223125852/http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-evening-chronicle/2009/04/24/england-v-germany-rematch-to-honour-sir-bobby-robson-72703-23464524/ |url-status=dead

Video games

The stadium has regularly featured on the popular football game series FIFA (video game series) and appears to be included on the global front cover of FIFA 13 with Lionel Messi in the foreground. The title sequence of FIFA Football 2004 featuring Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry and Alessandro del Piero was shot at the stadium.

Concerts

The stadium has hosted concerts for many famous artists, including The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band, Queen, Status Quo, Bob Dylan, Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Kings of Leon and Ed Sheeran. In 2023 the stadium hosted two sold out nights for Sam Fender, and then three more sold out nights in June 2025 during his People Watching Tour.

Film and television

The stadium has also been used as an audition venue for the television show The X Factor and also reality television show Big Brother. St James' Park has also hosted the final celebrity matches of the Sky television reality TV show The Match. The stadium was used extensively as a filming location for the film Goal!, as the film follows a fictional player Santiago Muñez who signs for Newcastle. There is also film footage showing a game between Newcastle and Liverpool FC from 1901.

Sir Bobby Robson tributes

Sir Bobby Robson, a lifetime Newcastle fan who managed the club from 1999 to 2004, died of cancer aged 76 on 31 July 2009, five days after having been at St James' Park to watch the England v Germany charity trophy match played in his honour and in aid of his cancer foundation. Immediately after his death, St James' Park became an impromptu shrine to Sir Bobby, with thousands of fans leaving floral tributes, club shirts and scarves in the Leazes End for the following ten days. After a private funeral service on 5 August, a thanksgiving service held on 21 September at Durham Cathedral in Sir Bobby's memory was broadcast on two big screens for spectators in the Leazes End.

References

References

1. "Premier League Handbook 2022/23". Premier League.
2. (17 August 2025). "Premier League Handbook 2025/26".
3. [http://www.nufc.co.uk/page/Club/History/StJamesPark Newcastle United official site] Stadium Information page
4. This has led to proposals to move at least twice in the late 1960s, and a controversial 1995 proposed move to nearby [[Leazes Park]]. Reluctance to move has led to the distinctive lop-sided appearance of the present-day stadium's asymmetrical stands.[http://worldstadia.com/stadium/england/st._james'_park/87.php worldstadia.com St James' Park review] Aerial photo of stadium and general info.
5. [http://www.london2012.com/venues/football-stadia-uk-wide.php 2012 Official Site] {{webarchive. link. (16 October 2009 Football locations, retrieved 15 April 2008)
6. [http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=424356&y=564729&z=0&sv=NE1%204LY&st=PostCode&lu=N&tl=&ar=y&bi=&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf streetmap.co.uk] indicated location of Leazes Terrace (the building, not the street) in relation to St James' Park
7. [http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/StJamesParkDetail/0,,10278~224162,00.html Newcastle United official site] {{webarchive. link. (30 April 2008 St James' Park Story, Part 1)
8. [http://www.telford-hart.com/education_projects.htm Telford Hart Quantity Surveyors] {{Webarchive. link. (24 January 2008 description of Leazes Terrace project)
9. link. (14 February 2009 description of Leazes Terrace project)
10. [http://www.ncl.ac.uk/accommodation/about/List_of_Accommodation/lzterrace.php Newcastle University] {{webarchive. link. (11 December 2007 Accommodation details for Leazes Terrace)
11. "The St James' Park Story". Newcastle United F.C..
12. "The Formation of Newcastle United". Newcastle United F.C..
13. Their fiercest rivals actually played at St James' Park before Newcastle or Either team that merged to become Newcastle United. The Mackems had been drawn in The Durham Cup to play Newcastle Rangers. Northumberland FA at this time did not exist [http://stadiums.football.co.uk/Premiership/St-James-Park.htm stadiums.football.co.uk St James Park info] containing a picture of the old East Stand with boxes, a picture of the infilled corner roof sections, and the red and white strip date.
14. (26 February 1953). "Celtic Beaten in Floodlit Match". The Herald.
15. [http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/StJamesParkDetail/0,,10278~224170,00.html Newcastle United official site] {{webarchive. link. (24 February 2008 St James' Park Story, Part 2)
16. link. (21 June 2017 1970–17 season, 'Stadia')
17. ["Newcastle United official site] St James' Park Story, Part 2"](http://www.nufc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/StJamesParkDetail/0,,10278~226535,00.html).
18. and protected by the [[Newcastle-upon-Tyne Town Moor Act 1988]]. The City council initially invited the planning proposal amid suggestions that the club might move to a site in [[Gateshead]], a 75,000-seat stadium next to [[Gateshead International Stadium]],[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_19961013/ai_n14456089 Sunday Mirror] Barcelona, Man Utd, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Arsenal and Keegan's..., 13 October 2006
19. and opposition. A pressure group "No Business on the Moor"[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19961220/ai_n14072148 The Independent] Newcastle divided as Toon army aim to camp on the moor, 20 December 1996
20. [http://www.toonarama.co.uk/seasons/1990s/1996-97/1996-97_diary_mar.html toonarama.co.uk] 1996 season, 'Summary'
21. link. (21 September 2007 campaign group newsletter issue 9 July 1997)
22. IStructE The Structural Engineer Volume 77/No 21, 2 November 1999. James's Park a redevelopment challenge
23. After a refusal by the Secretary of State to take the application to an inquiry, permission was obtained in July 1998. For minimal disruption to [[seating capacity]] during construction, the project required 3-day shutdowns of work on home match days. 750 seats were lost during construction. During this expansion, executive boxes in the East Stand were demolished and replaced by seating blocks from pitch level up to the existing rows, in a [[mirror image]] of the Milburn Stand. The [[luxury box|executive boxes]] were transferred to the new Milburn/Leazes complex, with more added to the Gallowgate End. During development, the additional stand and roof was constructed while leaving the existing [[cantilever]] roof intact until the last possible moment These developments increased capacity to approximately 52,143. The construction was completed in July 2000 at a cost of £42 million.[https://web.archive.org/web/20110826052725/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-898836331.html The Architects' Journal] Existing stadiums: St James' Park, Newcastle. 1 July 2005
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39. {{Coord. 54.9757788. -1.6199040
40. {{Coord. 54.9758527. -1.6202796
41. [https://www.fastscore.com/england/championship_2009-2010/head-to-head?team_a=615&team_b=580 FastScore.com Head to Head between Newcastle United and Derby County], accessed 12 October 2020
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