Name changes •
Gosforth Football Club (1877–1882) •
Northumberland Football Club (1882–1887); Merged with Northumberland FC and assumed their name. •
Newcastle Falcons (1997–2025) •
Newcastle Red Bulls (2025–Present): Renamed after takeover by Austrian energy drink brand
Red Bull Early years (1877–1990s) The original
Gosforth Football Club was founded in 1877 by a group of Old Boys of
Durham School, and would remain home until 1990. During that time and particularly in the late 1970s Gosforth enjoyed tremendous success both on and off the field winning the
John Player Cup in seasons 1975–76 and 1976–77. Gosforth supplied innumerable players to all counties over the years, to the North of England sides and to the full international and British Lions teams. These include
Arthur Smith,
Ray McLoughlin,
Malcolm Young,
Roger Uttley,
Peter Dixon,
Duncan Madsen, Dave Robinson,
Richard Breakey,
Jim Pollock and
Colin White. In 1990 the club name was changed to Newcastle Gosforth and they moved to Kingston Park.
Gosforth Rugby Football Club continued as an amateur side working in partnership with
Northumbria University and currently play at Broadway West.
Professional era For the 1996–97 season the new name of Newcastle Falcons and new black-and-white colours were adopted, after local businessman
Sir John Hall took control and attempted to create a sporting club in Newcastle that would emulate the success of the
Barcelona model. The four teams that made up that sporting club were the
football team, nicknamed the
Magpies, the
Newcastle Eagles basketball team, the Newcastle Cobras (later Riverkings, Jesters, Vipers) ice hockey team and the Newcastle Falcons rugby union team. Newcastle was the first fully "professional" rugby union club in the world. In 1995, Hall installed former Wasps captain
Rob Andrew as his salaried Director of Rugby and saw the club earn promotion from the national Second Division to the Premiership. The following season, Newcastle became English Premiership champions at their first attempt in 1997–98. Alongside Andrew, the Championship winning side starred cross-code All Black, Samoa and Rugby League legend
Inga Tuigamala, Scotland legends
Doddie Weir and
Gary Armstrong, England star
Tony Underwood,
British and Irish Lions stars
Alan Tait and
John Bentley and youngster
Jonny Wilkinson. During the following 1998–99 season Newcastle didn't play in Europe, as English teams did not take part, but the Falcons did go on to the Tetley's Bitter Cup final against Wasps, which was lost 29–19. In 1999,
Rob Andrew retired allowing for 20-year-old international
Jonny Wilkinson to assume the fly half role full-time. Andrew remained as Director of Rugby. Hall sold the Falcons for a 'nominal' sum in 1999 to local businessman Dave Thompson, under whom the Falcons won two
Powergen Cups: in 2001 the Falcons beat
Harlequins FC 30–27; and in 2004 the Falcons beat 37–33 against
Sale Sharks. In 2004, legendary Wallabies full-back
Matt Burke signed for the Falcons. For the Falcons, Burke played alongside former English rival
Jonny Wilkinson (his opposite kicker in the 2001 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia). In Wilkinson, Burke, England international
Dave Walder and emerging future England number 10
Toby Flood the Falcons had adequate competition for kicking duties over the coming seasons, despite long-term injuries to
Jonny Wilkinson. During the 2004–05 season the Falcons recorded their best ever
Heineken Cup performance to date by winning their pool and progressing to a quarter-final tie against
Stade Français in the
Parc des Princes. In August 2005 Falcons toured Japan pre-season. They beat
NEC Green Rockets easily but lost to a fired-up
Toyota Verblitz. In August 2006
Rob Andrew left the Falcons to take charge of the England set-up ahead of the 2007 World Cup in a wide-ranging role that encompasses all aspects of the professional representative game in England. John Fletcher succeeded Rob Andrew as director of rugby at Newcastle Falcons with immediate effect. Fletcher, a former England A centre, had been the club's academy boss and he headed up a team of Peter Walton, Steve Black and Bob Morton, with ex-Falcons prop Ian Peel taking over as acting academy manager.
