St James’ Park

St James' Park was first used for football in 1880, but was initially nothing more than a bare pitch.

By the late 1890s, one small stand had been built, but it was the promotion of Newcastle to the First Division in 1898 that prompted the club to properly develop the ground. New terraces were built, which brought capacity to 30,000.

It then only took five more years before another round of significant reconstruction works was started. A new stand at the Barrack Road side and expanded terraces increased capacity to over 60,000.

In the 1920s, Newcastle planned for an extensive major renovation of St James' Park with new stands designed by architect Archibald Leitch, but conflicts between the landlord (the city of Newcastle) and planners led to abandonment of the plans.

In 1930, St James' Park recorded its highest attendance when 68,386 people visited a match between Newcastle and Chelsea.

Further conflicts between the club and city led to more cancelled plans in the 1950s and 1960s, which also made Newcastle miss out on hosting matches throughout the 1966 World Cup. These were staged by Middlesbrough's Ayresome Park instead.

In the early 1970s, the club ultimately reached agreement with the Newcastle city council, and in 1972 a new Leazes Terrace Stand opened. Works were to continue with the Leazes End, but relegation and a precarious financial situation ended hopes of further improvements.

Safety requirements resulting from the Bradford fire made a replacement of the old West Stand necessary, and in 1987 a new stand, named Milburn Stand, opened.

Further improvements were needed, but funding only came available after the takeover of the club by Sir John Hall in 1992. In only several years three new stands got built, resulting in a bowl-shaped stadium with a capacity of 37,000 seats.

In 1996, St James' Park was a playing venue of the Euro 1996 Championships, for which it staged three group matches.

The increasing popularity of the club made further enlargement necessary, and after plans to move to a new arena had fallen through, instead was chosen to build a second tier on top of the Milburn and Leazes Stands. Works were completed in August 2000. The ground now has the largest cantilever roof in Europe.

In 2011, St James' Park was temporarily renamed Sports Direct Arena (after the company of club owner Mike Ashley), but the ground referred back to its original name after new club sponsor Wonga bought the naming right.

(images of the current St James' Park below)

St James' Park stands on the edge of Newcastle's downtown area, making it easy to reach by public transit.

The ground lies slightly towards the north-east of Newcastle's centre and north of the main railway station, from where it is a 10-minute walk. On its northern side it borders Leazes Park.

If arriving by car, follow directions to Newcastle's downtown area. The ground is near most downtown area car parks, but due to its location Visitors are advised to travel by public transit.

St James' Park is also served by metro (stop St James) if you arrive from elsewhere in the Newcastle region or Newcastle Airport.

Address: St James' Park, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 4ST

One of the great assets of St James' Park is its central location right in Newcastle's downtown area. This means that visitors will find a large variety of dining and drinks options in the surroundings of the ground.

This also means that there are a fair few hotels at close a short walk of the ground. The strong-rated Sandman Signature Hotel lies right next door, but there are various more toward the main railway station. The Holiday Inn Express, County Hotel, and Sleeperz Hotel are among the more affordable that get good reviews.

To browse hotels near St James' Park use the linked guides, which shows you also all hotels in the downtown area.

Admission for Newcastle United games are sold online, by phone +44 (0) 844 372 1892, or at the official club stores at St James' Park and the Metrocentre.

Newcastle tend to sell out a quarter to half of their home matches depending on how well the season is progressing. If not sold out, tickets can also be bought at the ground ticket office right before the match.

Ticket prices depend on the opponent. For a typical match most Admission for the ends cost £27.00 and those for the sides between £32.00 and £52.00. Prices are increased with about £15.00 for high-profile matches.

Visitors will find a seating plan here.

Newcastle United offer guided venue tours around St James' Park that cover the changing rooms, dugouts, players' tunnel, and the media suite.

Tours usually run every day at 11:30 am, 12:30 pm, and 2:00 pm, but the current schedule may differ.

Booking in advance is recommended, but not required. Bookings can be made online or by phone +44 (0) 844 372 1892.

The tours is priced at £15.00.