Opinions changing at Newcastle United as prospect of 80,000 super stadium grows

Newcastle United chiefs faced supporters at the STACK on Wednesday night with the club's stadium supremo Brad Miller talking openly about moving ground.

Miller, the club's Chief Operating Officer, asked fans for a show of hands in a straw poll whether they'd like to see the current 52,000 St James' Park "transformed" or move to a new ambitious stadium elsewhere in the city. Miller, who has overseen projects such as the £1.3bn transformation of Manchester Airport's Terminal 2, was left mouthing: "Wow" as a proportion of the fanbase, which included invited club members, appeared to vote in favour of a move.

Given the idea of leaving St James' Park was once a non-starter for many, it feels like opinions are changing on Tyneside? Why?

Probably because the fanbase has been educated on the world of PSR in the last 12 months and given the riches in the hands of the club's Saudi backers, it is clear that extra effort has to be taken in order for Newcastle to compete at the top.

Probably because the information coming out of the club these days is professional and measured and fans aren't being treated as an afterthought. As fans hung on the words of club chiefs last night it was worth taking a moment to breathe and appreciate what a fantastic arena the STACK is.

After the club's top brass left the stage and supporters had been treated to stories from Rob Lee, Papiss Cisse and Shola Ameobi, a band entered the STACK. I watched on as fans got up and danced with a beer in their hands - this is a million miles away from anything pre-2021!

Not so long ago the idea of holding a big fan conference with all of the club's board in attendance would have been unimaginable. Remember the former owner didn't even bother coming to home games by the end and stadium and training ground was dropping to bits, even the club crest was hanging off the wall at Benton!

As Miller spoke about the benefits of moving stadium and the prospect of DOUBLING club income, he was partially interrupted by CEO Darren Eales who reminded him of the fact that a new ground means "more seats". That means more generations of fans getting into St James' Park and families being reunited after the club was effectively torn apart by the previous owner Mike Ashley.

That's no exaggeration as Ashley's clumsiness and neglect did not just see a football team slide, it caused division as some fans quit season tickets and others opted to stay. The loyalest of the loyal stayed on and watched on until a Steve Bruce XI was effectively nose-diving back to the Championship in 2021.

And then PIF's purchase of the club changed the everyday life in Newcastle for good as ambition returned. Well with ambition appears to come sacrifices and one of them could be leaving St James' Park.

To those catching up with the magnitude of Miller's speech to supporters he said last night: "We have also taken the opportunity to look at what will a new stadium look like. It's not comparing apples with apples, they are not like for like. It's comparing apples with pears. The brilliant thing about St James' is it is an iconic location, the atmosphere and the competitive edge it gives the team on the pitch - and it has 52,000 seats already.

"But a new stadium doesn't have that, and we'd have to pay for all those seats again. A new stadium has the potential to earn a lot more, both on match days, and non-match days, a bit like STACK, - it is giving us an indication that we can actually contribute even more to the football club and football side if we had a new stadium."

What happens next will be interesting at Newcastle - but also extremely exciting too. One insider has spoken to me about the fact that whatever happens will be deemed a: "Win, win." Either St James' Park gets transformed under the stewardship of Miller or the club could be moving nearby to a mega stadium elsewhere in the city.

Fans will be consulted soon on what both of the proposals will look like but it will be a game changer for United. What has been notable is the change in opinion.

It feels like many more are open to a new stadium and following in the footsteps of Tottenham Hotspur and Everton. But people need to see what the next step genuinely looks like and that will be the next stage, seeing the proposals.

At the minute, it's only an idea and what will come next is an artist's impression. When that will be remains to be seen, Newcastle are scheduled to be a host ground at Euro 2028 for a start.

But the prospect of an 80,000 stadium that accommodates all the fans that want to see the team in modern conditions and at affordable prices is appealing. Throw in the money making machine it could be come and the clout of PIF, who will want the best in class, and a move could be absolutely fascinating.