Newcastle refuse to rule out new stadium amid plans to capitalise on St James' Park demand

Newcastle CEO Darren Eales have confirmed that the club are looking into plans to expand St James' Park - and they could yet even decide to build a whole new stadium

Newcastle are plotting to transform St James' Park with 10,000 fans per game locked out - including dreaming up a new stadium.

Demand for tickets has rocketed on Tyneside since the Saudi takeover and the club wants a home with at least 65,000 seats and more corporate boxes to boost income.

CEO Darren Eales says the days of the club having to give away 10,000 tickets to make the stadium look full - which happened under Mike Ashley - are over, with massive oversubscription for Premier League games.

The club have recently hired an agency to explore how the East stand and the Gallowgate End could be expanded - or even more dramatically imagining a whole new stadium.

Eales told a fan forum that all options are on the table added: "There will be hypothetical questions, they will ask, for example: 'Imagine if there was a brand new stadium built on this site, what would you think? That doesn't mean we are doing that, it is about building that construct and getting that information from fans on what we do going forward.

"The whole concept is to look at the art of the possible. What we want to know is what is truly possible? We know we have this fantastic location here on top of the hill, cathedral on the hill but we know we have boundary issues and it's not as simple as if we had a lot of space. So what can we do?

"We need to understand demand. I am really excited about it, there has been a lot of talk for the last 30 years. So this is our way to have a look. There is more consultation but the first thing is to see what is possible.

"I learned quickly that everybody has a view on what could be done and everyone is an amateur architect. Whoever you talk to will tell you what you can do with the Gallowgate End or various parts of St James' Park.

"What we want to do is get a world-renowned leading agency that deals with this and to have a blank sheet of paper and see what is feasible and what can be done?"

The ground is hemmed in on the east by listed buildings used as university accommodation, which would be controversial to build too close to or demolish.

The Gallowgate End is complicated by having underground rail tunnels nearby, but to compete with Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool the Geordies need extra seats. However, remaining on the existing St James' Park city centre site, is a priority.

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