How to Prepare for an Away Matchday in Tyne and Wear? Following Your Club Away at St James' Park and Stadium of Light

The St James' Park away end sits on Level 7 of the Leazes Stand, 140 steps and 14 landings above the turnstiles, and in 2026/27 it is one of two Premier League away ends linked by the same Metro network. With Newcastle United and Sunderland both in the top flight, visiting supporters now face two trips to Tyne and Wear a season, and the two grounds run very different rules on bags, searches, stations and, this December, how the derby crowd is allowed to travel.

Your own club handles your away ticket, but the rest of the day is yours to plan, and that is what this guide covers: where you sit, what you can carry, which station to use, where to drink and what changes on derby day. If you are looking at seats rather than planning travel, 1BoxOffice lists Newcastle United tickets and Sunderland tickets from sellers across the season, and every order carries the 150% money-back guarantee.

Two Away Ends, One Metro Network: The 2026/27 Picture

Both clubs play in the Premier League this season, which puts two top-flight away ends on the same Metro network. Newcastle's 2026/27 home matches run at St James' Park in the city centre, and Sunderland's run at the Stadium of Light on the north bank of the River Wear, about 12 miles away. Sunderland are also in the Europa League, so Thursday nights in Sunderland are part of the calendar too.

The two grounds share one quirk. Premier League rules normally expect visiting fans to be housed pitchside, but both clubs keep their away sections high up behind a goal. Newcastle has been exempted every season since 2017, with Newcastle City Council telling the BBC that the historical location brings safety, segregation and emergency planning benefits. Sunderland confirmed in March 2026 that it had a one-season dispensation for 2026/27 and that the Premier League would carry out its own review before deciding whether to extend it.

At a glance	St James' Park	Stadium of Light
Home club	Newcastle United	Sunderland
Capacity	More than 52,000	Roughly 48,000
Away section	Level 7, Leazes Stand (north end)	North Stand, upper tier
Away turnstiles	Leazes Stand, number printed on your ticket	69 to 74
Turnstiles open	90 minutes before kick-off	90 minutes before kick-off
Nearest Metro	St James	Stadium of Light or St Peter's
Mainline station	Newcastle Central, about 10 minutes' walk	Sunderland, 10 to 15 minutes' walk
Bag limit	Nothing larger than A4	Smaller than A4
Paying inside	Contactless encouraged, cash at a few points	Cashless, card only

The visiting allocation at both grounds is usually about 3,000 for a league match, in line with the Premier League's minimum for stadiums of this size. Cup ties and derbies run on their own rules, covered further down. To compare dates across the season, in the region and beyond, browse all Premier League tickets.

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Selected Home Matches in Tyne and Wear to May

The table below picks out selected matches at both grounds through the winter, plus the return derby in May; it is not the full home calendar for either club. Kick-off times are shown as of 10 November 2026; according to Sunderland, the Premier League gives at least six weeks' notice of television changes until the end of the calendar year and five weeks from January, so book flexible travel for anything beyond that window.

Date	Kick-off (UK)	Match	Ground	Competition
Sat 21 Nov 2026	5.30pm	Newcastle United v Arsenal	St James' Park	Premier League
Thu 26 Nov 2026	8pm	Sunderland v Jagiellonia	Stadium of Light	Europa League
Sun 29 Nov 2026	2.05pm	Sunderland v Tottenham Hotspur	Stadium of Light	Premier League
Wed 2 Dec 2026	8.15pm	Newcastle United v Manchester United	St James' Park	Premier League
Sun 6 Dec 2026	2pm	Newcastle United v Sunderland	St James' Park	Premier League
Sun 13 Dec 2026	2pm	Sunderland v Nottingham Forest	Stadium of Light	Premier League
Sun 20 Dec 2026	2pm	Sunderland v Crystal Palace	Stadium of Light	Premier League
Sat 26 Dec 2026	8pm	Newcastle United v Manchester City	St James' Park	Premier League
Wed 30 Dec 2026	7.30pm	Newcastle United v Nottingham Forest	St James' Park	Premier League
Tue 5 Jan 2027	8.15pm	Sunderland v Liverpool	Stadium of Light	Premier League
Thu 28 Jan 2027	8pm	Sunderland v Levski Sofia	Stadium of Light	Europa League
Sat 1 May 2027	3pm (subject to TV selection)	Sunderland v Newcastle United	Stadium of Light	Premier League

