OLYMPIC chiefs are confident next year’s football matches in Newcastle will not be a flop despite confirmation that Team GB will not be playing any of their games in the North-East.

And despite this month’s renaming exercise, The Northern Echo can reveal that the region’s nine Olympic matches will officially be played at St James’ Park, rather than the Sports Direct Arena.

Olympic regulations dictate that stadia must be stripped of all advertising to create a clean environment for the Games’ official sponsors, and the contracts that have already been signed off by Newcastle United officials explicitly state that matches will be played at St James’ Park.

Tickets for the Olympic football tournament go back on sale at 11am next Tuesday, but attempts to ensure a healthy attendance at St James’ have not been helped by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games’ (LOCOG) decision not to schedule any of the British team’s matches at the stadium.

It was initially hoped that with Britain’s men’s and women’s teams due to play three matches each at the group stage, each of the six grounds featuring on the Olympic schedule would be guaranteed at least one Team GB game.

Instead, the men’s team, which could feature the likes of David Beckham, Gareth Bale and Andy Carroll, will play their group matches at Old Trafford, Wembley and the Millennium Stadium, while the women’s team will play two games in Cardiff and one in London.

As a result, Olympic organisers will attempt to sell out St James’ Park without the lure of the best domestic talent.

The draw for the Olympic football tournament does not take place until April 24, presenting another barrier to attempts to market the matches in the North-East.

There are already fears that games involving some of the less attractive nations could be played out in half-empty stadia, but organisers are confident there will still be considerable interest in the only Olympic action to be staged in the region.

“Of course we are disappointed that we aren’t going to be hosting any of the GB team’s matches,” said Mark Jackson, head of Olympics operations at Newcastle City Council. “But there are still some fantastic teams we are hoping to welcome to the city.

“The likes of Brazil, Spain, Switzerland and Uruguay have already qualified for the men’s tournament, and any of those would be a really big draw.

“Then you’ve got the likes of France, Sweden, Brazil, Colombia and Japan already qualified for the women’s competition – some of the biggest names in the game.

“The football tournament is the best chance for sports fans in the North-East to see the Olympics on their doorstep.

These are the only tickets still on sale for the Games, so it’s a great chance for people who maybe haven’t been successful with previous applications to see world-class football taking place so close to home.”

Olympic tickets are priced at £20 for adults, with children aged 17 and under paying a price that corresponds to their age.