Pubs near English football clubs – One fanbase with a very ‘slight’ advantage… | OneFootball

Pubs on the doorstep.

Who are the haves and the have not? The lucky and not so lucky.

I am talking about football clubs and Pubs.

Any regular Newcastle United away traveller often faces two problems.

Not only how few pubs you can find near away grounds BUT also how unfriendly they are in many cases, banning away fans.

It is little wonder why Newcastle Upon Tyne is such a stand out place for away fans wanting to visit.

I often wondered just how well NUFC attendances would have stood up if we had moved to an out of town site as John Hall was at one point pushing for back in the 90s.

The present day and St. James’ Park back under focus, can it be significantly redeveloped to help cope with the overwhelming demand, or is a brand new stadium on a brand new site the only feasible solution?

I think when talking about a possible move to a different location, then it is really two very different questions for fans.

In an ideal world of course we would all love to push a magic button and have a far far bigger St James’ Park that could give us the best of everything.

However, if that was deemed not feasible, then it is a very different question asking fans if in favour of a far bigger stadium in an out of town location, as opposed to asking Newcastle supporters if they would be in favour of a massive new stadium but at a location still within walking distance of the city centre Pubs.

So, speaking of Pubs…

Back in 2019, research was done by ‘Pubs Galore’ to find out which English football club had the most Pubs within a half mile radius.

One football club was found to have more than three times as many pubs within a half mile radius, than any other English football club…

108 Newcastle United

32 Newport County

29 Ipswich Town

26 Blackpool

22 Chelsea

21 Arsenal

20 Mansfield Town

19 Sheffield United

18 Everton

17 Brentford

17 Burnley

17 Norwich City

16 Port Vale

16 Queens Park Rangers

15 Exeter City

15 Liverpool

14 Nottingham Forest

14 Swansea City

13 Bristol City

13 Crewe Alexandra

So that 2019 research showed of course Newcastle United fans way out in front with 108 Pubs to choose from within half a mile of St James’ Park, more than three times as many as second place (with 32 pubs each within half a mile) Wolves and Newport.

In that 2019 research, it was found that if the range was extended to a mile radius, then Sheffield United’s proximity to its city centre boosted its numbers to 134 Pubs.

However, that was still well behind Newcastle United which had 174 pubs within a mile.

I couldn’t find more up to date numbers than the 2019 stats but whilst I know some Pubs have obviously closed and others opened these past five years in the various towns and cities, fair to say that neither Newport nor Wolves have successfully closed that 76 Pubs gap (nor any other club), or even come close to doing so…

In the modern era, both Arsenal and Tottenham have built brand new superb stadiums at new locations very close to the original Highbury and White Hart Lane sites, though with the same dire lack of Pubs nearby.

So the challenge is on now for the Newcastle United owners, if indeed St James’ Park can’t tick all the boxes, then an alternative site needed BUT still within walking distance of hundreds of pubs.

Leazes Park / Castle Leazes are the stand out locations, situated just to the north of St James’ Park.