The Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund celebrate the one-year anniversary of their takeover of Newcastle United. Their takeover ended the 14-year reign of the controversial and unpopular former owner Mike Ashley, who sold the club for a reported £305 million.
From the start, those in charge at St James' Park - Amanda Staveley, Mehrdad Ghodoussi, Yasir Al-Rumayyan - spoke about reconnecting the club with the fanbase, the city and the region as a whole. And while the success of the club will very much be judged on achievements on the pitch, they have take steps to ensure the commununity side of Newcastle United is to the forefront.
PIF have made a number of moves to banish the memories of the Ashley era and reconnect the club with both the supporters and former players. Here are the small wins that the new owners have got right and which have made a big difference.
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Renaming Shearer's Bar and moving his statue
A controversial incident that irked supporters was Ashley's decision to change the name of Shearer's Bar to 'Nine Bar'. It was viewed as a sign of disrespect to the club's all-time top goal scorer, who scored 206 goals during his decade at St James' Park.
The new owners changed the name back to Shearer's Bar, while his statue was moved inside the boundaries of St James' Park. His statue was first erected in 2016 on Barrack Road outside the grounds of the stadium but it has now been placed next to the entrance steps of the Gallowgate West. corner.
It was always believed that Ashley refused permission that have the statue inside the boundaries of the stadium. But the new owners decided to have it relocated and it now stands next to Newcastle's late manager Sir Bobby Robson.
Removing Sports Direct signs
One decision that made a strong early impression was Newcastle's move to tear down the Sports Direct signage at St James' Park in December 2021. It was a clear move to distance themselves from the old regime and banish memories of their unpopular former owner Ashley.
The Sports Direct signage had never sat well with supporters and it's removal was warmly welcomed.
Welcoming ex-players back to SJP
In an attempt to build bridges, Newcastle made a classy gesture by immediately asking the opinion of those who previously played for the club. The likes of Malcolm MacDonald, Rob Lee, Keith Gillespie, Lee Clark and Terry McDermott were in attendance as the new owners were unveiled in a 3-2 defeat against Tottenham in October 2021.
They were joined by Jamie Reuben, Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi, who chatted and mingled with the former players.
Investing in the women's team
Staveley has shown her ongoing support for the women's team and has vowed to put 'time, effort and resources' into the female game.
"I'd like them to have a race up the league against the men," Staveley told the Athletic earlier this year. "We're hoping they'll do a walk-on at St James' Park before the end of the season and we want them to play a match there too. We want a financial plan that takes them through the next few years. We have to pay them as professionals. That's a big thing."
Newcastle Women played their first game at St James' Park in front of a crowd of 22,134 in May 2022 - winning 4-0 over Alnwick Ladies. They smashed their previous club record for a women's game, when 2,754 fans attended their 1-0 defeat by Ipswich Town in the FA Cup in January.
The club have announced that Newcastle Women will play a second match at St James' Park against Bradford City Women on Sunday, November 27.
Matching foodbank donations
Jamie Reuben announced that the Reuben Foundation would match every cash donation collected by the NUFC fans Foodbank on home matchdays for the rest of the season in October 2021. Thousands of pounds is raised by Toon fans every home game as cash and food items are donated at the foodbank stand on Strawberry Place.
More than £140,000 was raised between fans and the foundation and Jamie Reuben pledged to continue matching donations at home matches during the 2022/23 campaign.
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