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Newcastle United Ground Name: St.James'
Park |
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| Contents | |
| What's The Ground
Like? East & Newcastle Brown Ale Stand (Gallowgate End) (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? Where To Drink? Milburn & Leazes (Sir John Hall) Stands (photo) How To Get There By Car & Where To Park By Train By Air Leazes (Sir John Hall) Stand (photo) Local Rivals What Do The Newcastle Fans Sing? Admission Prices & Ticket Information Programme & Fanzines Ground Layout Fixtures 2006-2007 Disabled Facilities Record & Average Attendance Ground Tours Other Places Of Interest Fans Ground Reviews Hotel Accommodation Car Hire Own A Share In Newcastle United TOFFS Feedback Return To The Main Menu |
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
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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. |
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| East & Newcastle Brown Ale Stands (Gallowgate End) | |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| Away fans are housed in the
Sir John Hall Stand in the North West corner of the
ground, in the very top tier of the stand (the photo above was taken from this
area). Up to 3,000 fans can be accommodated in this section for Premiership
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 the best that
I have come across and the facilities on offer are pretty good. The
concourse is spacious and there are a fair selection of pies
on offer including
the
delicious 'Football's Famous 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 game
being played, with separate refreshment areas which serve alcohol,
again in Newcastle United branded plastic glasses. Beware
that most games are sold out in advance and trying to get tickets can be extremely
difficult. So don't travel unless you have one. 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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| Where To Drink? | |
| The ground is one of the few 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. Alternatively there is Idols which has strippers and is popular with both home and away fans. Alcohol is also served within the ground. | |
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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'. Peter Luckett informs me; 'The traffic in the city centre can be a nightmare and so is parking. My recommendation for fans travelling from the South is to head for Heworth, which is near Gateshead adjacent to the A184. It has a Metro Station and a long term car park where you can leave your car for a cost of £1.10. You can then catch the metro direct to the stadium at a cost of £2-40 return. For a map showing the location of the ground click here (to take you to the Street Map website). To go to a simplified page, containing the directions and pub info, which you can print out click here. |
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| By Train | |
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Newcastle Central Railway Station is half a mile from the ground and takes
10-15 minutes to walk. Thanks to Ian Kavanagh for providing the directions; 'Come out of the station, across the two zebra crossings and head right onto Grainger Street. Follow this road up to the second set of traffic lights (at Pizza Hut). This will see you at the top of the Bigg Market - Drinker's Paradise! You should have met a throng of black and white shirts by now, but failing that, bear left onto Newgate Street and follow the road all the way around to the roundabout with Gallowgate. Following this road all the way round will lead you straight to St James Park and the away fans' section'. 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). Change at Monument Metro Station for a Metro to St James Park Station. | |
| Local Rivals | |
| Sunderland, Middlesbrough. | |
| What Do The Newcastle Fans Sing? | |
| Oh my lads you should of seen us gannin, Gannin along the Scotswood Road just to see them stannin, All the lads and lasses there all with smiling faces, Gannin along the Scotswood Road to see the Blaydon Races!
We are the Geordies, the Geordie boot boys,
And we are mental, and we are mad,
We are the loyalist football supporters
The world has ever had!
"ith an N and an E and a W,
C An A and an S and a T,L, E.
U, N, I .... T, E, D,
Newcastle United, FC.!
And to the tune of Any old Iron:
"Liam O'Brien, Andy O'Brien,
Any, any, any O'Brien.
Put the ball in the Mackems' goal
O'Brien, O'Brien!"
Drink, drink, wherever we may be, Thanks to Wayne Corby, David Walsh, Kristian J Avery & Ross for supplying the song information. |
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| Admission Prices & Ticket Information | |
| Due the large number of season ticket
holders, there are only around 2,500 tickets available to home fans for each
game (more if the away team do not take up their full allocation). These
tickets are normally put on sale, at 9am on the Monday, two weeks before a
particular home game (but check out the official
website for full details). There are also a number of 'Executive
Seats' also available for each game, but obviously they are priced
accordingly. Home Fans: Away Fans: |
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| Programme & Fanzines | |
| Official Programme: £3. The Mag Fanzine: £2. True Faith Fanzine: £2. |
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| Fixtures 2006-2007 | |
| For the Newcastle United fixture list click here (to take you to the BBC Sports Website). | |
| Disabled Facilities | |
| For details of disabled facilities at the ground please visit the relevant page on the National Association Of Disabled Supporters (NADS) website. | |
| 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: 2005-2006: 52,032 (Premier League) 2004-2005: 51,844 (Premier League) 2003-2004: 51,966 (Premier League) |
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| Ground Tours & Club Museum | |
| The Club offer tours of the ground on non-matchdays at 12 & 2pm (except Mondays & Tuesdays). The cost of the tour is Adults £10, Concessions £7, or a family ticket (2 adults + 3 children) costs £34. Tours must be pre-booked by calling 0870-850-8074. As part of the tour a visit to the Club Museum is also included. | |
| Other Places Of Interest | |
| The Newcastle night life is legendary,
with the bars around Biggmarket and a ferry the 'Tuxedo Princess' (which
has been converted to a night club) 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 Salmon
(Tottenham Hotspur)
13/03/05 Nicky Rockall (Birmingham City) 1/01/05 Martin Hart (Visiting Scottish Fan) 5/02/05 Robin Dalgliesh (Middlesbrough) 4/11/02 Phillip Harper (Tottenham Hotspur) 29/12/02 Lee Roberts (Doing The 92) 21/10/00 |
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| Hotel Accommodation | |
| If you require hotel accommodation in the area then first try a hotel booking service provided by Football Hotels who are powered by Activehotels, who specialise in locating accommodation near or within a short travelling distance of the football ground. They also have the added advantage over some other hotel booking services that you pay on departure. 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. To access their Newcastle page click here. Alternatively there is a similar service provided by Superbreak in conjunction with Harvey World Travel. To access their service click here. | |
| Car Hire | |
| For Car Hire we recommend IIB Autos, our partners for Car Hire Newcastle. | |
| Own A Share In Newcastle United | |
| Framed Share allow you to buy a genuine share for someone else, which you can then give to them unframed, or in a frame of your choice. The recipients name will be on the share certificate, which shows that the person is now a shareholder in Newcastle United plc. As a shareholder that person will receive the annual accounts of Newcastle United plc and allow them to attend the Annual General Meeting of shareholders of the Club, where the Clubs senior officials attend and take questions. To find out more on how to purchase a share in Newcastle United for yourself or someone else click here. | |
| TOFFS | |
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The Old Fashioned Football Shirt company are based in
Newcastle 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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| Feedback | |
| If anything is incorrect or you have something to add,
please e-mail me 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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