Notice how many of these are evening or Sunday kick-offs. An 8pm or 8.15pm start in the North East almost always means an overnight stay for anyone travelling from the south, and a Sunday 2pm slot leaves very little margin for engineering works on the railway. Sunderland's two remaining home nights in the league phase bring visiting supporters from Poland and Bulgaria under the same Metro and bag rules, and the wider competition is covered in our Europa League tickets.

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Level 7 at St James' Park: 140 Steps to the Top

Every visiting section at St James' Park is on Level 7 of the Leazes Stand at the north end of the ground. Newcastle United's own visitor information is blunt about the climb: there are 140 steps and 14 landings on the way to your seat. Supporters who have mobility issues, or who simply know the climb will be hard, should speak to a steward at the turnstiles, who will direct them to a lift.

The turnstile you use is printed on your ticket, and your barcode is scanned at entry. Recent visiting-club guides have placed away supporters at turnstiles in the low 90s on the Leazes side, but numbers have shifted between seasons, so trust the ticket rather than an old forum post. Turnstiles in all areas open 90 minutes before kick-off.

What you get for the climb is a high, steep view straight down the length of the pitch towards the Gallowgate End. The trade-off is distance: the far goal feels a long way off and players' faces are hard to pick out without a screen. Supporters may stand for extended periods, although they should follow stadium safety instructions, and the roof traps noise well, so a full allocation can make itself heard. If you want to see exactly where your block sits before the day, the St James' Park seating plan shows the Level 7 blocks against the rest of the Leazes Stand.

• Allow an extra 10 minutes for the climb itself, more if you are carrying a child or have stopped at the bar first.
• The Level 7 concourse sells hot food and hot and cold drinks, so there is no need to queue at street level.
• Wear layers: the upper tier is exposed on winter evenings.
• Download any digital ticket well before you reach the queue, because mobile data can slow once the ground fills.

The St James' Park away end has stayed where it is through every redevelopment debate of the last decade, and the club's future plans, whether expanding the current ground or building nearby, have no effect on visiting supporters this season. For seating across the rest of the ground, sellers list St James' Park tickets by block.

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North Stand Upper: Where Visitors Sit at the Stadium of Light

The Stadium of Light away end is the upper tier of the North Stand, directly above home supporters in the lower tier. Visiting fans enter through turnstiles 69 to 74, which open 90 minutes before kick-off, and the lift up to Level 3 is available for those who cannot manage the stairs. Leeds United's most recent visiting guide directs supporters who need the lift to the 76 Yards entrance, where staff are on hand to help; arrangements can change for individual matches, so confirm with a steward on arrival.

Sunderland can apply an enhanced search to visiting supporters, and it is set match by match and communicated through the visiting club. It was in place for every Premier League visit we checked in 2026, including Crystal Palace in January, Tottenham Hotspur in April and Leeds United in October, and the reason is spelled out in visiting-club guidance: the restrictions exist to stop objects being thrown into the home section below. Always read your own club's notice for the match, and see the bags section below for the list.

Inside, the away concourse has two food and drink courtyards. They serve from the moment the turnstiles open, at half-time and for 30 minutes after full time, and everything is card only. The view is high and central behind the goal, and the Stadium of Light seating plan shows how the North Stand upper tier sits over the home lower tier.

