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Away The Lads: On The Road in 2016/17
Written by Newcastle Utd
United supporters who attend away matches could clock up almost 9,600 miles on their travels in the 2016/17 season
Newcastle United supporters who attend away matches could clock up almost 9,600 miles on their travels during the 2016/17 league season - up by more than a thousand miles from the 2015/16 campaign.
While the average round-trip from Tyneside per away game has fallen slightly to 417 miles due to a greater concentration of northern and Midlands-based clubs in the Championship, the Magpies' 46-match schedule will see supporters embarking on four more away days than in the Premier League.
Rafa BenÃtez will kick off the season by leading his players and thousands of away fans on a 558.6-mile round-trip to Fulham's Craven Cottage on Friday 5th August, with a trip to Bristol City's Ashton Gate taking place just 15 days later.
The club's shortest trip of the season will be to face Leeds United, with the 205.8-mile return journey to Elland Road provisionally scheduled for Saturday 19th November.
The Magpies' longest single journey will be to Brighton and Hove Albion in January, with a yawn-inducing 690.4 mile drive from St. James' Park to the Amex Stadium and back again.
The trip will form part of the Magpies' longest month of travel, with a visit to the Seagulls and additional matches at Blackburn Rovers and Brentford combining to add 1,543.8 miles to the season's total.
April, which includes trips to Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich Town and Cardiff City, will add another 1,450 miles.
In terms of size, St. James' Park will be Championship's largest stadium by a considerable distance with 52,354 seats; almost 10,000 more than next on the list - Villa Park.
Meanwhile, there are ten other second-tier grounds with a capacity of 30,000 or more, meaning there should be plenty of space for United's magnificent travelling fans.
However, one of the most popular games is expected to be December's trip to newly-promoted Burton Albion, with Newcastle visiting the 6,900-capacity Pirelli Stadium - the smallest in the division - for the very first time.
The Magpies will also pay a visit to Rotherham United's New York Stadium for the very first time in October, with a first competitive fixture at Huddersfield Town's John Smith's Stadium in March following a pre-season friendly there in 2014.
Supporters are reminded that all fixture dates remain subject to change. Ticket information will be confirmed in due course.