Newcastle United's owners PIF have invested a combined £25.6million in two 'bridge' projects – a £10million upgrade of the current training facility and £15.6million of improvements at St James' Park – as they underline their commitment to the club.
The investment follows the club's £190million deal to buy the Woolsington Hall estate for their new training ground, a 260-acre site to the south of the city's airport. Subject to planning permission being approved early next year, the club should be ready to move in ahead of the 2029/30 season.
£10m upgrade at KNOX training centre
While the new 'elite, world class' facility is being built, PIF wrote a cheque for £10million to improve the current training facility, in what was always described to Chronicle Live as a 'bridge' towards building the new one. The extension to the building was completed earlier this summer, ready for the players' return to pre-season.
The upgrades have seen a refurbished restaurant area, a running track, a new gym, a new changing room for the players, hyperbaric, hypobaric and cryotherapy chambers, as well as an underwater treadmill installed at the newly named KNOX training centre.
The north east press pack were given a tour of the new facilities earlier this week, with head coach Matthias Jaissle undertaking some gym work in the newly refurbished facilities during the visit.
£15.6m stadium improvements
Jaissle will manage at St James' Park this weekend against Liverpool for the first time in a competitive fixture as Newcastle United head coach, and he will do so with some further improvements made to the stadium.
The £190million forked out for the new training ground was the first of two big cheques Newcastle's decision makers need to write out. The second comes with the stadium and whether the Magpies expand St James' Park or build a new stadium from scratch.
Until that decision has been made, Newcastle have announced £15.6million worth of improvements at their current ground ahead of the new campaign. United have invested £10million into their hospitality offering, with a further £3.6million invested into making a brand new pitch – the first complete replacement in 21 years – and £2million in a new LED floodlighting system.
As well as new screens inside the stadium, the club have also announced 500 extra seats in the stadium in what is a fresh sign that the club's owners remain committed to investing in the club's future off the pitch, as well as on it.