• A fan zone next to the stadium opens to home and away supporters about two and a half hours before kick-off.
• Digital away tickets go into Apple Wallet or Google Wallet; ask your own club about collection if you cannot use a phone ticket.
• The away section is in the upper tier, so expect a long climb on the stairs if you skip the lift.
• Sunderland is pursuing a permanent exemption for this away location, so the section could move in a future season.

For seats elsewhere in the ground, including Europa League nights, current matches are grouped under Stadium of Light tickets.

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Getting a Seat in the Right Section

Away tickets for both grounds are sold by the visiting club to its own supporters, normally through loyalty points, membership tiers or a ballot. Newcastle and Sunderland do not sell into the away section themselves. The Premier League's £30 cap on away tickets, agreed in March 2026 and running to the end of 2027/28, keeps the face value down, but demand for a 3,000 allocation from the bigger clubs routinely outstrips supply.

Each visiting club runs its own process, and the detail matters. Our guides to Arsenal away tickets, Tottenham away tickets, Manchester United away tickets, Manchester City away tickets and Liverpool away tickets cover the loyalty systems for five of the clubs visiting Tyne and Wear between now and early January.

Home sections are a separate question. Newcastle distributes men's home tickets to eligible members through a ballot and member sale, which is why so many supporters start with our guide to buying Newcastle United tickets without membership. Sunderland's home routes are set out in our guide to Sunderland tickets without a membership.

Away supporters should use the designated visiting section wherever they can. Hospitality is the main exception: Newcastle's support centre says away fans are welcome in its hospitality areas, which sit within home stands, but away colours, scarves and badges are not allowed there. Supporters who wear colours or celebrate an away goal in a home area risk ejection at either ground, and that applies to Newcastle hospitality packages and Sunderland hospitality packages as much as to general seating.

1BoxOffice is a resale marketplace, not a club ticket office. Tickets are offered by individual sellers and may be in home sections. The venue decides who it admits, so check the section, the delivery format and any club restrictions on the listing before you buy. In England and Wales, section 166 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 makes it an offence for anyone to sell a ticket for a designated football match unless they are authorised in writing to do so by the organisers of the match, so a resale listing should never be read as club authorisation.

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Bags, Searches and What Stays at Home

Both grounds cap bags at A4, but Sunderland's banned list is the one that catches visiting fans out. Newcastle United states that it does not permit any bag larger than A4 into the venue, that every bag is checked and that refusing a search can mean refusal of entry. Exemptions are granted for medical reasons only, applied for in advance through the club's disability support team; requests based on train times or hotel check-out are turned down.

Item	St James' Park	Stadium of Light (away section, enhanced search)
Bag size	Nothing larger than A4	Smaller than A4
Bag search	Every bag checked at entry	Enhanced search on selected matches, confirmed in your club's notice
Coins	Check your club's match guidance	Banned (collected coins go to charity)
Vapes	Check your club's match guidance	Banned
Power banks	Check your club's match guidance	Banned
Umbrellas	Check your club's match guidance	Banned
Flares and smoke canisters	Banned	Banned
Glass, cans and bottles	Banned	Banned
Laptops and tablets	Only within the A4 bag limit	Banned

At the Stadium of Light, larger items found in the search can be handed to stewards and collected after the match, but coins are not returned. Visiting-club guides from Leeds, Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea all repeat the same list when the enhanced search is in force, so plan for it unless your club's notice says otherwise.

• Pay for everything by card and leave loose change at the hotel before a Sunderland trip.
• Pack a waterproof jacket rather than an umbrella for either ground.
• Ask your own club for its match-specific notice a few days out; it will flag any extra measures, such as detection dogs.

Getting to St James' Park: Central Station, Metro and Park and Ride

St James' Park is one of the easiest Premier League grounds to reach on foot. Newcastle Central station is about a 10-minute walk away: head west along Neville Street and turn right onto St James' Boulevard, and the stadium fills the skyline ahead. St James Metro station sits right next to the ground, and Monument and Haymarket are both within a short walk.

