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Newcastle United FC
St James' Park
The Ground
The ground has largely been rebuilt in recent years and
is 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 liked 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, 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.
Future Ground
Developments
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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