Newcastle plan to build ‘Yellow Wall’ for expanded SJP’s Gallowgate End

According to The Telegraph, Newcastle United wants to turn St. James’ Park’s Gallowgate End into a single-tier stand, emulating Borussia Dortmund’s famous “Yellow Wall.”

If the team moves forward with its ambitions to stay at their current location, the stadium’s extension might result in one of the biggest stands in European football, solidifying the Gallowgate’s position as the major attraction of a renovated St. James’ Park.

The new stand might accommodate up to 25,000 spectators, matching Dortmund’s south stand and surpassing Tottenham Hotspur’s 17,500-seat South Stand, which is now the biggest in the UK.

According to The Telegraph, the proposed reconstruction would raise St. James’ Park’s overall capacity to over 65,000, making it the second-largest club stadium in England after Manchester United’s Old Trafford, which may soon be reduced to rubble.

Brad Miller, Newcastle’s chief operating officer, revealed that the club is committed to exploring every avenue to stay at its iconic city-center location, although the club can’t entirely rule out a relocation.

“The first choice is to stay,” Miller said. “If we stayed at St James’, we have 52,000 seats already. It comes with significantly more money if we transform it, and it will look amazing.”

The Gallowgate project would involve constructing the stand over the road behind the current site, with a tunnel allowing traffic to pass underneath.

However, the redevelopment is not without challenges, as the presence of a metro tunnel beneath the Gallowgate End and listed buildings near the East Stand have already complicated the logistics and will do so in greater ways come the plan to fruition.

While staying at St James’ Park remains the preference of over 70% of surveyed fans, Miller acknowledged the potential benefits of relocation.

“A new stadium has the potential to earn more than twice as much in terms of revenue and offer more seats,” Miller said.

If the Magpies fly away from SJP, alternative sites near Leazes Park are already under consideration, but building on that space would likely face legal and planning hurdles too.