2007–08 season The season began with high hopes as New Zealand prop
Carl Hayman signed for the Falcons, reportedly as the highest paid rugby union player in the world. Unfortunately, the season was the beginning of a downward spiral for the Falcons. On 11 March 2008, Fletcher and Walton left the club, officially by mutual consent, following Black, who had left a couple of months earlier.
Steve Bates took over as interim director of rugby until summer 2008 when the post was reviewed. At the end of the season, fly-half
Toby Flood left for
Leicester Tigers and full-back
Mathew Tait signed for
Sale Sharks, as the struggling Falcons failed to hold onto young English international talent.
England Saxons scrum-half
Lee Dickson would also depart for
Northampton Saints, where he would go on to earn full international honours. Legendary Australia full back
Matt Burke retired due to injury at the end of the campaign.
2008–09 season In November 2008 Chairman Dave Thompson put an end to speculation of a takeover of the club after rejecting three bids. He held talks with a number of different consortia and reportedly turned down one offer of a full take over as the bidding consortium wanted to relocate the club to
Darlington. Furthermore, he said the speculation had led to instability in the club which was unsettling players and fans alike. On the pitch the Falcons reached another
European Challenge Cup quarter-final going down to
Saracens away from home and finished 10th in the Premiership. This season marked the end of an era as legendary fly-half
Jonny Wilkinson left the club for
RC Toulonnais. England under-20s fly-half
Rory Clegg also left for
Harlequins as
Jimmy Gopperth was signed as replacement fly-half. The loss of Wilkinson was compounded by the departure of future
British and Irish Lions star
Geoff Parling who continued the outflow of talent, leaving for
Leicester Tigers. Another trio who would go on to achieve England honours in
Phil Dowson,
Dave Wilson and
Tom May also left for
Northampton Saints,
Bath Rugby and
RC Toulonnais respectively.
2009–10 season The Falcons failed to replace the character and quality which had departed, with imports
Gcobani Bobo and
Filipo Levi flattering to deceive, Gopperth the sole bright spot. After a disappointing season the pressure mounted on Steve Bates and on 4 May 2010, the club announced that Bates' contract had been terminated and he was being replaced by first team coach
Alan Tait. The decision came after Newcastle went on an unbeaten run to quash any doubts of relegation largely due to an inspirational
Carl Hayman. But a crushing home
European Challenge Cup Quarter Final defeat by
Cardiff Blues signalled the end of the Bates era. Following the loss of England talent Flood, Tait and Wilkinson in previous seasons, the last remaining England international at the club,
Jamie Noon, departed for
CA Brive. The front line was also notably weakened when club captain Hayman left the Falcons once his lucrative contract expired, to join former teammate Wilkinson at
RC Toulonnais.
2010–11 season Towards the end of the previous season Chairman Dave Thompson had to seek investment for the club due to increasing debts following the
Nationalisation of Northern Rock, the club's main sponsor. After months of speculation, it was announced that local businessman Semore Kurdi had purchased a 40% stake in the club in September 2010, easing the club's financial difficulties. Scotland number 8
Ally Hogg was signed, while Scotland and Lions prop
Euan Murray also arrived to plug the gap left by Hayman. On the pitch in Alan Tait's first season the Falcons reached the
Anglo-Welsh Cup final, losing to Gloucester 34–7. Despite this relative success the Falcons finished their worst ever Premiership season with just 23 points (four wins), only escaping relegation thanks to the inferior points difference of
Leeds Carnegie.
England Saxons pair, scrum-half
Micky Young and prop
Kieran Brookes, would both depart for
Leicester Tigers at the end of the campaign.
