Newcastle United’s Chief Operating Officer [COO], Brad Miller, has clarified why club bosses won’t be rushed into a stadium decision as the Magpies seek to make a call that is ‘deliverable, affordable, and sustainable’.
The Newcastle faithful have waited with bated breath for a St James’ Park expansion update ever since outgoing CEO, Darren Eales, insisted the results of the club’s stadium feasibility study were ‘imminent’ back in July. “We’re waiting for the final report, I think it’s imminent,” Eales told reporters during a summer update.
Since then, Newcastle’s new COO, Miller, has sought to play down expectations over an imminent decision over whether the Magpies stay at their iconic venue or build a brand new, state of the art stadium elsewhere. Miller has repeatedly branded the decision as a ‘once-in-a-generation’ call and again hammered home that point when talking to Fan Advisory Board [FAB] members at a meeting earlier this week, where he announced a decision shouldn’t be expected until early 2025.
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In recent days, it has been speculated expanding St James’ Park to increase the capacity to north of 60,000 could cost the club up to £1billion. For reference, Everton’s new 52,000-seater is expected to cost £800m in total, while Tottenham Hotspur recently unveiled one of the most lavish and ambitious grounds in the world for a little over £1billion.
Miller’s comments earlier this week have at least provided an update of some sorts for anticipating supporters, with the club chief stressing such a monumental decision needs to be made patiently, despite the clamour for an answer – one way or another.
“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,” Miller told the FAB meeting this week.
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“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.
“Part of the process is also to understand alternative options so that we see the bigger picture and, again, find the right balance between risk and opportunity. This is a once-in-a-generation investment, so we don’t want to look back in years to come, as a club or as a city, and regret an opportunity missed.
“Our objective is to select a scheme that is deliverable, affordable, and sustainable, so we are investing this time to make sure we are only going to spend money on the project where it will make the biggest difference – to fan experience, revenue, competitiveness, investment in football and operational efficiency. All this requires a robust process that leaves no stone unturned.”
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