Newcastle contemplates major redevelopment of St James' Park

Newcastle United has turned to a familiar company regarding the possible redevelopment of St James’ Park. Although the club has not officially decided on the alterations, they have consulted the famed architectural firm Populous.

The company has previously worked on creating some of the most recognizable sports stadiums around the world. Populous previously helped build fellow Premier League arenas such as Emirates Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and recent renovations at Etihad Stadium.

Populous, however, does not solely focus on soccer-specific stadiums. Here in the United States, they have worked on several high-profile Major League Baseball stadiums. This includes credit for leading the retro-inspired theme for arenas during the 1990s and into the 2000s. Populous built Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Coors Field, Minute Maid Park, PNC Park, and the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

Ownership wants to increase capacity but not affect atmosphere

Earlier reports from October indicate Newcastle is looking at ways to increase its current capacity at St James’ Park. The historic arena currently holds just over 52,000 fans during matchdays. However, club owners are hoping to expand this capacity to around 65,000 seats. This would make it the second-largest stadium in the Premier League behind only Manchester United’s Old Trafford.

The atmosphere at Newcastle’s home turf has been electric throughout the current campaign. In fact, the club has sold out every single home match this season. There are, however, concerns that the renovations would negatively affect this fantastic fervor. Nevertheless, Populous managing director Christopher Lee may have a solution.

Architect suggests redevelopment with higher stands for Newcastle

Lee recently sat down with the British newspaper i to discuss the possibilities of renovating St James’ Park uniquely. Lee stated that the club might have to build some of their stands up rather than out. This would ease concerns over the atmosphere during games. Meanwhile it would also deal with the lack of space surrounding the stadium.

“You’ve only got the Gallowgate and the East Stand to really expand at the current site and they would be pretty vertical which is not a bad thing,” Lee told the news outlet.

“You would end up with some really interesting bowls. I think that’s the bit where you could start to get really nuanced and create something with genuine authenticity because it’s driven by those constraints rather than the whims of an architect.”

Lee also addressed possible issues with expanding a stadium in an already tight area. However, the architect has plenty of experience in such situations. “In my career, I’ve had a few jobs where people think it’s impossible,” continued Lee.

“The Emirates was built on a train line, [the site] is a triangle with no access. We thought that was difficult, but it feels like every consecutive job after that gets more and more difficult.”

“The Aviva Stadium in Dublin reminds me of the potential St James’ Park redevelopment. They also didn’t want to move, it had 52,000 capacity but it was a predominantly standing stadium. They wanted 52,000 and a predominantly seating stadium on the same site but there were issues to overcome.”

Populous has collaborated with club’s owners before

Populous is not the official selection for the job. Still, it has history with the club’s current ownership. The firm previously worked with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) on several projects in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. Populous is, however, a clear frontrunner to lead the potential renovations at St James’ Park. Lee even told the aforementioned news outlet that he would “bite your hand off” to work on the stadium.

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