Driving is the weak option. There is no public parking at the stadium, and part of Barrack Road closes to traffic after the final whistle for up to 45 minutes, or until crowds disperse, according to Newcastle United. The better route for drivers is one of Go North East's two Soccer Bus park and ride services, both running for every home match in 2026/27: the X50 from the Metrocentre coach park and the X40 from Great Park Park and Ride via Gosforth, which started on 5 September 2026.

• Both services cost £2 for an adult return or £1.50 single in 2026/27, with a £1 single for anyone aged 21 and under, bought on the bus or in the Go North East app.
• Parking at both sites is free; you pay only for the bus ticket.
• The X50 picks up after the match at the top of St James' Boulevard, outside the Citygate building, while Barrack Road is closed.
• X40 returns leave from Newgate Street outside St Andrew's Church, with the last bus 40 minutes after the final whistle; check the Go North East timetable for the last X50, and expect both to wait for added time or a delayed finish.

After the match, Central station is the simplest exit for anyone on a mainline train, and the walk downhill moves faster than the Metro queues. If you are staying on the Quayside, walking is usually quicker than any transport.

Reaching the Stadium of Light by Metro and Rail

The Stadium of Light has two Metro stations, and choosing the right one after the match saves a long queue. Both Stadium of Light station and St Peter's station sit within a few minutes' walk of the ground on the green line. The rule for the return trip, repeated in Sunderland's matchday travel guidance and visiting-club notices, is simple: northbound supporters heading for Newcastle use Stadium of Light station, and southbound supporters heading for Sunderland city centre or South Hylton use St Peter's.

Ground	Arriving	Leaving
St James' Park	St James Metro (next to the ground), Monument, Haymarket or a 10-minute walk from Newcastle Central	Walk to Newcastle Central for mainline trains; St James or Monument for the Metro
Stadium of Light	Stadium of Light or St Peter's Metro, or a 10 to 15-minute walk from Sunderland station	Northbound to Newcastle: Stadium of Light station. Southbound to Sunderland or South Hylton: St Peter's station

Sunderland's mainline station is in the city centre, a walk of about 10 to 15 minutes from the ground. The Keel Crossing footbridge, opened in October 2025, links Keel Square in the city centre with the Sheepfolds area on the north bank near the stadium, and was built partly to take matchday crowds off the Wearmouth Bridge. Trains from London King's Cross to Sunderland take about three and a half hours, and some direct services run through, though most visiting supporters change at Newcastle.

Sunderland provides no stadium parking for visiting supporters. The park and ride on Wessington Way (A1231) runs buses to the stadium every five minutes on matchdays, and that is the practical choice for anyone driving in. Supporters planning to leave a car at a Metro station should avoid the stations north of Sunderland, which travel guidance for major events at the stadium warns are very busy before and after.

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Newcastle or Sunderland: Where to Base Yourself

Newcastle is the natural base for both grounds. It has the larger hotel stock, the mainline station with the most frequent London services and a Metro link straight to the Stadium of Light, which takes around half an hour from the city centre. Stay near Central station or the Quayside and you can walk to St James' Park and be on a Sunderland-bound train within minutes.

Sunderland suits supporters who want to be close to the ground for an evening kick-off. The seafront at Roker and Seaburn is a short Metro hop from the stadium, and the city centre has enough bars and restaurants for a night out. The trade-off is fewer late trains south, so check your connection before you commit.

• LNER runs trains from London King's Cross to Newcastle roughly every 30 minutes, taking about three hours.
• An 8pm or 8.15pm kick-off ends too late for most same-night returns to London, so book a room.
• Rooms can sell out on derby weekends and big Saturday matches, so book as soon as your ticket is confirmed.

Flying In: Newcastle Airport and the Gulf Connection

Newcastle Airport has its own station on the Metro green line, which runs straight through the city centre and on to Sunderland. The airport's own travel guidance puts the trip to Sunderland at about 55 minutes, with the city centre reached much sooner. That makes the region one of the simplest Premier League trips for overseas supporters.

