Soccer-Newcastle offer free half-season tickets to fill St James' Park

Newcastle United are offering a free half-season ticket to season ticket holders as they try to fill St James' Park for the rest of the season, the Premier League club said on Monday. The ticket covers 10 league games starting with Everton on Dec. 28 and includes Chelsea (Jan. 18), Tottenham Hotspur (May 2) and league leaders Liverpool (May 17).

The stadium capacity exceeds 52,000 but average league attendances have only been around 46,000 this season. Tickets will be handed out on a first-come-first-served basis to existing season ticket holders.

Newcastle was in the relegation zone in October but has moved up to 10th and head coach Steve Bruce said the fans create an atmosphere that has lifted the players' morale. "The supporters have been nothing short of magnificent since I arrived in the summer and I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you to each and every one of them," he said in a statement https://www.nufc.co.uk/news/latest-news/get-a-free-half-season-ticket.

"To have the crowds we have is wonderful, and we can't ever take that for granted, but the question to all of us at the club is can we pack the stadium to the rafters? "It starts with results on the pitch, but I hope a gesture like this will help us to fill the place because St. James' Park in full voice is a force to be reckoned with."

Newcastle visits Burnley in the league on Saturday.