Newcastle United's St James' Park decision makers see £550m Tottenham boost as stadium call looms

The business end of the international break has been dominated by talk of a St James' Park exit in light of Newcastle United's Chief Operating Officer, Brad Miller, revealing publicly that a new, city-centre location was a real possibility.

"We are looking at it seriously as it does have the potential to earn more than twice as much in terms of revenue, compared to a transformation of St James' Park - and adding more seats, a lot more seats potentially," the chief told a packed STACK fan zone on Wednesday evening.

Newcastle fans are not the first set of top flight supporters to be faced with this type of head vs heart dilemma over upping sticks and heading elsewhere. Arsenal had the same concerns over leaving Highbury, while some West Ham United fans feel regret over swapping Upton Park for the plush new surroundings of the Olympic Stadium.

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Tottenham Hotspur, however, perhaps presents the best example of why Newcastle's chiefs have publicly expressed the possibility of a location change. Spurs swapped White Hart Lane for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in 2019, building the new 62,850-seater just yards from their old venue.

In the years since, Tottenham have reaped the rewards for such a bold - and costly - project. The new venue set Daniel Levy's side back around £1billion, financed through bank loans, £32m of Government grants and private funding. But value for money? It's looking that way.

The club posted a loss of £86.8m for the 2022/23 financial year but saw their year-on-year revenue growth increase by 24% to £549.6m. £227.7m of that revenue included sponsorship, merchandising and other revenues such as third-party events, visitor attractions and conference events at the stadium.

Tottenham now not only hosts football matches but also NFL fixtures, heavyweight boxing showdowns, rugby cup finals and show-stopping concerts with the likes of Beyonce, Lady Gaga and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. In Spurs' final season at White Hart Lane, back in 2016-17, the club made £45m in matchday revenue. Now, they have more than doubled that figure to rank as one of Europe's best when it comes to money-making.

A report published by UEFA earlier this year, showing gate revenue data from 2023, showed the power of Tottenham's new revenue-rousing ground. The north London side pull in £112m per season from those stepping through the turnstiles. This is only bettered by Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona in Europe, while Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea found themselves 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 11th respectively in the same league table.

Meanwhile, Newcastle have taken lessons from their own experiences of building the STACK fan zone, profiting from fans not just during a match - but before and after. Again, something Spurs have capitalised on.

"The stadium is a destination. People will come hours before kick-off, enjoy the plethora of food and drinks outlets - reasonably priced too - and then stay long after matches. It's a real hub and I couldn't imagine the stadium not being like it is now," One Tottenham fan told Chronicle Live recently.

Newcastle have recently opened their doors to welcome the England national sides - and the Saudi Arabia men's team - to Tyneside, receiving a healthy financial figure for doing so. They will again play host to two Sam Fender concerts next year.

“Of course, commercially, hosting events like this is always a major positive,” said Peter Silverstone, Newcastle's Chief Commercial Officer, after the international fixtures were held on Tyneside. “There’s a monetary benefit, but it also massively helps in terms of reputation. It’s fantastic in terms for revenue and commercial spinoff, but it’s even more valuable in terms of prestige for the city and the venue.”

The theme of Wednesday's stadium chat was all centred around revenue. After such a near-miss with PSR last season, the truth is Newcastle know they simply must increase their revenue streams - and a new stadium is proof that there is money to be made in building a new, state of the art ground that can become more than simply a venue to host football matches.