Newcastle’s CEO Shares Disapopinting Stadium Update

Newcastle United have acknowledged that their long-anticipated stadium decision is nowhere near completion, bringing an abrupt halt to previous suggestions that an announcement was close.

Speaking at a fan event held at St James’ STACK on Monday, chief executive David Hopkinson made clear that the club’s ownership has not settled on whether to redevelop St James’ Park or build a new stadium nearby.

Hopkinson openly stated: “I don’t know. We’re not ready to yet,” responding to a question on when a final decision would be made.

The CEO emphasised that the club is still weighing all options, adding: “Whether that’s a renovated or reimagined St James’, we haven’t made a decision yet. We are working on it literally every day.”

The comments mark a major shift from earlier messaging. Newcastle officials had previously described the stadium call as “imminent,” and chief operating officer Brad Miller had suggested an announcement could arrive in 2025 following a feasibility study.

Hopkinson pushed back on any expectation of a similar timeline, saying: “I know there’s a lot of pressure. I don’t know when that will be. That’s not today and I don’t think it will be next week either.”

The CEO stressed the scale of the undertaking and the difficulty of proceeding without full clarity. Calling it “the most ambitious project this club has ever taken on,” Hopkinson explained that the work “needs to be below the waterline,” adding: “Grand announcements of this design and this date, we’re not ready for that yet.”

The club maintains that increasing stadium-generated revenue is essential to competing consistently at the top level, but supporters will now face further uncertainty as deliberations continue without a defined endpoint, and who knows what ending…