St James’ Park hosting World Cup 2018 games
St James’ Park has been Newcastle United’s stadium since 1892. The stadium is an all-seater in Newcastle in North East England. It has a capacity of 52387 supporters, making it the 7th largest football stadium in the U.K. St James’ Park was expanded between 1998 and 2000 and has hosted concerts and international football matches.
The four stands in this arena are Gallowgate End (South), Leazes End (North), Milburn Stand (West) and East Stand. The stadium contains conference and dinner facilities, a large club shop, club museum and café. In April 2007, plans of further expansion to the capacity of the stadium were proposed. Heavy investment was planned, totalling around £300m, which would see the capacity increased to 60000, the building of luxury apartments, hotels and a large conference centre. However, since then, the club has changed ownership with the takeover by Mike Ashley and it is not yet clear if the new owner is willing to implement these plans. Theoretically, the maximum possible expansion to the stadium would be to increase its capacity to 70000.
Group Games in Newcastle in 2018?
Newcastle’s stadium is no stranger to big games or important events. It was chosen to host matches during Euro 1996. While the Wembley was being redeveloped, this stadium was occasionally used for England international matches. The stadium was one of the 6 mentioned that met the FIFA standards, meaning that it could host a World Cup match. In the 2012 Olympics to be hosted by England, St James’ Park will host some football matches.
The stadium was used to film the movie Goal! where a fictional player from Mexico is signed by Newcastle. It has also been used as an audition venue for popular TV show called ‘The X Factor’. This arena has proved that it can host large events as well as football. The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Queen, Bob Dylan, Brian Adams and Rod Stewart have all given concerts at the St James’ Park.
Newcastle United’s arena is one of the likely options to host World Cup matches if England were to be successful with their bid to bring the World Cup to their country. The respect towards the Toon combined with the capabilities of the stadium make it impossible for the FA to overlook it when compiling the stadium selection.
Search
Definate Venue.
contrary to opinion St James cannot be expanded any further. It has a train station undeneath the gallowgate end and listed buildings behind the east stand. I wish the myth of expanded this ground would be put to bed.
erm Russ yes it can pal, dont you no anything about the construction trade? all they’ll have to do it re-inforce the ground around the metro station, £300 million to do this has been quoted with hotels etc added, also SJP will have a capacity one day of 60,000+. One thing you did get correct though is that the east stand cant be redeveloped, whereas the Gallowgate End can be so get your fact right before shouting your mouth off.
TOONARMY4LIFE
A magnifiscent stadium, but they have a job to do getting promoted back into the premiership. The loss in commercial revenue will seriously hamper funds to develop the ground further.
For heavens sake what does Newcastle’s Champiopnship status have to do with anything ?, Hillsborough and Elland Road aren’t Premiership venues and nobody is talking them down, the fact is SJP is the fourth biggest ground in the country with a superb city centre location, a mainline railway station within 10 minutes walk of the ground and an international airport within 20 minutes drive, Newcastle could host international football tomorrow and not have to spend a penny on redevel;opment or infrastructure, how many of the other cities listed can say this ?
100% Definate World Cup Venue.
Just to clear something up, the East Stand CAN be redeveloped. There are listed buildings behind it which would complicate any construction work but from my understanding the cranes needed for the construction would need to be inside the stadium and not putting the listed buildings at risk.
It is not a new stand that is objectionable but the siting of the cranes so check your facts before shouting your mouth off Kev.
i think that Sunderland should get the games because we are growing and getting better. the team is improving in the premiership and attracting a bigger audience. the is happening throughout the area with the ever growing nightlife to the arts with the empire hosting many plays. the stadium is located just away from the city centre and so if voilance ever occur then no inocent people can get hurt. We are an area growing with the greatest and most friendly people in the world.If were the northeast host would cap off what is happening in Sunderland. big changes are happening and having the world cup would show that to everyone
newcastle united itself would be a mistake. the club has no manager, no board and real form optimism. the club don’t own their own stadium and therefore cannot extend. If international fans who have came to watch football go to their ground they would seriously disappointment, from the bleak gray seats to the bleak gray local’s faces. the whole world cup in england would be seriously let down because of the whole depression in the city. The stadium is located in the city center where anything happens to people who only came to the city for a good night out and end up in the hospital. never newcastle england would be let down, the fans of england would be let down and fifa will never give us the world cup again.
VOTE SUNDERLAND!
Sunderland i’d be embarrassed for any tourist going there. I work there have to commute from Newcastle and it’s an absolute hole.
Would be fantastic to see world cup football at St. James’.
Its a fantastic stadium which produces amazing atmoshpheres. Would love to see it packed with Brazilians, Dutch, Italians and a few Geordies.
Newcastle can offer far superior facilities than the mackems. More city centre hotels, more restuarants, more green spaces for fan parks and all within easy reach of airport(20 mins from city centre), city centre major rail network, main road and sea links. And of course the countryside of Northumberland! God’s country. Mackems are not particularly welcoming people either in my experience, they seem to dislike anyone not local. A prime piece of land (former vaux’s brewery site) is still a wasteland after more than 10 years! Couldn’t imagine a similiar site going undeveloped in Newcastle for that long. This rather hints that sunderland is not too clever when it comes to ambition and planning. A big city? No, run down town with a small town mentality.
Newcastle will win the bid hands down , People comming from all 4 corners of the glob want hospitallity and they want places to go things to do during the day , They want to get to a hotel as soon as they leave an international airport . Sunderland will never be good enough for 2018 its just plain facts .
Seriously how can it even being a contest? There’s literally not one thing in sunderland for toursits to see, barely any hotels, not on any major train lines, 45 minutes from our airport and even longer from boro’s. I’d be so embarassed for travelling fans to go to sunderland and see it as an example of an English city. There’s no divide in class in sunderland either, a small city made up entirely of hostile poor people. Sunderland is hands down the ugliest city in the UK with a city centre consisting of just several streets. On the other hand Newcastle is beautiful and perfect in every way to handle a world cup. It’s nailed on to come to the toon lads.. lets all laugh at sunderland hahaha
Without a shadow of a doubt!!
@james whale…you are joking right? I don’t think he’s being serious people. Sunderland is a horrible city, with a growing crime and drug rate. The nightlife is as lively as my Great grandad, and culture! Newcastle has so much more culture and history. Plus our football club is still much better known despite the fact we’re in the championship. Further we draw in bigger crowds then you do, despite being a league below. As a nightclub promoter I can vouch for its nightlife as well! Also we’ll defintely get promoted!! And we can extend the stadium if we want, but we need to get promoted first!
It’ll be good for the North East if Sunderland get the bid, which I think they have, however if Germany play I’ll tell my cousins NOT to visit!! Sorry but I don’t want them going to the official 3rd worst city in the UK!