2011–12 season: Relegation to Championship The huge outflow of talent from 2008 onwards, and lack of suitable reinforcements, would come to bear during this campaign. Samoa international centre
Jamie Helleur was a rare quality signing. The 2011–12 season saw Newcastle Falcons relegated from the Premiership. The Falcons started the season badly but rallied midway through as Gary Gold took over. After changing the set up at Kingston Park, the club nearly escaped relegation, but
London Wasps held on to secure their Premiership status by a point. Despite finishing with a higher points total than the year before (32) it was not enough to keep them up. The Falcons still had a small hope that
London Welsh may be refused Premiership status, however Welsh were promoted after an appeal. Many players, including
Euan Murray, subsequently left the club.
2012–13 season: Repromotion to Premiership The Falcons' season in the Championship sees the much changed side coached by director of rugby
Dean Richards who appointed
Will Welch as club captain, while experienced international locks
Scott MacLeod and
Carlo Del Fava were signed. The Falcons won their first game of the season 37–20 against Bristol and went on to win their second 49–32 against
London Scottish. At the halfway point of the season the Falcons were maintaining their unbeaten run, including a 24–13 score against a touring Tongan national side during the first international game to be held at Kingston Park since 1990. Former England Saxons wing
Noah Cato signed from
Northampton Saints to assist in the promotion push. The Falcons confirmed their place in the Championship play off semi-final with a bonus point win at home to Cornish Pirates on 22 February 2013 and their position as league leaders was confirmed early the following month. At the conclusion of the season, the Falcons defeated the
Bedford Blues 49–33 on aggregate in the final to win promotion back to the Premiership for the 2013–14 season.
2013–14 season Prior to the beginning of the Falcons' return to the
Aviva Premiership, star fly-half
Jimmy Gopperth departed for
Leinster Rugby. To replace Gopperth, former Falcon
Rory Clegg was signed by
Dean Richards for the second time, with Richards having previously signed Clegg for
Harlequins when Clegg was just 19. Four years later, the return of Clegg, alongside the returning
Kieran Brookes from
Leicester Tigers, provided evidence that talent was coming back to the Falcons. The signings of former
Scotland and
Lions scrum-half
Mike Blair from
CA Brive,
Saracens flanker
Andy Saull, Scotland hooker
Scott Lawson from
London Irish, former Scotland fly half
Phil Godman and one time France prop
Franck Montanella showed the desire of the club to compete upon return to the top flight. Samoa wing
Sinoti Sinoti and Argentina centre
Gonzalo Tiesi were later added to the squad. Despite a difficult season, which saw a number of retirements through injury, including
Carlo Del Fava, the Falcons secured their place in the Aviva Premiership for 2014–15.
2014–15 season The Falcons made a statement ahead of the 2014–15 season with the signing of 2010–11 Premiership top try scorer and three time Premiership winner
Alesana Tuilagi. One of Alesana's six rugby playing brothers,
Andy Tuilagi also signed for the Falcons. Another notable signing was Italy lock
Joshua Furno, while Samoa lock
Kane Thompson was another new addition.
Rotherham Titans duo,
Juan Pablo Socino and
Ruki Tipuna also joined the club. The Falcons finished the season in 11th place, with a points total of 34.
2015–16 season Ahead of the 2015–16 campaign, England international prop
Kieran Brookes and England under-20 lock
Dominic Barrow departed for
Northampton Saints and
Leicester Tigers respectively. Fly halves
Rory Clegg and
Phil Godman, wing
Noah Cato, flanker
Andy Saull, scrum halves
Mike Blair and
Warren Fury along with centre
Jamie Helleur were among those released. A host of
2015 Rugby World Cup stars were signed in Tonga flanker and captain
Nili Latu, Tonga scrum half
Sonatane Takulua, Italy wing
Giovanbattista Venditti and Scotland prop
Jon Welsh. The return of former star scrum half
Micky Young was also a coup for the Falcons, alongside one time All Black cap, fly half
Mike Delany and former England lock
Mouritz Botha.
