The annual festival of rugby league is upon us as Magic Weekend returns to St James’ Park.
Our opponents at the home of Newcastle United are the Robins, who top the Betfred Super League table with eight wins from their first nine games.
Ahead of the trip, here is the ultimate spectator guide for any travelling supporter:
TICKETING INFORMATION
Ticket Collections:
Milburn Stand Main Reception – VIP collections & hospitality
Stadium Box Office – General admission
Box Office Opening Times:
Saturday: 10:00 – 20:00
Sunday: 10:00 – 18:00
END ALLOCATIONS
Leazes Stand
Saturday: Catalans Dragons, Salford Red Devils, Leeds Rhinos
Sunday: Hull FC, Wigan Warriors, Wakefield Trinity
Gallowgate Stand
Saturday: Leigh Leopards, Hull KR, St Helens
Sunday: Huddersfield Giants, Warrington Wolves, Castleford Tigers
HOW TO GET THERE (Strawberry Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4ST)
ON FOOT: St. James’ Park is located to the North West of Newcastle city centre, close to the junction between Gallowgate, St. James’ Boulevard and Barrack Road.
That’s just a 10-minute walk from Newcastle Central Station and around five minutes from Monument Metro Station and the city’s major bus stations. You can get your very own tailor-made route at www.walkit.com.
BY CAR: Parking is available on-site in the stadium car parks on a pre-pay basis only. To purchase a pass please contact NUFC on 0191 201 8558.
Please note parking is limited, however there are number of public car parks signposted clearly within Newcastle city centre, though be warned – they are likely to be extremely busy during Magic Weekend!
Information can be found on the Newcastle Council website. If you do need to use your car, use the postcode ‘NE1 4ST’ in your sat-nav to find the stadium.
BY METRO: Newcastle upon Tyne is served by the Tyne & Wear Metro system, a light rail network with frequent services between Newcastle Airport, Newcastle city centre, the coast, major transport interchanges and destinations south to Wearside.
We recommend St. James’ Metro station for local coastal destinations including North Shields, while Monument station – a five-minute walk away – is served by both yellow and green line routes towards Newcastle International Airport, South Shields and the coast.
To reach St. James’ Park from Monument station, walk west on Blackett Street and continue onto Gallowgate. The stadium will become visible on your right.
BY TRAIN: Situated on the East Coast Mainline, it is a principle stop for services between London and Edinburgh/Glasgow. In addition to regional services to Middlesbrough and Carlisle, it also offers direct cross-country routes to and from Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool Birmingham and Bristol.
The station is a ten-minute walk from St. James’ Park, walk west along Neville Street (A186) and turn right onto St. James’ Boulevard. The stadium is located at the top of the road and will become visible as you reach the junction with Bath Lane/ Wellington Street.
BY PUBLIC BUS: Newcastle upon Tyne has two major bus stations for local and regional services – Haymarket, for services to and from Northumberland and the North, and Eldon Square, for services to and from County Durham and the South.
Both are located on Percy Street, a five-minute walk from St. James’ Park. To reach the stadium, walk south west on Percy Street and turn right onto Gallowgate. St. James’ Park will become visible on your right.
BY COACH: Newcastle Coach Station is on St. James’ Boulevard and receives National Express coach services, while Megabus operates services from outside Newcastle Central Station. Both offer frequent services from across the UK.
FAN COACHES: From A1 south – Follow signs for City West to B6324 junction, take 3rd exit from roundabout onto Stamfordham Road. Follow A167 City Centre to the Cow Hill junction.
Exit and then turn right onto Grandstand Road then follow signs for City Centre. St James Park is on left hand side. Please park as directed on southbound carriageway. From A69 west – At A1 junction, follow signs for A1 North (Morpeth) then as above.
There is a pay and display HGV and coach park on Ord Street by the Metro Radio Arena. For further information, please contact the Parking Department on 0191 261 4503 or visit the Newcastle Council website for parking in the city.
MINIBUSES: Routes to St James Park, as above. Drop-off only outside Stadium. For longer stay parking, return in same direction to crossroads adjacent to BBC.
Turn right onto Hunters Road. Follow for ¼ mile to Claremont Road junction and turn left. Parking will be located on the right-hand side.
ONCE YOU’RE THERE
TICKETS: Please enter the stadium via the turnstile indicated on your ticket. The North (Leazes), East and South (Gallowgate) stands are for tickets with unreserved seating. The main West (Milburn) stand will accommodate supporters with reserved seats.
The GA turnstiles will open 60 minutes before the start of the first game on both matchdays.
RESERVED SEATING: Spectators must ensure that they sit in their allocated seat(s). Although there may be adjacent seats that appear to be empty, it is likely that ticket holder hasn’t yet arrived or is elsewhere in the stadium.
