Sport: Football

St James' Park is the oldest football ground in northeast England, having hosted a football match as early as 1880, and is among the largest football stadia in the UK.

The stadium has been the home ground of Newcastle United since 1892, and also has experience of hosting international football matches.

The design and build

St James' Park was built in the 19th century. Since then, it has undergone various major redevelopment and modernization projects.

Most recently, the takeover of the club by Sir John Hall in 1992 led to a ￡25 million transformation of St James' Park into a world-class football stadium. Then, in 2000, the venue's capacity was then increased to more than 52,000.

Little preparation is required to ready St James' Park for the six matches it will host in the London 2012 Olympic Football tournament.

After the Games

The stadium will continue to host Newcastle United home matches, and will also be used as a venue for the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England.