2016–17 season Following seven years in
Bath, England prop
Dave Wilson returned to the Falcons. France international centre
Maxime Mermoz also joined mid-season. Winger
Vereniki Goneva had most metres in the Premiership with 1,615 while
Mark Wilson received his first England caps.
2017–18 season: The Big One, Doddie Weir and a New Era Ahead of the 2017–18 campaign, former England fly-half
Toby Flood returned after nine years in Leicester and Toulouse. On 17 January 2018, the Falcons were presented with a winding up petition by HMRC. Falcons ended the 2017–18 season in fourth place in the
Premiership Rugby table, their highest placing in 20 years. Falcons played
Exeter Chiefs at
Sandy Park in the semi-finals, where they lost 36–5..
Rob Vickers,
Scott Lawson and
Ally Hogg all retired following the end of the season after upholding exceptional careers over a decade.
Scott Wilson, aged 24 at the time, was forced to retire due to a neck injury he sustained in the semi-final against Exeter. A benefit dinner was held in early 2019 to raise funds for Wilson's chosen charity.
2018–19 season: Second Relegation Newcastle keen to follow on from the success of last season expanded their squad with key players such as
Logovi'i Mulipola,
John Hardie,
Nemani Nagusa and
George McGuigan. Falcons returned to the
Heineken Champions Cup after a 13-year absence. They were drawn to play against
Toulon,
Montpellier and
Edinburgh in Pool 5. On 14 October, Falcons started their European Campaign against Toulon at
Stade Felix Mayol. Less than 30 seconds into the game and Toulon were already on the board after Romain Taofifénua charged down the kick off and scored a try, one of the quickest tries scored in the history of the competition. In the fourth quarter of the game, three of Toulon's players were sin-binned and they were forced to make a decision after being awarded a penalty within kicking distance. However, instead of going for the posts they elected for a five-metre line-out which failed to result in a try. The final score came to 25–26 as Falcons become the second team in a European competition to beat Toulon at home, an accolade that only
Saracens had achieved before.
Mark Wilson was announced in
Eddie Jones'
Autumn Internationals Squad following players being injured at the time. He started against England's 12–11 win over
South Africa and won Quilter Internationals player of the series. He became a regular starter for
England in the 2019
Six Nations along with
Gary Graham making his debut for
Scotland. Following the success of the previous
"The Big One", Falcons announced on 4 December that their match against northern rivals
Sale Sharks would be played at
Newcastle United's
St. James' Park. The match would be held as a Charity Event in aid of
Doddie Weir and the My Name’5 Doddie foundation.
ISC incorporated the ‘Doddie’5 Tartan’ into the shoulders of the Charity Jersey along with the Famous Black and White stripes representing the iconic colours worn by
Newcastle United. The match was a success with 27,284 spectators present as Newcastle beat Sale 22–17. Falcons confirmed the signing of United States international
Greg Peterson in mid-March with
Darren Barry,
Josh Basham,
Gareth Owen and
Toby Salmon following shortly after. Tongan international
Cooper Vuna later signed a 2-year deal with the club. They also announced a 5-year deal with sportswear brand
Macron to provide official kits and leisurewear as their official supplier. On 4 May, it was confirmed that Newcastle Falcons would be relegated to the
RFU Championship after failing to beat
Gloucester away. After this, many prominent players elected to leave the club to further pursue top-flight rugby. Following the confirmation of relegation into the
Championship,
Simon Hammersley and
Chris Harris both evoked relegation release clauses held within their contracts and signed for
Sale Sharks and
Gloucester Rugby respectively.
Wasps picked up
Zach Kibirige with Director of Rugby
Dai Young saying Kibirige was "simply too good an opportunity to miss". England International
Mark Wilson signed a one-year loan agreement with
Sale Sharks which would ultimately allow him to still play for his country despite being registered to a Championship team. Finally on 3 July, it was announced that fan favourite
Vereniki Goneva had signed for
Harlequins following rumours and speculation on where he would go following Falcons' demotion. He signed along with fellow Fijian international
Tevita Cavubati and Newcastle teammate
Glen Young.
