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What's St James'
Park Like?
Future Ground
Developments
External
View (photo)
What
Is It Like For Visiting Supporters?
Leazes
(Sir John Hall) Stand (photo)
Where To
Drink?
Newcastle
Brown Stand (Gallowgate End) (photo)
How To
Get There By Car & Where To Park
East
Stand (photo)
By
Train
By Air
Newcastle
Brown (Gallowgate) End (photo)
Local Rivals
Admission
Prices
Programme & Fanzines
Ground Layout
Fixtures 2012-2013
Disabled Facilities
Record & Average
Attendance
Ground Tours
Other Places Of Interest
Fans Ground Reviews
Hotel Accommodation
TOFFS
St
James' Park Location Map
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| What's St James'
Park Like? |
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The ground
was largely rebuilt in the 1990's and is now
unrecognisable from the St James' Park of old. On
approaching the ground, it looks absolutely huge, as
it appears to have been built on raised ground. I
particularly like St James' Park as it is totally
enclosed and has a great atmosphere. With the
completion of the additional tier to the Milburn
& Leazes (Sir John Hall) Stands in 2000, the
capacity has been increased to over 52,000. These
stands have a huge lower tier, with a row of
executive boxes and a smaller tier above. This
development has created the largest cantilever
structure in Europe and has a spectacular looking
roof, which allows natural light to penetrate
through it (and hence is good for the pitch).
However the ground now looks somewhat imbalanced
with one half of the ground being significantly
larger than the other two sides. These remaining two
sides the Gallowgate End and East Stand are both of
the same height and are two-tired. The stadium is
also totally enclosed with all four corners being
filled with seating.
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Future
Ground Developments
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The
Club have announced plans to re-develop the
Gallowgate End of the stadium. The plans
which also include the construction of a new
conference centre, hotel and residential
apartments, would see the overall capacity
of the ground increase to around 60,000. The
plans are subject to local authority
approval and as of yet no formal timescales
as to when this might take place have been
announced.
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| External
View |
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| What Is It
Like For Visiting Supporters? |
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Away fans are housed on
the very far side of the Sir John Hall
Stand, in the top tier. Up to 3,000 supporters can be
accommodated in this section for league games
and a larger allocation is available for cup
games. Be warned though that it is a climb of 14
flights of stairs up to the away section and that
you are situated quite far away from the pitch. So if you are scared of heights or
have poor eye sight then this may not be for
you. On the plus side you do get a
wonderful view of the whole stadium, plus the
Newcastle skyline and countryside in the distance.
Also the leg room and height between rows are some
the best that I have come across and the
facilities on offer are pretty good. The concourse
is spacious and there is
a fair selection of pies on
offer including the Chicken Balti Pie,
plus the usual burgers and hot dogs, all served in
Newcastle United branded packaging (which made me
wonder if their sales were affected when playing
Sunderland!). There are also televisions on the
concourse, showing live the gamebeing
played, with separate refreshment areas
which serve alcohol, again in Newcastle United
branded plastic glasses.
Jeremy Gold a visiting Leyton Orient supporter
adds; 'The visitors section is on level seven at
the top of the stand. The view is a long way from
the pitch, although it is still good. If you
suffer from vertigo, don't go! The stewarding at
the game I went to was fairly strict. However
people were being warned against gesturing before
they were thrown out. Unfortunately some people
didn't take the hint and about five or six made
the long trip back down the fourteen flights of
stairs!'
The atmosphere in St James' Park can be electric
and it is certainly one of the best footballing
stadiums in the country. I personally found the
Geordies friendly and helpful and a trip to
Newcastle can be one of the better away trips in
the Premier League.
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Leazes
(Sir John Hall) Stand
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Thanks to Kevin Aldworth for
provding the photo above.
