St James' Park

About St James' Park

St James' Park is the home of Newcastle United and the largest structure in the city centre skyline, its cantilevered west stands visible from streets right across Newcastle. Football has been played on the site since 1880, when Newcastle Rangers used the ground, and Newcastle United took it over in 1892 following the merger of two rival local clubs. Successive rebuilding, most substantially through the 1990s and into the early 2000s, took the capacity from around 36,000 to 52,719, making it the ninth largest football ground in England. The result is a deliberately asymmetrical stadium with two very tall stands and two lower ones, a consequence of building constraints on the Leazes side; the steel truss cantilever roof over the Milburn and Leazes complex, completed in 1998, spans 64.5 metres.

The pitch is laid out to maximum international dimensions of 105 by 68 metres, and the ground has hosted far more than league football. It has staged England internationals, matches in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, rugby league fixtures, football at the 2012 Olympic Games and large outdoor concerts. Because it sits within easy walking distance of Monument, Haymarket and St James Metro stations and the Bigg Market, matchdays visibly take over the middle of the city. The club shop and hospitality entrances are on the Barrack Road and Strawberry Place sides of the ground.

Featured in These Guides

Blog posts and guides that feature St James' Park.

Former Magpie Pub Near Haymarket to Reopen as The Gander After £3m Refit

Amber Taverns has bought the former Magpie pub off Percy Street and is spending £3 million turning it into The Gander, a sports and live music pub with 25 to 30 jobs, due to open in early December.

Christmas in Newcastle 2026

A guide to Christmas in Newcastle city centre for 2026: the lights switch-on, the Christmas Market, Fenwick's window, pantos, Santa, ice skating, carols, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve on the Quayside and how to get in.

Best Streets and Areas to Live in Newcastle City Centre

Grainger Town flats above classical shopfronts, Quayside apartments, the creative Ouseburn, Georgian Leazes and the quiet square at Summerhill: a street-level guide to living in central Newcastle.

Football in Newcastle

A guide to football in Newcastle, from getting into St James' Park and following Newcastle United Women to non-league Saturdays at Benfield, Blue Star and Heaton Stan, plus five-a-side and walking football near the centre.

Newcastle on Screen: The City in Film and TV

From Get Carter to Our Friends in the North, Byker Grove to Vera, here is the Newcastle you have already seen on screen, and where to find the locations for yourself.

Best Walks in and around Newcastle City Centre

From the Quayside and the Ouseburn to the Town Moor and the medieval walls, the best walks are all within reach of the middle of Newcastle without a car.

Dog-Friendly Newcastle City Centre: Pubs, Cafes and Walks

A city-centre day out with the dog, from a Grainger Town micro-pub that keeps dog beer behind the bar to the riverside walk along the Quayside and the independent bars of the Ouseburn. Here is where dogs are genuinely welcome.

Corporate Christmas Party Venues in Newcastle

Newcastle city centre sells a Christmas party two ways: a table at a shared party night, or exclusive hire of a whole room. A guide to the venues, who handles twenty and who handles three hundred, and how everybody gets home.

Things to Do in Newcastle City Centre

A complete guide to the city centre: how it fits together, what to do with two hours or a full day, and where to go for museums, the Quayside, food, shopping, children, sport and the seasonal calendar.

Parks and Green Spaces in Newcastle City Centre

Newcastle keeps a thousand acres of grazed common land, the oldest public park on Tyneside and a riverside path all within walking distance of Grey's Monument. Here is how the city centre's green space fits together.

Sport and Fitness in Newcastle City Centre

Newcastle keeps its football ground, its half marathon start line and a thousand acres of common land within walking distance of the shops. A guide to St James' Park, the Great North Run, city-centre pools and the best routes out of the middle of town on foot or by bike.

Where to Park in Newcastle City Centre

Newcastle is entirely cashless, and the hourly rate varies by a factor of four between car parks a few minutes apart. Here is what each city centre car park costs, which one clears two metres, and the bus gates that catch drivers out.