Changes made at St. James' Park - thanks to your feedback

Changes made at St. James' Park - thanks to your feedback

Throughout the season, thousands of you have told us what's working well and where we can do better. Your feedback is reviewed by our Supporter Services team and shared across the club to help drive real change.

As a result, a number of improvements have already been delivered, with more planned over the months ahead.

Matchday experience

Service Signatures

This season, we've launched our Service Signatures. These are a set of guiding principles for our teams to follow, designed to improve the service we provide at St. James' Park.

These focus on delivering consistent, confident and high-quality interactions and will be supported by extensive training for matchday teams across the stadium. The aim is to make sure every supporter receives the same warm, welcoming and professional experience, no matter where they are in the ground.

Digital screens in kiosks

We've already started introducing digital screens across our stadium kiosks to make menus clearer and easier to view. Over the next 12 months, we aim for all kiosks to be fitted with digital screens, with more being rolled out across the ground.

An upgraded PA system

The final stage of our full stadium PA system upgrade has now been completed. This ends a multi‑year piece of work to improve sound quality right across St. James' Park. The whole stadium sound system is now operating on a single consistent system, helping deliver clearer, more balance sound across all areas.

Floodlights

All stadium floodlights will be replaced with the latest lighting technology, ready for next season. This will enhance visibility, while also opening opportunities for more pre-match light and entertainment moments.

Stronger connectivity

Work is now underway to deliver full stadium 5G. With surveys and design complete, installation will take place over the next 9-12 months, bringing stronger, faster and more reliable mobile coverage.

Wi-Fi has already been introduced in hospitality areas, with plans to extend coverage across the stadium in the coming years.

Portable ChargeFUZE phone chargers will also be introduced across the stadium, including Milburn Reception, the Local Heroes hub, and the North and South Stand lower concourses, giving you access to on-the-go phone charging without being tied to a power point.

Facilities

Food and drink improvements

We're continuing to improve food and drink options across the stadium.

Former betting kiosks have been converted into new bars and food kiosks, already open in the North Stand Lower and Upper concourses. Four additional locations have also been identified for future conversions.

Click & Collect is now available in the South Stand and the Platinum Suite, allowing you to order ahead and skip the queues. We've also introduced a dedicated ordering and delivery app for wheelchair users, helping to make matchday access smoother and more inclusive.

Across the stadium, we've expanded our range to include oat and soya milk, decaf tea and coffee, as well as gluten free, vegetarian, vegan and halal options. A new food and drink availability map is available on our website, making it easier to find what you need.

Behind the scenes, we've upgraded draught systems at every bar, added more tills to help reduce queues, and installed new fryers and ovens in East Stand kiosks to expand our hot food offer. Three new Guinness bars and four Madri carts have also been introduced across concourses in response to demand.

Upgraded hot drink machines and additional kitchen equipment are helping us deliver a more consistent, higher quality offer, alongside new themed menus throughout the season.

Toilets

Toilet facilities are being improved with more reliable and energy efficient hand dryers, better lighting and upgraded flooring. Further enhancements will continue to be made in response to your feedback.

New seating

Since 2021, more than 10,000 seats across the bowl have been replaced. This season, a further 2,000 seats have been upgraded in the North and South Stand paddocks, with more improvements planned.

Accessibility

New accessible entrance - South Stand Lower

Accessibility was one of the areas you spoke passionately about.

In response, we've introduced a new accessible entrance for the South Stand Lower, designed to make arrival smoother, quicker and more comfortable for those who need it.

Matchday and events accessibility officers

From next season, we'll be introducing dedicated matchday support for disabled supporters. This will focus on arrival, support around lift access, wayfinding and departure, helping make navigating St. James' Park clearer, easier and more supported on matchdays.

Accessible toilet improvements

From next season, we’ll be updating the locks on all accessible toilets across the stadium. This will make it clearer when a toilet is in use, helping protect privacy and ensure a more comfortable, dignified experience for everyone.

Improved stadium infrastructure

All South Stand fire doors will be replaced ahead of next season, improving both accessibility and ease of movement.

Looking after each other

You've told us how smoking and vaping around the stadium can affect your matchday experience.

We're currently developing an education-led approach to reinforce where smoking and vaping are not permitted and why this is important. That means clearer messaging, greater awareness and a shared responsibility to help keep matchdays comfortable for everyone.

Our commitment to listening

Our matchday experience survey is sent by email around two hours after kick-off. Currently, you rate your overall matchday experience at 4.05 out of 5, measured across areas such as entry, food and drink, and facilities.

This season, more than 27,000 of you have shared your feedback. It takes just a few minutes to complete, and your views genuinely help shape what comes next.

We've also made it easier to find help and information by adding a direct link to our Support and Help Centre at the top of our website. This brings ticketing guidance, travel advice and account support together in one place.

For any other questions or requests, our Supporter Services team is here to help at supporter.services@nufc.co.uk.