Newcastle United victory parade shambles | OneFootball

I was interested to see The Mag running a poll on Sunday morning, asking NUFC fans – ‘Would you like a Newcastle United victory parade or an event on the Town Moor?’

Details (see below) of a special Carabao Cup winners event had been released by the club on Friday BUT no mention of a Newcastle United victory parade, nothing about an open top bus edging very slowly around the city centre to take the acclaim of hundreds of thousands of fans.

I was lucky to be one of those Newcastle United fans inside Wembley last weekend.

Did finally winning a trophy live up to my dreams and expectations? You bet it did!

Has this planned event by the club and local authorities to celebrate Newcastle United at last winning silverware, lived up to expectations?

You know that old saying about ‘Couldn’t organise a party in a brewery’, well, this NUFC farce sounds like the worst party ever.

The only conclusion I can come to is that this Newcastle United victory parade nonsense is a shambles.

How can you get something that should be so simple, so very wrong.

Hire an open top bus, Eddie Howe and the Newcastle United players climb up to the top deck and it is driven around the city.

Hundreds of thousands of fans, most of whom wouldn’t have been lucky enough to have a ticket for Wembley, will flock into the city centre. These fans happily spending loads of cash in city centre businesses before, during and after the Newcastle United victory parade.

The local authorities closing the roads and the Police overseeing this very happy occasion.

Pictures beamed around the world of our brilliant magnificent city, showcasing what a great place Newcastle Upon Tyne is, a joyous occasion with hundreds of thousands of locals and visitors enjoying the occasion.

Invite Newcastle United fans to gather on a big field that is a hassle to get to, with no parking facilities. Stand for hours (no seating) in the field, open to the elements, with no alcohol allowed and ‘enjoying’ a DJ and band, then watching the entire match (which you have already rewatched so many times in the comfort of your own home) on a big screen, then finally watching the players from a distance get up on a stage with the trophy.

Well when you put it like that…

Why has this happened?

Open top bus parades around a city/town usually happen within a few days at most of the trophy having been won. It isn’t rocket science. Roads are closed and the bus goes around the city/town, everybody cheers, then when the bis has gone past, the roads can re-open.

Newcastle United qualified for Wembley on 5 February 2025, at that point 39 days before the final.

So there were more than five weeks for the club and relevant local partners (council, police etc) to make a plan for if (when!) Newcastle United won at Wembley. Certainly, once Brighton knocked United out of the FA Cup on 2 March 2025, that gave a full two weeks to confirm plans for the weekend of Saturday 29 March or Sunday 30 March, as no involvement in the FA Cup quarter-finals. Everybody knew the international matches immediately followed the cup final, so that weekend (29/30 March) was the obvious time to have it, when all the Newcastle United players back together.

We are now a week past the winning of the trophy and no Newcastle United victory parade arrangements announced.

Some people still clinging to the hope that an open top bus parade will still be announced but it would make zero sense for that not to have been announced at the same time as the Town Moor thing. As I say, these victory parades usually happen only a couple of days after the trophy win, so with all this additional time that Newcastle United and whoever had to play with…

Who is to blame?

The thing is, when there is a void, when everybody is left in the dark, that void gets filled with all kinds of claims and rumours. The blame game runs rife because there is no transparency, nobody has taken ownership of this.

I have seen Newcastle United fans convinced that it is the council, others blaming the club, then others blaming the police.

The Town Moor announcement from the club included this:

‘The club extends its thanks to the Freemen of Newcastle, Newcastle City Council, the North East Combined Authority, NE1, Nexus and the emergency services.’

Obviously there have been any number of meetings between the club and these other organisations, so when that Town Moor announcement was made on Friday, why not tell fans about a Newcastle United victory parade. Whether it was happening or not, then if it isn’t happening, explain why exactly that is the case.

We are supposed to believe that Newcastle United and all these local partners are coming together to help ensure a new massive brand new much bigger stadium is built next to St James’ Park.

A bit difficult to imagine that can happen, if between them they can’t arrange to close a few roads and have an open top bus drive around the city centre for a couple of hours when Newcastle United have won their first trophy in 56 years!!

I don’t want to rain on anybody’s parade…

Actually, I have just looked at the weather forecast for next Saturday, rain is forecast for Newcastle Upon Tyne, for the Town Moor, between the hours of 4pm and 8pm, well actually, rain forecast all day.

A bit of a difference heading into Newcastle Upon Tyne city centre and having countless options to take shelter in, eating and drinking and boosting those businesses, until near the time for when an open top bus will be on its way to come past whichever part of the city centre you choose, compared to standing in a field for hours on the Town Moor in the pouring rain.

I also have absolutely no idea why, if indeed no Newcastle United victory parade was possible for whatever reason, why not then have this event inside St James’ Park, instead of on the Town Moor?

Or are they expecting and intending to accommodate 100,000 Newcastle United fans on the Town Moor, or hundreds of thousands? All of this of course just then brings us back to why not close a few city centre roads and have a Newcastle United victory parade…

Issue 76 – March 1995

Newcastle United official announcement – 21 March 2025:

Newcastle United will celebrate the club’s historic Carabao Cup final victory with a free open-air event on Saturday, 29th March.

Supporters will get the chance to see Eddie Howe and the first team players with the cup for the first time since last Sunday’s famous win at Wembley. Newcastle United is working with its city partners to deliver a safe and enjoyable event.

The club extends its thanks to the Freemen of Newcastle, Newcastle City Council, the North East Combined Authority, NE1, Nexus and the emergency services.

TOWN MOOR EVENT

Set around a large main stage on the Town Moor, adjacent to the Great North Road, the open-air event will be free to attend. Supporters are asked to register their interest to assist with planning (details below).

It will feature a DJ, live band, ‘Road to Wembley’ highlights, a screening of the full cup final and special guests.

The team will then proudly lift the Carabao Cup on stage – presenting the club’s first domestic trophy for 70 years to the city.

The celebrations will close with a spectacular show from club partner Sela and further event details will be published ahead of the show.

Friday, 21st March, from 1pm – season ticket holders

Friday, 21st March, from 3pm – Mags/Mags + Members

Saturday, 22nd March, from 10am – all other supporters

Once your priority period opens you will have the opportunity to register your interest until midnight on Sunday, 23rd March.

Registration is one per supporter number. Adults will be able to add one junior ticket to their registration with the adult supporter number.

Registrations must be submitted via book.newcastleunited.com. No email/telephone/in-person registrations can be accepted.

Registering your interest does not guarantee you access to the event. Further details will follow to those that register their interest with the club.

We do expect traffic to the website to be high and thank our supporters in advance for their patience.