Newcastle Falcons facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Newcastle Falcons

Full name	Newcastle Falcons
Union	Northumberland RFU
Nickname(s)	The Falcons
Founded	1877; 148 years ago (1877)
Location	Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England
Ground(s)	Kingston Park (Capacity: 10,200)
Chairman	Semore Kurdi
CEO	Mick Hogan (MD)
Director of Rugby	Matt Thompson
Coach(es)	Steve Diamond
Captain(s)	Callum Chick
Most caps	Tom May (193)
Top scorer	Jonny Wilkinson (1,489)
Most tries	Tom May (47)
League(s)	Premiership Rugby
2023–24	10th
1st kit 2nd kit 3rd kit
Largest win
Newcastle Falcons 156–5 Rugby Lions (1996)
Largest defeat
Leicester Tigers 83–10 Newcastle Falcons (2004)
Official website

The Newcastle Falcons are a professional rugby union team from Newcastle upon Tyne, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, which is the top league for rugby union in England.

The club started way back in 1877 as the Gosforth Football Club. Over the years, they changed their name a few times. In 1990, they became Newcastle Gosforth and moved to their current home, Kingston Park. In 1996, when rugby became professional, they changed their name to Newcastle Falcons.

The Falcons have won 5 big titles. They won the Premiership league in 1998. They also won four domestic cups in 1976, 1977, 2001, and 2004. Many famous players have played for the Falcons, including Jonny Wilkinson, who was a key player for England when they won the Rugby World Cup in 2003.

History of the Falcons

How the Team's Name Changed

The club has had several names since it started:

• Gosforth Football Club (1877–1882)
• Northumberland Football Club (1882–1887) – They joined with another club and used their name.
• Gosforth Football Club (1887–1990) – They went back to their original name.
• Newcastle Gosforth (1990–1995)
• Newcastle Rugby Club (1996) – This was when the team became professional.
• Newcastle Falcons (1997–present) – Their current name.

The Early Years (1877–1990s)

The Gosforth Football Club was founded in 1877 by former students of Durham School. They played in green and white striped jerseys, which were the school's colors. In 1955, the club moved to a new home at North Road.

During the late 1970s, Gosforth had a lot of success. They won the John Player Cup twice in a row, in 1976 and 1977. Many players from Gosforth went on to play for England and the British and Irish Lions, which is a team of the best players from the UK and Ireland. Some of these famous players included Roger Uttley and Peter Dixon.

In 1990, the club changed its name to Newcastle Gosforth and moved to Kingston Park. The original Gosforth Rugby Football Club continued as an amateur team.

Becoming Professional

In the 1996–97 season, the club became the Newcastle Falcons and changed their colors to black and white. A local businessman, Sir John Hall, took over. He wanted to create a big sports club in Newcastle, like FC Barcelona. This club included the football team, the Newcastle Eagles basketball team, an ice hockey team, and the Newcastle Falcons rugby team.

Newcastle was one of the first fully professional rugby clubs in the world. In 1995, Rob Andrew, a former player, became the Director of Rugby. The club quickly moved up from the second division to the Premiership.

In the 1997–98 season, the Falcons won the English Premiership in their very first try! Key players on that winning team included Rob Andrew, Inga Tuigamala, Doddie Weir, Gary Armstrong, Tony Underwood, Alan Tait, John Bentley, and a young Jonny Wilkinson.

In 1999, John Hall sold the Falcons to another local businessman, Dave Thompson. Under Thompson's ownership, the Falcons won two more cups: the Tetley's Bitter Cup in 2001 and the Powergen Cup in 2004.

In 2004, the famous Australian player Matt Burke joined the Falcons. He played alongside Jonny Wilkinson. The team also had other great kickers like Dave Walder and Toby Flood. In the 2004–05 season, the Falcons had their best performance ever in the Heineken Cup, reaching the quarter-finals.

In 2006, Rob Andrew left the Falcons to work with the England national team. John Fletcher took over as Director of Rugby.

Recent Seasons

The 2007–08 season started with excitement when All-Black player Carl Hayman joined the team. However, the team's performance started to decline. In 2008, Steve Bates became the new Director of Rugby. Many talented young players, like Toby Flood and Mathew Tait, left the club.

In 2009, legendary fly-half Jonny Wilkinson left the Falcons to play in France. Other key players also moved to different clubs. The team struggled to replace these players.

