It is Newcastle United up against Liverpool at St James’ Park this afternoon.
A 4.30pm kick-off as the Premier League season begins.
So many talking points of course ahead of this match.
A very busy summer leading to a much changed Newcastle United on and off the pitch.
Matthias Jaissle today taking charge of his very first NUFC competitive match.
The tributes to Kevin Keegan will also have the benefit of having the largest crowd at St James’ Park for over 50 years.
An increase to the St James’ Park capacity was officially announced by Newcastle United on Friday.
The Newcastle United owners announcing the St James’ Park increased capacity as part of a number of improvements.
The official announcement stating: ‘We’ve expanded our safe standing provision with the introduction of new safe standing areas on Level 7. Thanks to additional work carried out by our operations team, we’ve also increased stadium capacity by approximately 500 seats, taking St. James’ Park’s capacity to 52,719 – enabling more supporters to experience live football in person.’
On Wednesday 18 February 1976, an official crowd of 52,760 packed into St James’ Park to see an FA Cup fifth round replay against Bolton Wanderers finish goalless, despite extra time played as well. Back in the day of course with the terraces, who knows exactly how many more than the official 52,760 were inside SJP that night!
Anyway, when it comes to official crowds, this afternoon is set to see the St James’ Park crowd fall just a little short of that Bolton match over 50 years ago.
Friday was obviously not the tens of thousands increase in stadium capacity that we are all waiting to hear about BUT every little helps. Another 500 Newcastle United fans extra will now be able to get into each St James’ Park match. Some 10,000+ across the entire 2026/27 season.
Friday’s announcement also including: ‘We’ve invested £10 million into our hospitality offering, delivering one of the most extensive upgrade programmes ever undertaken at St. James’ Park. Highlights include full refurbishments of the Chairman’s Suite, and transformation of The Magpie into a stunning new pitch view hospitality space, Tidings. Plus, we’ve reimagined Heroes into Icons, which is a tribute to Newcastle United legends and inspired by one of the club’s most iconic retro kits. Additional improvements have been made across the Barracks, Four Corners and Moncur Suites, alongside the transformation of 22 executive boxes.’
The St James’ Park pitch also having money spent on it: ‘This summer has also seen a significant investment in the heart of the stadium, with £3.6 million invested in a brand-new pitch structure; the first complete replacement in 21 years. The project includes the installation of a state-of-the-art SubAir system, helping to maintain playing conditions throughout the season.’
The club also detailing: ‘Over the summer, we’ve completed a stadium-wide PA system upgrade and invested £2 million in a new LED floodlighting system, complete with a backup generator to improve resilience. Work has also continued on improving mobile connectivity through the rollout of full stadium 5G infrastructure, helping supporters stay connected on matchdays. We’ve also installed four new in‑bowl replay screens, enhancing visibility of replays and key moments during games for supporters across the stadium.’
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