For supporters in the Gulf, Emirates runs a daily direct service from Dubai to Newcastle, with a flight time of just under eight hours. On the current winter timetable it leaves Dubai in the morning and lands in Newcastle late morning, which is technically enough for a 3pm kick-off but leaves no margin for a delay, a slow passport queue or a missed Metro. Arrive the day before.

• Check whether your passport requires a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before you book; the rule follows nationality, not country of residence.
• Pack for the North East winter: daytime temperatures in December are far below Gulf norms and the upper tiers at both grounds are exposed.
• Allow time to load a digital ticket and test it on UK mobile data before you reach the turnstile.

Pubs That Welcome Visiting Supporters

Newcastle has no designated away pubs, and that is deliberate. Northumbria Police advice to visiting clubs has long been that away supporters can drink in the city centre's pubs, and visiting-club guides repeat that most pubs welcome away fans. The catch is the door policy: a large number of Newcastle pubs only admit visiting supporters with colours covered, so wear a jacket that zips over your shirt.

The streets around Central station are where most visiting supporters end up, partly because they are on the way to the ground and partly because they are full of travelling fans by mid-morning. Sunderland is more specific: visiting-club guides from recent seasons name a set of city-centre pubs as away-friendly, and social clubs on North Bridge Street, on the way to the ground, also take away supporters.

City	Area	Pubs named in visiting-club guides	Notes
Newcastle	Around Central station	The Head of Steam, The Newcastle Tap	Busy with away fans; colours covered may be asked
Newcastle	City centre	Most pubs	No designated away pubs; door policies vary by match
Sunderland	City centre	The Fire Station, The Peacock, Port of Call, Streetbar	Named as away-friendly by Leeds United and Brentford guides
Sunderland	North Bridge Street	Social clubs	On the walk to the ground; check entry rules on the day

Pub lists age quickly and door policies change for high-risk matches, so check your own club's match notice in the final week. On derby days and other high-category matches, expect police to close or restrict pubs on the approach to the ground.

Tyne-Wear Derby Day: Coaches, Tickets and the Bubble

The St James' Park derby on Sunday 6 December 2026 (2pm) runs under "bubble" travel rules. Sunderland supporters with tickets must travel to and from the match on club-run coaches from the Stadium of Light; independent travel is not allowed. The arrangement was imposed by Newcastle's Safety Advisory Group, chaired by Newcastle City Council as the certifying authority for the stadium, following advice from Northumbria Police.

• Sunderland has 2,528 tickets: 2,275 for Season Ticket Holders in six phases by Black Cat Points and 253 through a Season Ticket Plus members' ballot, which opened on 10 November 2026.
• Ticket holders report to Exit 16 at the Stadium of Light, next to the SAFC Ticket Office, from 9am on the day.
• Match tickets are handed out in the concourse before boarding, and nobody who skips the coaches receives one.
• Sunderland is exploring a second pick-up point, subject to talks with Northumbria Police, and will announce any change to ticket holders.

Supporter groups on both sides and the Football Supporters' Association have opposed the bubble, and police defended it by pointing to disorder during the walk to the ground in March 2026, when Sunderland won 2-1 at St James' Park. The precedent is the January 2024 FA Cup tie at the Stadium of Light, when Newcastle's supporters travelled under the same kind of arrangement.

For the return derby at the Stadium of Light on Saturday 1 May 2027, no travel arrangements have been announced as of 10 November 2026. Do not book trains or hotels on the assumption that normal rules will apply. For Sunderland supporters, the practical point for December is simple: a resale ticket is not a route into the away end for this match, because tickets are issued only on the coaches.