In 2010, Alan Tait took over as coach. The club faced financial difficulties, but local businessman Semore Kurdi bought a share in the club, which helped. In the 2010–11 season, the Falcons reached the Anglo-Welsh Cup final but lost. They finished near the bottom of the Premiership, barely avoiding relegation.

Relegation and Return

In the 2011–12 season, the Falcons were relegated from the Premiership to the Championship, which is the second division. This was a tough time for the club.

However, in the 2012–13 season, with Dean Richards as Director of Rugby, the Falcons had a fantastic year. They won the Championship and earned promotion back to the Premiership for the 2013–14 season!

Since then, the Falcons have continued to sign new players and work hard to compete in the Premiership. They finished 4th in the 2017–18 season, which was their highest finish in 20 years. However, they were relegated again in the 2018–19 season.

In the 2019–20 season, the Falcons dominated the Championship, winning every single match. They were declared champions and promoted back to the Premiership due to the season being cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the 2023-24 season, the Falcons faced a tough challenge, finishing at the bottom of the Premiership without a win. However, in October 2024, they broke a 25-match losing streak with a victory over Exeter Chiefs, marking their first league win since March 2023.

Club Information

Kingston Park

Stadium

The Newcastle Falcons play their home games at Kingston Park. The stadium can hold 10,250 fans. It has three modern stands and also keeps the original Gosforth East stand, which has green and white seats (the old Gosforth colors).

The pitch at Kingston Park was recently changed from grass to a 3G synthetic pitch. This helps to make sure games can be played even in bad weather. In 2015, the Falcons bought Kingston Park, showing their commitment to the club's future.

The Falcons have also played some special games away from Kingston Park. In 2017, they played a game in the United States against Saracens in Philadelphia. In 2018, they hosted "The Big One" at St. James' Park, the home of Newcastle United F.C.. Over 30,000 fans attended, which was a record for the Falcons! They played another charity match there in 2019 to support the My Name’5 Doddie foundation.

Team Kits

Gosforth Rugby Strip.

When the club was known as Gosforth, the players wore green and white striped jerseys. These colors are still used by the amateur Gosforth Rugby Club today.

The Falcons have had different kit manufacturers over the years:

• 1997–2001: Adidas
• 2001–2003: Gilbert
• 2003–2007: Kooga
• 2007–2008: Nike
• 2008–2012: Cotton Traders
• 2012–2014: Orion
• 2014–2017: Gilbert
• 2017–2020: ISC
• 2020–2025: Macron

Club Honours and Achievements

The Newcastle Falcons have won several important titles:

National Titles

• Premiership Rugby
  • Champions: (1) 1997–98
• RFU Championship (Second Division)
  • Champions: (3) 1992–93, 2012–13, 2019–20
  • Runners–Up: (1) 1996–97
• RFU Knockout Cup
  • Champions: (4) 1975–76, 1976–77, 2000–01, 2003–04
  • Runners–Up: (2) 1998–99, 2010–11
• British and Irish Cup
  • Runners–Up: (1) 2012–13

Local Titles

• Northumberland Senior Cup
  • Champions: (30 times) The Falcons have won this local cup many times throughout their history.

Sevens Tournaments

The Falcons have also won several Sevens tournaments, which are faster versions of rugby with fewer players:

• Melrose Sevens: (1) 2006
• Hawick Sevens: (3) 2005, 2006, 2007
• Langholm Sevens: (4) 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
• Selkirk Sevens: (1) 2004
• Peebles Sevens: (1) 2004
• Middlesex Sevens: (1) 2007

Current Team Squads

Main Squad

Here are the players in the Newcastle Falcons main squad for the 2024–25 season: Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.

