Newcastle is investing C$360 million in a training complex that will be ready to use from the 2029-30 season, a signal that its Saudi owners are still committed to the club after a raft of high-profile player sales over the past year.
There has been growing skepticism over the commitment of the Public Investment Fund — Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund that bought Newcastle in 2021 — following the exit of Alexander Isak last off-season and Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali this summer, with the club fighting to comply with English soccer’s stricter financial rules.
Newcastle also didn't qualify for the lucrative Champions League — a competition which brought in estimated prize money of 50 million pounds (C$97 million) to the club last season — after finishing 12th in the 20-team Premier League in an underwhelming campaign under now-departed coach Eddie Howe.
PIF has also stated its intention to scale back its sports portfolio, including withdrawing financial backing for LIV Golf.
“The project represents a significant long-term investment into the club’s future by its owners PIF and RB Sports & Media,” Newcastle said in a statement.
Newcastle CEO David Hopkinson said it was a “landmark moment” for the club.
The statement said Newcastle will purchase the 260-acre Woolsington Hall estate — which includes a derelict listed country house and parkland — close to the city’s airport and build what the club describes as a “world-class training complex.”
The purchase is subject to planning permission, which will be applied for next year, and “with a view to the men’s first team moving in for the 2029-30 season.”
The site was previously purchased by former Newcastle chairman John Hall as a potential academy venue in 1994.
There is “flexibility to integrate bespoke women’s and girls’ facilities,” Newcastle said.
1:19
