Sing when you’re ... at St James’
HOPES FOR ‘UNBELIEVABLE’ ATMOSPHERE Newcastle United have agreed to install a new singing section at St James’ Park. Fans’ group Wor Hyem explain to Chris Waugh why it is necessary
WHEN Newcastle United kick off the 2017/18 season at home against Tottenham Hotspur on August 12, it will not just be the return to Premier League football which will be a refreshing sight at St James’ Park.
From a small section towards the back of the Gallowgate Stand, a large noise is set to emanate.
For the first time since 2011, an official singing section of around 350 passionate supporters will aim to generate “an unbelievable matchday atmosphere”.
Last season there were roughly 75 fans in Strawberry Corner singing constantly; now it is hoped that five times that number can ratchet the noise up a few levels further from the new singing section in Gallowgate Block V.
“What we’re really doing is pulling all these like-minded people who want to sing into one area to help really generate an atmosphere,” Matt McEvoy – a co-founder of Wor Hyem 1892, the fans’ group who along with help from Gallowgate Flags lobbied the club for the reintroduction of a singing section – explains.
“If you want to sing, if you want to improve the atmosphere, get yourself over to the Gallowgate – but even if you can’t move across, sing around the stadium and support the team.
“The club themselves have been great. We said: ‘We want a singing section.’ They replied straightaway: ‘Well, we want you to have a singing section, too.’
“We were singing off the same hymn sheet – we all wanted it and it’s happening.”
Wor Hyem 1892 was established last November by a group of supporters who wanted to replicate an ‘away-day atmosphere’ at St James’ Park.
The club then engaged in conversation with Wor Hyem from February onwards about a potential singing section and, after Gallowgate Flags also joined the clarion call, Newcastle’s hierarchy confirmed it would establish one in May.
Finalising the minutiae of how it will work in practice has proven a laborious task, but one the club committed itself to.
Now it is confirmed that Gallowgate Block V will house the official signing section – and the 350 seats are expected to sell out almost immediately.
“We are expecting that it is going to be sold out within a matter of hours because we know 1,200 people already who want to move there. Plus Gallowgate Flags have another 2,000 or so,” Matt adds.
“It’s completely in demand and unfortunately the numbers we really wanted won’t be achieved.
“Gallowgate Block V was the only place the club could realistically have put us, unless they wanted to shove us up on level seven or somewhere which we didn’t want – and the club didn’t either. “We want to have flag displays, we want pre-match displays – we want to be seen, we want to be heard, and the club wanted that too.” Just because fans may not be able to move to the official singing section, they should not be deterred from aiding the atmosphere.
Wor Hyem is encouraging supporters to move to vacant seats around the area – Gallowgate blocks U, P and Q still have spaces – or to join in the singing and banner displays in other parts of the ground too.
“Even if you’ve not got a specific ticket to the singing section, there are spaces available nearby,” Matt continues.
“Anyone who wants to be part of it but can’t get a ticket in the section should get themselves into the Gallowgate.
“They can still be a key part of the movement, even if they’re not in the designated support section.”
For Wor Hyem and Gallowgate Flags, the official confirmation of a singing section merely represents the beginning, however.
It is not just the atmosphere within the ground they want to generate, but they hope to spruce up the entire matchday experience.
Pubs are being consulted around the ground so that pre-match entertainment can be provided, while fans are going to be encouraged to meet up before the game and walk up to the ground together.
Information on these specific initiatives will be released in the coming days and weeks.
“We’ve looked at other clubs home and abroad with fan areas and tried to take ideas from them about how we can best improve it and make it a full day-long experience,” Matt says.
“It’s not just about the stadium itself, it’s about the whole matchday atmosphere.
“It’s all ready to go. It’s just about getting the people in now.
“We want to let people know it will be noisy. It’s going to be like an away day, but in the home end of St James’ Park.
“Some fans are not on social media so won’t see this stuff online, but we want them to be aware of this new movement. “What’s encouraging is that this is just the start of it though, and not the end product.” It is believed that part of the club’s rationale in disbanding the old Level Seven singing section was due to constant anti-Mike Ashley chanting emanating from that area. But Wor Hyem has reassured Newcastle the same will not happen in this new section – they are all about positivity and inclusiveness. “We’re not about protest. We’re just about supporting the players on the pitch, supporting the team and supporting the club,” Matt stresses. “We’re all about positivity. It’s going to be like the Gallowgate Corner was last season but hopefully on a far larger scale.” Some fans will understandably
still hold reservations about the new singing section – and about the kind of matchday atmosphere it could create at a ground where parents bring along their young children to watch.
The handful of season-ticket holders who were already situated in Block V have been offered the opportunity to relocate free of cost, and others who decide they too wish to move will be given the chance to do so.
As for any fears of disord er or anything else negative originating from the singing section, Wor Hyem is keen to allay supporters’ fears.
“We’re not forcing anyone out of their seats, we’re not forcing anyone to move,” Matt explains.
“We are just telling people this is where the section will be and that there will be plenty of other seats now available.
“We also want to stress to people that we are still abiding by rules and regulations in the ground.
“There will be a lot of singing, banners and noise coming from the area – but there will be no disorder, pyrotechnics or anything like that.
“If fans want to contribute and sing they’re more than welcome to, but we’re not trying to force anything on anyone – we’re just trying to really drum up the match-day atmosphere.
“We’re here to listen to all fans. If you want to move to the section, or away from us, get in touch and we’ll try to find a solution for everyone.”
At times last season, despite Newcastle’s excellent on-field campaign, the atmosphere at St James’ Park was often subdued.
Any initiative designed to improve this further – such as the excellent Gallowgate Flags displays before matches – is surely welcome.
“We thank the club and Gallowgate Flags for helping facilitate this,” Matt concludes.
“We hope to create a matchday atmosphere that is special – we’ve got the singing, the flags and the people to do it. “Let’s make it memorable.” Come August 12, we’ll find out just how effective this new singing section can be.