A visit to Newcastle is the ideal football trip. The quirky city in the north of England has it all: a big football club in Newcastle United, a beautiful stadium in St. James' Park and great nightlife.
The club from Newcastle Upon Tyne - or simply Newcastle - seems to have it all: a gigantic name, a loyal fanbase and one of England's largest stadiums. However, mismanagement has been a problem for a long time for the club with the infamous black and white striped shirts. It's a real tragedy for the Magpies, but with the new Saudi owners, things may be very different.
Look out for the lights on the far right in the photo pictured above. No matter where in Newcastle you may be, the chances are that you can spot St. James' Park. The stadium sits against a hill and is overwhelming for anyone who sees it for the first time.
The great thing about Newcastle is that it is a fairly compact city and St. James' Park is in the middle of it. Newcastle United's home stadium has a rather unusual build with half of the stadium – one short and one long side – being quite a bit higher than the other half, giving you panoramic views of the city from the high side of the stadium.
St. James' Park is a lovely stadium which can deafen your ears when the Toon Army gets behind their team.
We have all been able to enjoy it via Netflix and there was certainly a lot of laughter in Newcastle. The downfall of arch-rival Sunderland from Premier League to League One. All fun and games, but unfortunately, we have lost one of the most beautiful derbies in England.
The Tyne-Wear derby (referring to the rivers that the cities sit on) is a life-and-death struggle between two rival cities that are almost completely adjacent to each other. You can even take the metro from Newcastle to Sunderland's Stadium of Light, which is less than half an hour away.
Some of Newcastle United's greatest club heroes have been given a special spot around St. James' Park. Jackie Milburn, striker of the Magpies in the 1940s and 1950s, has been eternalised in the corner of the Gallowgate Stand and the East Stand, right next to the stairs. His captain at the time, Joe Hurley, also has a memorial stone about ten yards to the left of Milburn's statue. Together they won the FA Cup several times with Newcastle. Hurley also was the club's manager for many years and won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
The greatest player in recent club history is without a doubt Alan Shearer, the club's legendary number 9. A child of the city, but only ended up at Newcastle at a later age, only to become the Premier League's all-time top scorer. Shearer is immortalised in a statue outside the stadium, in his signature cheering pose, running away with his right arm in the air. It's on Barrack Road, on the same corner as Sir Bobby Robson but slightly lower, facing the street.
The Newcastle United logo uses many of the same elements as the city's coat of arms, such as the horses, logo, flag and castle. That castle is the 'Castle' from which the city of Newcastle owes its name. Some parts of the castle still remain. You can find it on Castle Garth, between Newcastle Railway Station and Tyne Bridge. The turret at the very top is the part that comes back in the Newcastle logo. By the way, if you climb the castle you have a beautiful view of the city and St. James' Park.
On the corner of Strawberry Place, directly opposite St. James' Park is The Strawberry, a proper Newcastle United football pub, On the outside wall, hangs a logo that you may be familiar with from the legendary Newcastle shirts in the 90s. It's the big logo of Newcastle Brown Ale, one of the city's best-known exports and one of the most popular beers in Britain. As far as we're concerned, there's no better place to try this local speciality, than in a brown pub full of real Geordies. The connection with Newcastle United is strong, judging by the shirts, photos and paintings of players on the walls.
A monument at St. James' Park, in memory of an air disaster that, at first sight, is far from Newcastle United. But nothing could be further from the truth: The MH17 disaster also had an impact on Newcastle.
Newcastle United's loyal fans John Alder and Liam Sweeney were on board of the plane, on their way to the club's pre-season friendly in New Zealand. They sadly passed away. Weeks after the disaster, Newcastle manager Alan Pardew and captain Fabrizio Coloccini made an appearance at Sweeney's funeral. In front of the Milburn Stand, the Alder Sweeney Memorial Garden was unveiled, a memorial to the pair but also to Newcastle United supporters that have passed away in general.
In St. Andrew's Street, not far from the stadium, at No. 56 is The Back Page, a football shop that we instantly fell in love with. They sell anything that has to do with football, from books to mugs, alarm clocks, hats and shirts from numerous football clubs.
A few years ago, a beautiful tribute to the club's glory days was created in the middle of the city. When you're on Northumberland Street, one of the city's busiest shopping streets, turn right into Northumberland Place and you'll find a 15-metre mural of Newcastle's famous players from the 1990s. In addition to the inevitabilities of Sir Bobby Robson and Alan Shearer, you will also see David Ginola, Kevin Keegan and a cheering Faustino Asprilla.
The size of St. James' Park makes it relatively easy to get tickets to Newcastle United home games. You can buy tickets via the club's official website.
Because St. James' Park is really in the middle of Newcastle, the stadium can be reached on foot from the centre within a few minutes. If you come from further afield, it is best to take the metro: St James station is next to the stadium and is the terminus of the yellow metro line.
Images: BSR Agency, Shutterstock