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| Where To
Drink? |
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The ground
is one of the few remaining in the country that is
literally right in the centre of the
city. You are only a few minutes walk from
the main shopping areas of Newcastle. There are
plenty of bars to choose from in the city centre,
but most away fans tend to favour the pubs opposite
and around Newcastle Railway Station. The 'A Head Of Steam' 'The Lounge'
and 'O'Neills' are all recommended, but some of
these bars will only admit
fans if colours are
covered and none of them admitted children. Also
nearby is a Wetherspoons outlet called the Union
Rooms. Alternatively there is Idols which has
strippers and is popular with both home and away
fans.
On my last visit I
went to the Bodega on Westgate Road and had no
problems. This pub is listed in the CAMRA Good
Beer Guide and had a friendly atmosphere. Closer
to the ground (and just around the corner from
China Town which is good for a cheap lunch) is the
Newcastle Arms on St Andrews Street. This pub is
also in the Good Beer Guide, but unless you arrive
very early and have no colours you are unlikely to
gain entrance. Just down the road is 'The
Backpage' book shop, which is an oasis of football
books, DVD's, programmes and memorabilia. Alcohol is also served within
the ground.
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Newcastle
Brown (Gallowgate) End
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Thanks to Kevin Aldworth for
provding the photo above.
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| How To
Get There By Car & Where To Park |
At
the end of the A1(M) continue on the A1 and then the
A184 towards Newcastle. Continue along this road,
bearing left onto the A189. Continue over the River
Tyne on the Redheugh Bridge, from which the ground
can be clearly seen. Carry on straight up the dual
carriageway (St James Boulevard). This leads
directly to the Gallowgate end of the ground. As the
ground is so central there are a number of pay and
display car parks in the vicinity.
Jason Adderley a visiting West
Brom fan adds; 'An easier way
into the City is to stay on the A1 until the exit
for Westerhope. Leave the A1 go straight over two
roundabouts and then follow the signs for the Royal
Victoria Infirmary (Queen Victoria Road) - parking
here is in a multi storey and allows a reasonably
quick getaway after the game'.
Map showing the
location of St James' Park, Newcastle (at the bottom of
this page).
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East
Stand
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| By
Train |
Newcastle
Central Railway Station is half a mile from the ground
and takes 10-15 minutes to walk.
Thanks to Dave Lawson for
providing the directions;
'Come out of the station, across the two zebra
crossings and then head up the pedestrianised Pink
Lane. Then cross Westgate Road at the top. Then up
pedestrianised Bath Lane with the old city walls on
your right. Turn right on to Stowell Street
(Chinatown). At the end of Stowell Street bear left up
St Andrews Street by Rosie’s Bar, under the ornate
Chinese arch. Then left up Gallowgate. St James is on
your right'.
Andrew Saffrey adds;
'If you're feeling lazy, you can get buses 36,
36B, 71, 87 or 88 from Berwick Street (across the
road from station), up to the ground. The fare
should be about 50p'. Whilst Claire Stewart informs
me; 'You can also get the metro from inside the
train station up to the ground, which has its own
"St. James' Park" stop. Go on the metro from the
railway station to Monument Metro Station where you
need to change trains to go to St James' Park. You
can also walk up to the ground from Monument
Station. It's pretty easy to find, and if you do
happen to get lost, then just follow the black and
white crowd!
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| By Air |
Newcastle
Airport is located seven miles away from the City
Centre. The easiest way to get into Newcastle is to go
by the Metro transit system. The airport has its own
Metro station which is situated next to the passenger
terminal. There are frequent departures to the City
Centre and the journey time is 23 minutes. This costs
£2 for a single ticket or £3 return (£3.80 at peak
periods). You can also purchase a
'day saver' ticket for £3.50 which allows you
unlimited travel on the Metro System for one day. Change
at Monument Metro Station for a Metro to St James Park
Station.
See
a map of the entire Metro system (takes
you to the Newcastle University website).
Remember if travelling by train then
you can normally save on
the cost of fares by booking in advance.
Visit the thetrainline
website to see how much you can save.
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Looking
Towards The Newcastle Brown (Gallowgate) End
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| Local Rivals |
| Sunderland,
Middlesbrough.
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| Admission
Prices For Away Fans |
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Like a number of Clubs,
Newcastle operate a ticket category system (A,B
& C) whereby the most popular games cost more to
watch. Prices are shown below with Category B &
C prices shown in brackets.
