How does a man define his home? Home is usually seen as a place of security, where we eventually go at the end of the day to rest our weary heads. It is seen as a place where one is most at ease. What then, does a “Home” ground, or a stadium, mean for a supporter?

It is the core of the very culture of a football club and more often than not, of the very region itself. Football stadiums stand amongst us today as a unique blend consisting of decades of culture within the area as well as a monolithic tribute to the power of investment in football that has been so pervasive in today’s society.

St. James’ Park has been the name of Newcastle United’s home ground for more than a century. The name has stood through two World Wars and The Great Depression. Shakespeare once said “What is in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. I beg to differ.

The name St. James’ Park has been associated over the last century and more with Newcastle United. That is at least three generations (if not more) of supporters who have associated every memory of Newcastle United at home with the name St. James’ Park. The following nations are younger (by definition of independence) than the name St. James Park: Bangladesh, Belarus, Finland, Georgia, Iceland, India, Ireland and Ukraine; among many others.

Through the good times (the 5-0 spanking of Man Utd) and the bad (1-9 loss to the unwashed, Thank God I wasn’t alive then), we have hung our heads in shame and screamed our lungs out in exhilaration in St. James’ Park.

There is something uncanny about the name- a sense of comfort I personally draw from the fact that despite the hardest of times this football club has been through, it has been sheltered by the cultural colosseum of Newcastle- St. James Park. There is a shred of dignity we as supporters still bear by associating our home ground with a name that is a brief yet powerful reminder of the deep heritage and inherent beauty of Newcastle.

Which serves to remind us, would we as supporters, want the next generation of Geordies to live with the shame of watching Newcastle United play in a stadium whose name is a legacy of the biggest oaf of an owner in the club’s history? We thank the likes of Sir Bobby Robson and Wor Jackie for the precious and priceless memories they have left us with but this latest outrage would send them stirring in their graves with grief.

Do we as a collective group of supporters unfortunate enough to be living in Ashley’s reign simply lie down and let the fat man stain our heritage and culture in such a manner? Would we want to be remembered by future generations as the group of supporters that just stood by and watched as the club’s history was defecated upon?

By Ethan Leong

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