Monday 9 December 2019 19:19, UK
Newcastle fans with season tickets are being encouraged to help fill St James' Park with an offer covering the season's remaining games.
After discussions between head coach Steve Bruce and managing director Lee Charnley, the Magpies will offer 10,000 half-season tickets for free to existing season ticket holders.
The announcement comes a day after Sunday's attendance of 42,303 for their home win against Southampton which was their lowest home crowd for a Premier League match since November 2010.
This follows the Brighton match earlier in the season which had set an eight-year low attendance for a game in the top flight.
Bruce said: "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.
"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.
"It really does give the players an edge and when they work hard and play well, the atmosphere is like nowhere else."
A half-season ticket includes 10 home Premier League games, starting with the visit of Everton on Saturday December 28, and matches against Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool.
Asked about Newcastle's low attendance on Sunday, Bruce said: "I know there were a few numbers here which were down, and maybe the club has to try to help at this particular time.
"Can they help the supporters at this difficult time when Christmas is coming? It's difficult for people to afford to come to the matches, so maybe there's something we can do as a club to try to get the numbers up.
"We need St James' Park full again."