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Cup Ties: Bigger Away Ends and Midweek Trips

Cup football changes the numbers. In the FA Cup, the visiting club can claim a far larger share of the ground than in the league, which is how Newcastle took about 6,000 supporters to the Stadium of Light for the 2024 third-round derby. Both clubs enter the third round in January 2027, and a home cup tie may bring a larger visiting allocation, subject to safety and segregation requirements. Third-round ties appear under FA Cup tickets once the draw is made.

The League Cup is Sunderland's alone this season. Newcastle went out 3-1 at Everton in the fourth round, while Sunderland won 3-2 at Brentford and face Crystal Palace away in the quarter-finals at Selhurst Park on Wednesday 16 December 2026 (7.30pm). The semi-finals are played over two legs, so a Sunderland win in south London would bring a midweek semi-final night to the Stadium of Light in the new year; dates will follow under EFL Cup tickets.

• Midweek cup ties often have evening kick-offs, so check the confirmed time before arranging travel and plan for an overnight stay.
• Europa League visitors at the Stadium of Light follow the same North Stand and search rules as league visitors.

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A Matchday Timeline That Works at Both Grounds

The timings below assume a 3pm Saturday kick-off. Shift everything by the same amount for an evening or Sunday start, and add 30 minutes on derby weekends and high-category matches.

Time	St James' Park	Stadium of Light
11am	Arrive at Newcastle Central, drop bags at the hotel	Arrive at Newcastle Central or Sunderland, drop bags
11.30am to 1pm	Pubs near the station, colours covered where asked	City-centre pubs or the fan zone, which opens around 12.30pm
1.30pm	Turnstiles open; walk up from Central (10 minutes)	Turnstiles 69 to 74 open; walk from the city or take the Metro
2.15pm	Start the Level 7 climb	Clear the search before the late rush
3pm	Kick-off	Kick-off
4.55pm	Walk down to Central or the Metro	Pick your Metro station by direction: Stadium of Light north, St Peter's south

On costs, the fixed numbers are few but useful. Your away ticket is capped at £30 in the Premier League as of November 2026 and the X50 and X40 park and ride services cost £2 for an adult return in 2026/27. The real cost of a Tyne and Wear away day is the rail ticket and, for evening kick-offs, the hotel room; book both early and use advance fares where your plans allow.

Accessibility for Visiting Supporters

Both grounds have lifts to their away sections, but you need to ask for them. At St James' Park, stewards at the turnstiles direct supporters to the lift, and recent visiting-club guides placed it beside the Leazes Stand turnstiles. Wheelchair bays sit in front of the visiting section on Level 7 and are booked through your own club's disability liaison officer, not through Newcastle.

At the Stadium of Light, the lift runs to Level 3 for visiting supporters who cannot use the main stairs, and the away section has wheelchair bays and seating for ambulant supporters. Sunderland has offered a small number of reserved parking bays for disabled away supporters in previous seasons, but availability for 2026/27 is not guaranteed, so ask your own club's disability access officer before you travel by car.

• Apply for any medical bag exemption at St James' Park in advance; requests made at the turnstile are unlikely to succeed.
• Tell your club about any essential medical equipment, such as oxygen, before the day.
• Check step-free routes at your Metro stations before travelling, especially after the match when platforms are crowded.
• Allow extra time for the lift at both grounds; queues build in the final half hour before kick-off.

Frequently Asked Questions

Planning more trips this season? Our Manchester away matchday guide, North London away matchday guide and South London away matchday guide follow the same format. Whichever ground you choose, 1BoxOffice has been selling football tickets since 2006, and every order is backed by the 150% money-back guarantee: a full refund if your tickets are not received and no alternative is offered, plus a goodwill credit voucher of up to 50% of the order value (excluding fees and taxes, capped at £125) that 1BoxOffice may issue at its discretion.

Sources: Newcastle United, Sunderland AFC, Premier League, Go North East, Northumbria Police, Football Supporters' Association, BBC Sport, Newcastle Airport, Rugby World Cup 2025 Sunderland travel guidance, Crystal Palace, Leeds United, Brentford, Tottenham Hotspur.