Is 65,000 a big enough capacity for a new stadium? - Opinons split as Newcastle United fans react to latest stadium news

On Thursday, Craig Hope wrote his Newcastle Confidential column for The Daily Mail and broke an exclusive that Newcastle United will press ahead with a brand new stadium on Leazes Park rather than expanding St James' Park.

Nothing official has been announced, and it's worth remembering that Luke Edwards also had a big stadium exclusive that turned out to be mostly false, so there's every chance that Craig Hope could have been fed duff information, too.

However, Hope wrote that Newcastle have shelved plans to expand St James' Park and are pushing on with a new build stadium on Leazes Park that will hold 65,000 fans.

Current information suggests that the new stadium will have a similar look to the Allianz Arena with the 'bubblewrap' exterior and there will be a Wembley-esque walkway leading to the stadium.

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Some fans have been questioning whether it's worth leaving St James' Park for 13,000 extra seats

While the idea of a new stadium is exciting, it also means that the Magpies will be moving away from St James' Park, an iconic home that holds many memories, so the new stadium would have to be something special for large portions of fans to come to terms with moving.

However, there are fans who are already at odds with the plans based purely on the expected capacity. Some don't feel like increasing the capacity by just 13,000 makes it worthwhile or that it doesn't show the right level of ambition.

Social media has been awash with fans questioning whether it's worth moving for such a small increase, especially given the number of fans currently on a waiting list for a season ticket.

A new build opens up a world of possibilities that remaining at St James' Park wouldn't

That being said, though, it's not just about the capacity for the club. A new purpose-built stadium would open the venue up to being used for much more than the football and the odd music concert, which will, along with the increased capacity, bring in more revenue for the club.

If Newcastle pressed on with the expansion/regeneration of St James' Park, which was expected to increase the capacity to 60,000, the club would be stuck at that number.

With the new ground, we can operate at 65,000 capacity to gauge demand and if we find ourselves with a waiting list a few years down the line, there'll be scope to expand it which we just wouldn't have with St James' Park thanks to the well documented issues with listed buildings and the metro station.

If Newcastle are to match fans' ambitions, difficult decisions like this are going to have to be made. 65,000 may not seem too grand especially in the wake of Manchester United's 100,000 capacity stadium announcement, but it would still give us the second biggest stadium in the Premier League with scope to expand as the club's stature grows.

What are your thoughts?