Football has seen many old stadiums and these stadiums have their own charm and aura. Today we will walk through one of the oldest stadiums in the history of English Football – St. James’ Park. Here are 10 intriguing facts about St. James’ Park.
Built
St. James’ Park was built in 1880 and was used as a football ground for 12 years. In 1892 Newcastle United bought this ground and since then this ground served them as their home stadium.
Capacity
It is the 8th largest football stadium in England with seating capacity of 52,305.
History
The place where St. James’ Park is located is quite historical since it was used for executing criminals. The last execution took place in 1844.
Other events
This ground was also used to host World War II victory parade in 1945. Other events like Sheep dog trials, athletic events and basketball games also took place in this ground in the 1940s.
Record attendance
In 1930, when Newcastle’s fan favourite Hughie Gallacher returned to St. James’ Park as a Chelsea player, the ground recorded the attendance of 68,386 – which is a record in the club’s history.
Weather
Due to extreme freezing weather in England, St. James’ Park stopped hosting matches from 15 December 1962 to March 9, 1963.
Name
Though the official name of this stadium is St. James Park but among the few fans this ground is also known as Gallowgate, the name of the south stand of St. James Park is “Gallowgate End” so don’t get confused with this.
Cost
St. James Park’s proper construction was completed in 2000 and it cost the club £43 million. This development gave the famous Silhouette style to the ground.
International matches
In International history, this stadium hosted 3 matches (Romania vs France, Bulgaria vs Romania and France vs Bulgaria) of the 1996 Euros.
Naming rights
Many stadiums of Europe have naming rights given to local parties but the ownership and naming rights of St. James Park belong to the Newcastle United club itself.