Away Fans:
Sir John Hall Stand
Adults: £36 (B £30) (C £26)
Over 65's & Full Time Students £31 (B £25) (C
£21)
Under 18's £18 (B £15) (C £13)
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| Programme & Fanzines |
Official
Programme: £3
The Mag Fanzine: £3
True Faith Fanzine: £2.50
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Ground
Layout
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| Fixtures 2012-2013 |
| Newcastle
United FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website).
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| Disabled
Facilities |
| For
details of disabled facilities and club contact at the
ground please visit the relevant page on the Level
Playing Field website.
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| Record &
Average Attendance |
Record
Attendance:
68,386 v Chelsea,
Division One, September 3rd, 1930.
Modern All Seated Attendance
Record:
52,327 v Manchester United
Premier League, August 28th, 2005.
Average Attendance:
2011-2012: 49,936
(Premier League)
2010-2011: 47,718
(Premier League)
2009-2010: 43,388 (Championship League)
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| Ground
Tours & Club Museum |
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Club offer daily tours of
the ground . The cost of the
tour on non-matchdays is Adults £10,
Concessions £7, Children £5. On matchdays these
ticket prices are increased by £3. Tours must be
pre-booked by calling 0844 372 1892. As part of
the tour a visit to the Club Museum is also
included.
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| Other Places Of
Interest |
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The Newcastle night
life is legendary, with the bars around Biggmarket
and the Quayside being very popular. A lot
of fans tend to stay over in Newcastle for this, or
in the nearby coastal town of Whitley Bay, which is
only a 25 minute journey away on the Metro. Whitley
Bay itself is pretty lively and popular for stag
parties. So why not make a weekend of it?
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| Fans Reviews Of St James Park |
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Dominic
Bickerton (Stoke City) 21/4/12
Mark
Buckingham (Queens Park Rangers) 15/1/12
Adam
Smith (Man
City) 26/12/10
Mark
Archer (Arsenal) 27/10/10
Andy
Cross (Crystal Palace) 27/01/10
Scott
Bowman (West Ham United) 10/01/09
Marc
Mayo (Reading) 5/04/08
Gareth
Carter (Manchester United) 1/01/07
David Brown
(West Ham United) 23/09/07
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| Hotel
Accommodation |
If you require hotel
accommodation in the area then first try a hotel
booking service provided by Late Rooms. They offer all
types of accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets
from; Budget Hotels, Traditional Bed & Breakfast
establishments to Five Star Hotels and Serviced
Apartments. Plus their booking system is
straightforward and easy to use. Yes this site will
earn a small commission if you book through them, but
it will go to help with the running costs of keeping
the Guide going. The Hotels listing also includes
details of how far away the accommodation is located
from the football ground.
Access
their Newcastle
Hotels and Guest Houses page.
Remember that you can use the above link or panel
below to book any other hotels that you may need
for business or leisure, either in the UK or
abroad.
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| TOFFS |
The Old Fashioned
Football Shirt company are based nearby in
Gateshead and have a factory shop that may be of
interest. You can see
how TOFFS shirts are made while browsing their range of retro football
shirts for teams from around the UK and worldwide. The shop is open Mon-Fri
08.00-17.15 and some
Saturday mornings (phone for details). 0191 4913500 or enquiries@toffs.com
or www.toffs.com Factory Shop at Unit 11C,
Station Approach, Earlsway, TVTE, Gateshead, NE11 0ZF. Click here for a location map.
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| Map
showing the location of St James' Park,
railway station and listed pubs |
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Instructions for using the map:
- Use the bar on the left of the map to zoom in /
out using the + / - keys.
- Click and drag an area of the map to move around
or use the up/down, left/right arrows
- Click the Satellite button to see aerial view
photograph.
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| Feedback |
| If
anything is incorrect or you have something to add,
please e-mail me duncan@footballgrounds.net
and I'll update the guide.
*
Although the Club didn't move in until 1892, the
land had been used for football since 1880.
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