UNRESERVED SEATING: It is important to note that if an unreserved seat is vacated, it may not be possible to return to the same seat at a later time.
Certain seats or blocks within unreserved areas of the stadium bowl may be marked as RESERVED (e.g. close to wheelchair platforms and dug outs) and as such are not available to holders of unreserved seat tickets.
Spectators should ensure that they do not sit in any seat marked reserved if they have purchased a ticket for an unreserved area.
IDENTIFICATION FOR CONCESSIONS: If a concessionary ticket has been purchased, identification may be requested on entry. Holders of such tickets should ensure that they have appropriate ID with them.
PASS OUT SYSTEM: A pass out/return system will be operated on both event days allowing spectators to move freely to and from the stadium bowl – there is no limit on the number of times someone is allowed to pass out and re-enter.
Spectators leaving the stadium bowl with the intention of returning may do so but MUST first ensure that they have a hand stamp applied upon initial exit; if there is no evidence of a hand stamp re-entry will not be permitted.
Hand stamps will be applied by stadium stewards. Dedicated exit and re-entry gates in each stand will be used to facilitate this operation.
Different coloured hand stamps will be used for each level each day. It is important that match tickets are not discarded; tickets need to be produced for re-entry if using the pass out system. Re-entry to the stadium bowl will be on production of both a hand stamp and relevant match ticket.
FAN ZONE
Opening Times: Saturday 1pm – 8.00pm | Sunday 11am – 6.00pm
The Fan Zone is located on Strawberry Place, offering food, beverage, and activities delivered by official partners Glen’s, Northern, Egg, and Smart Energy throughout the weekend.
Fan Zone host David Woolbridge will be keeping the party going with live music, interactive games, and special guest interviews from the stage at the heart of the activity.
Be sure to visit for a chance to have your photo with the Betfred Men’s, Women’s, and Wheelchair Super League trophy, purchase official Magic Weekend merchandise and win some exclusive Super League prizes with our official partners.
DISABLED SUPPORTERS’ ASSISTANCE
Accessible parking (for blue badge holders) is available direct from Rugby League Commercial, on a first come first serve basis.
To apply contact jodie.filer@rlcommercial.co.uk Vehicles will not be permitted to park in accessible spaces without an event specific pass – blue badge must also be displayed on arrival.
Spectators with tickets for the Milburn stand Upper tier are advised that there are 140 stairs and 14 landings leading up to the seating area.
If you are disabled or have mobility issues, please ask a steward who will be happy to direct you to a lift. Any spectators who require audio commentary, please contact the Customer Service Centre at RLC on 0844 856 1113, Monday –Friday, 9am-5pm.
OTHER INFORMATION
CONTACTLESS PAYMENTS: Contactless payments are encouraged at kiosks in the concourse. Cash is accepted at a limited number of locations. There is a Barclays ATM at the South West corner of St. James’ Park.
A free-to-use cash machine is also located at the Tesco Express store directly opposite the stadium on Barrack Road.
REFRESHMENTS: A range of hot and cold snacks, soft drinks and alcohol will be available to purchase in all concourse areas. Once purchased within the stadium, alcohol cannot be taken outside into the city. Where possible encourage fans to bring a credit or debit card to purchase refreshments.
The majority of kiosks within St James’ Park are cashless. Please note that no large amount of food can be taken inside the stadium from outside.
The amount of food allowed will be at the discretion of Newcastle United staff. Bottles and cans are not permitted. If you have specific dietary requirements, please contact the steward at your stadium entry point. Permission may be granted following appropriate checks.
TOILETS: St. James’ Park concourses offer all the conveniences you would expect, including multiple accessible toilets and two Changing Places facilities.
These facilities can be opened with a radar key, please contact your nearest steward for assistance. Shearer’s Bar also has on-site toilets available to paying customers.
LUGGAGE/PUSHCHAIRS: We regret to inform you that there are no areas to store luggage/pushchairs at St. James’ Park during Magic Weekend.
Luggage items larger than A4 size are not allowed into the stadium for security reasons. Appropriate discretion will be used for ladies’ handbags, baby changing bags, etc. and will be subject to the standard security checks.
FIRST AID ROOMS: There are 3 first aid rooms located around the stadium, including on the Ground Floor of the North Stand, the South East Corner and Level 7 next to Lift 5. There will also be a number of medics on each level.
QUIET/PRAYER ROOM: There is a quiet room available in the North Stand and Milburn West, should anyone wish to use this space for practising multi-faith or quiet reflection. If you need to use this room, please alert your nearest steward who will direct you to this room.
SENSORY ROOM: There is a sensory room available on Level 6, in the Leazes West Corner. On matchday, supporters can access the room by using the Park Grill lift or the Milburn reception list and walking through the hospitality areas.
To book a space in the sensory room, we would need a request submitted to disabilitysupport@nufc.co.uk