2019–20 season: Greene King Championship and the COVID-19 Pandemic Keen to start the new season in the right direction, Falcons bolstered their Premiership side against every team they faced in the competition winning every match both home and away, their largest win being 41–0 against
Bedford Blues on 14 March 2020. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, the
RFU officially cancelled the season on 20 March 2020, after initially postponing all rugby in England. As a result, Newcastle Falcons were declared champions for the season and promoted back into the Premiership on the basis of their playing record having been undefeated and at the top of the table when the league was suspended. The club made a series of salary reductions for players and off-field staff to ensure the survival of the company during an unprecedented time, this included all branches of the club including
Newcastle Thunder and the team's charity branch, Newcastle Falcons Foundation. It was also at this time that
Johnny Williams announced he would be moving to
Scarlets at the official conclusion of the season with
Dominic Waldouck joining Gloucester Rugby as their Defence Coach.
Nick Easter also joined Falcons' coaching squad shortly after.
2020–21 season: Post-Pandemic revival After a wait of 8 months, Rugby Union restarted across England with teams cautiously returning to some level of normality. Newcastle, back in the Premiership, expanded and strengthened its squad with the flagship signing of
Luther Burrell following a cross-code switch from
Warrington Wolves. Home grown talent
Gary Graham and
Jamie Blamire both signed 3-year contract extensions respectively.
Sinoti Sinoti, a fan favourite at the club who was a key asset in the Falcons' previous seasons left the club owing to "Personal Reasons".
2021–22 season: RFU Investigation into Institutionalised Racism On 25 June 2022 the
Daily Mail interviewed player
Luther Burrell highlighting racism in his rugby playing career, specifically mentioning how it had become commonplace in the Newcastle Falcons team. Burrell had been the target of racist remarks between teammates who brushed it off as
wikt:"locker room talk". The club launched an internal investigation following the story breaking with Luther receiving public support for his actions with many fans of the club and the Rugby Union community condemning the claims stated in the article. The
Rugby Football Union announced on 24 July that they would conduct a full independent investigation into the allegations made by Burrell. Newcastle finished the
2021-22 Premiership Rugby season in 12th place, entitling them to play in the
2022-23 European Rugby Challenge Cup.
2022–23 season Newcastle Falcons finished bottom of the table in the
2022-23 season, 10 points behind Gloucester.
2023–24 season Newcastle Falcons finished bottom of the table in the
2023-24 season, without winning a single match.
2024–25 season On 18 October 2024, Newcastle Falcons ended their 25-match losing streak in the
2024–25 Premiership Rugby season with a victory over
Exeter Chiefs, with this being their first league victory since March 2023. On 29 November 2024, they would climb off the bottom of the table beating
Saracens 17–12 at home. This was their first win over them since 2009. Having endured a run of many consecutive loses, by this point they had won five of their last six games in all competitions. On 18 March 2025, Newcastle Falcons announced a player recruitment freeze until further funding is secured. On 11 April 2025, Steve Diamond, the director of rugby at Newcastle Falcons, was handed a six-game ban after being found to have verbally abused match officials. Newcastle Falcons finished bottom of the table for the third season in a row.
2025–26: Red Bull takeover In August 2025, it was announced that the club had been purchased by
Red Bull GmbH and that they would be renamed
Newcastle Red Bulls. The takeover came after previous owner Semore Kurdi, who had been majority shareholder since 2011, put the club up for sale at the end of 2024. As part of the deal, Red Bull agreed to takeover the £39million of debt the club owed, including £14.5million in unpaid treasury loans taken out during the
COVID-19 pandemic. They also announced Kingston Park would remain their home ground while Steve Diamond would remain as Director of Rugby. On 16 March 2026,
Stephen Jones replaced Alan Dickens as head coach. == Club information ==