Player Position Union Jamie Blamire Hooker England Bryan Byrne Hooker Ireland Ollie Fletcher Hooker England Eduardo Bello Prop Argentina Adam Brocklebank Prop England Luan de Bruin Prop South Africa Murray McCallum Prop Scotland Richard Palframan Prop South Africa Tim Cardall Lock England Sebastian de Chaves Lock South Africa John Hawkins Lock England John Kelly Lock England Kiran McDonald Lock Scotland Adam Scott Lock England Josh Bainbridge Back row England Callum Chick Back row England Tom Gordon Back row Scotland Ollie Leatherbarrow Back row England Freddie Lockwood Back row England Cameron Neild Back row England Pedro Rubiolo Back row Argentina Marcus Tiffen Back row England Philip van der Walt Back row South Africa

Player Position Union James Elliott Scrum-half England Hugh O'Sullivan Scrum-half Ireland Max Pepper Scrum-half England Sam Stuart Scrum-half England Brett Connon Fly-half Ireland Kieran Wilkinson Fly-half England Sammy Arnold Centre Ireland Connor Doherty Centre England Ethan Grayson Centre England Cameron Hutchison Centre Scotland Jack Metcalf Centre England Alex Hearle Wing England Elliott Obatoyinbo Wing England Adam Radwan Wing England Ben Stevenson Wing England Louis Brown Fullback England

Academy Squad

The Newcastle Falcons also have an academy squad, which helps young players develop their skills: Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.

Player Position Union Jacob Oliver Hooker England Callum Hancock Prop England Connor Hancock Prop England Isaac Keller Prop England Mike Rewcastle Prop England Oscar Stott Prop England Finn Baxter Lock England Luke Coulston Lock England Reuben Parsons Back row England Charlie Turnbull Back row England Harrison Wood Back row Scotland

Player Position Union Joe Davis Scrum-half England Ben Douglas Scrum-half England Junior Newton Fly-half England Rhys Beeckmans Centre England Cameron Ellis Centre England Nathan Greenwood Wing England Ben Redshaw Fullback England Oli Spencer Fullback England

Coaching Staff

The team is led by a group of experienced coaches:

• Director of Rugby: Steve Diamond
• Performance Manager: Mark Laycock
• Head of Rugby Operations: John Stokoe
• Senior Coach: Alan Dickens
• Senior Coach: Micky Ward
• Attack & Backs Coach: Tom Williams
• Lineout Coach: Scott MacLeod
• Head of Analysis : Steve Bremner
• Head of Athletic Performance: Kevin McShane
• Head of Medical Services: Rhys Griffiths

Famous Former Players

Many great players have worn the Newcastle Falcons jersey.

Lions Tourists

Some Falcons players have been chosen for the British & Irish Lions tours, which is a huge honor:

• 2001 & 2005: Jonny Wilkinson
• 1997: Tim Stimpson, John Bentley, Tony Underwood, Alan Tait, Doddie Weir
• 1989: Gary Armstrong
• 1974: Roger Uttley
• 1966: Ray McLoughlin

Rugby World Cup Players

These players represented their countries at the Rugby World Cup while playing for Newcastle:

Tournament	Players selected	England players	Other national team players
1999	8	Jonny Wilkinson	George Graham, Stuart Grimes, Doddie Weir, Peter Walton, Gary Armstrong , Va'aiga Tuigamala , Ross Nesdale
2003	2	Jonny Wilkinson	Stuart Grimes
2007	4	Jonny Wilkinson, Toby Flood, Jamie Noon, Mathew Tait
2011	3		Suka Hufanga , Euan Murray , Taiasina Tuifu'a
2015	9		Alesana Tuilagi, Kane Thompson , Jon Welsh , Eric Fry , Juan Pablo Socino , Nili Latu, Sonatane Takulua , Joshua Furno, Giovanbattista Venditti
2019	6	Mark Wilson	Logovi'i Mulipola , Sonatane Takulua, Cooper Vuna , Greg Peterson , Josh Matavesi
2023	4		Eduardo Bello, Pedro Rubiolo, Matías Moroni, Mateo Carreras

Club Records

Team Records

• Biggest Win: 156–5 against Rugby Lions in 1996.
• Biggest Loss: 10–83 against Leicester Tigers in 2004–05.
• Best League Position: 1st in the Premiership in 1997–98.
• Worst League Position: 12th in Division Two in 1989–90.

Player Records

• Most Premiership Games: Tom May played 193 games.
• Most Premiership Tries: Tom May scored 47 tries.
• Most Premiership Points: Jonny Wilkinson scored 1,489 points.

Season Summaries

The table below shows how the Newcastle Falcons have performed in their league and cup competitions over the years.

Gold background means the team were champions.
Silver background means the team were runners-up.
Pink background means the team were relegated.

See also

In Spanish: Newcastle Falcons para niños