Newcastle United’s owners have taken one of their biggest steps yet toward transforming the club’s infrastructure
The club announced Thursday that it has reached an agreement to purchase the Woolsington Hall estate, officially confirming plans for a new training complex that will eventually replace the Magpies’ current facilities.
This development ends a lengthy search for a location for its proposed new training base and commits £190 million (€220 million) to the overall project. Newcastle will acquire
260 acres of land south of Newcastle International Airport, including Woolsington Hall itself, a derelict listed country house, and surrounding parkland.
“Subject to planning permission, the site will be carefully restored alongside the introduction of new elite performance facilities for the men’s first team and Academy in a scheme totalling £190m,” Newcastle announced.
The club expects to submit its formal planning application to Newcastle City Council in early 2027. If permission is granted and construction progresses as planned, Newcastle intends for the men’s first team to begin using the new complex during the 2029-30 season.
The full plan is to eventually incorporate dedicated facilities for Newcastle’s women’s and girls’ teams at the same venue.
“This is a landmark moment for Newcastle United,” CEO David Hopkinson said. “Subject to planning permission, our proposed performance complex will create the world’s best performance environment for our teams.
“We’ll develop purpose-built facilities that are geared towards developing sustainable success in the future, where players, coaches and staff can perform at their very best every day.”
The location also carries considerable Newcastle history. Former owner Sir John Hall purchased Woolsington Hall in 1994 with the intention of eventually developing an academy there, although that project never materialized.
“This is a homecoming for Newcastle United given Sir John Hall’s initial vision for the site in the 1990s,” chief operating officer Brad Miller said. “We are finalising hugely exciting plans for the estate, which include renovating and enhancing listed structures and parkland and retaining them as key elements in our designs.”
Newcastle has already invested heavily in upgrading its existing Benton training facilities, recently renamed The KNOX, but the Woolsington project represents an entirely different level of long-term infrastructure commitment from PIF and RB Sports & Media.
What do you want Newcastle to do next: redevelop St. James’ Park or build an entirely new stadium elsewhere? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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