Sunderland release shock statement on St James’ Park future and Newcastle United groundshare
Charlie Bennett
3 – 4 minutes
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Sunderland’s chief business officer David Bruce has confirmed the club “would not entertain” a groundshare with Newcastle United.
All hell broke loose earlier this month when The Guardian reported that the Magpies may ask to temporarily play at the Stadium of Light. This came amid the St James’ Park saga, with Toon chiefs weighing up whether to revamp the iconic stadium or rebuild a new venue altogether.
Should Newcastle take the latter option, the question of where the team plays in the meantime becomes an issue. Tottenham Hotspur famously made Wembley their home, having the fortune of being a London-based club.
The North East does not boast that ability, with some suggesting a stop-gap ground could be built akin to the 2022 World Cup’s Stadium 974. A more controversial option would be to shift 14 miles to groundshare with Newcastle’s bitter rivals.
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This was widely condemned by both sets of supporters on social media given the tribalism of the Tyne-Wear feud. Both clubs have remained silent on the possibility – until now.
Black Cats chief Bruce met with supporters earlier this month and promised that Newcastle “would not be entertained” at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland famously endured a PR disaster ahead of last year’s derby when the Black Cats bar was revamped with black-and-white decor.
The Magpies have stayed tight-lipped on St James’ Park’s future but an announcement is expected soon. Brad Miller, the club’s Chief Operating Officer, spoke last year about a decision coming in early 2025.
“This is an exciting but extremely complex project and I’d like to thank supporters for their patience as we conduct this key phase of the feasibility process,” he said. “We aren’t quite at a decision-making stage yet, but we are targeting the early part of 2025 to complete the next essential tasks.
“We know what a transformed St. James’ Park would give us and we now have a significant amount of data and feedback on our stadium footprint and surrounding area, so we are several steps forward. But it is also clear that this option has several risks associated with it, so we need to fully analyse those risks against the opportunities to reach truly informed and intelligent outcomes.
“We are challenging our appointed design team, and ourselves, to make sure our eventual chosen route delivers a fantastic fan experience – one that represents the fans, city, region and club, and aligns with the long-term ambitions of our ownership group. But it must provide an investable return, and not least deliver strong revenue growth to increase our PSR headroom, which, as everyone knows, means we can invest more in football.”
