Eddie Howe speaks on the future of St James’ Park as Newcastle United looking to expand the stadium or move.
Eddie Howe prefers to stay at St James’ Park rather than move to another stadium. He also stated the potential relocation of the club as a “betrayal”.
The Saudi Arabian owners of Newcastle are anticipated to make a decision in 2025 over the construction of a new stadium somewhere on Tyneside or the expansion and modernisation of their existing residence. St. James’ Park is located directly in the heart of the city, thus there are good reasons not to move. But its proximity to terraces of listed Georgian homes challenges the concept of raising the capacity from 53,000 to 65,000 . However, the manager of Newcastle has alerted the upper management to the risk of “losing something special.”
“What makes St James’ Park so unique is its position in the city,” said Howe. “That makes it totally unique. I’d hate to see the stadium move because it dominates the eyeline of the whole city and you can see it from miles around. That’s totally inspiring. Wherever you are in [central] Newcastle you get a glimpse and that’s so powerful.
“When you’re in it, the atmosphere, the look of the stadium, it’s a beautiful thing. I love being there, I love experiencing games there. The first time I managed at St James’ Park with Bournemouth I was like ‘Wow, I’ve never managed in a stadium quite like that’. St James’ Park blew me and my staff away. If the club was to move they would lose something special.”
“My natural instinct was always to stay,” Howe added. “St James’ Park is an incredible place to play football. It’s our home. So to sort of think about moving somewhere else feels like a little bit of a betrayal to somewhere that serves us so well.
“But we are well aware that, as a club, we need to increase our revenue. So people with more brain cells than me will make the decision for the benefit of the long-term future of the club.”