Newcastle Thunder

Newcastle Thunder
Club information
Full name Newcastle Thunder Rugby League Football Club
Nickname(s) Thunder
Short name Newcastle
Website thunderrugby.com
Colours
Founded 2000
Current details
Ground(s)
CEO(s) Keith Christie
Coach(s) Mick Mantelli
Captain(s) Joe Brown, Rhys Clarke (co captains)
Competition League 1
2014 Championship 1 4th
Records
Challenge Cups Quarter finalists (2009)
National League Two 1 (2008)
Most capped 217 - Robin Peers
Most points 449 - Benn Hardcastle

Newcastle Thunder R.L.F.C. is a professional rugby league club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. They play in the Kingstone Press League 1 competition, the third tier of rugby league in the United Kingdom. They play their home matches at Kingston Park, also home to rugby union side Newcastle Falcons.

Newcastle is the only professional rugby league club in North East England. The club was founded in 2000 as Gateshead Thunder as a replacement for the original Gateshead Thunder club that had merged into Hull F.C. after one season in the Super League. The club have won one trophy during their run, the 2008 National League 2 championship.

History

2000-2014: Gateshead Thunder

In 1999 Gateshead Thunder was added to the Super League as an expansion team. Playing at Gateshead International Stadium, the club was relatively successful on the field but suffered heavy financial losses, and so at the end of Super League IV the club was merged with Hull Sharks, with the team relocating to Hull. Following this, a group of supporters formed a new Gateshead Thunder club, which was accepted to play in the Northern Ford Premiership starting in the 2001 season. The new club struggled both on and off the field, facing financial problems again in 2002 before being accepted to play in the new National League 2 competition in 2003.

The club continued to struggle for a number of seasons, finishing bottom of the RFL pyramid in 2004 before a period of stability saw them gradually become more competitive. The club appointed Australian coach Dave Woods in 2007 and although they finished second-bottom in his first year in charge, the club saw a massive improvement in his second season, winning the 2008 National League 2 title and earning promotion to the Championship. In 2009, the team managed to avoid relegation from the Championship, finishing in 7th place, the reformed club's highest ever league position. However, financial problems occurred once again with the club breaching the competition's insolvency rules. Following a change of ownership, the club was voluntarily demoted back to League 1 in order to regroup. Further years of struggle followed with the club once again finishing bottom of the RFL pyramid in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and third from bottom in 2013.

2014-present: Newcastle Thunder

Stanley Gene took over as Head Coach of Gateshead Thunder in the 2014 season. Thunder were taken over by Newcastle Rugby Limited, owned by rugby union side Newcastle Falcons' chairman Semore Kurdi, in March 2014. The club were rebranded in January 2015 as the Newcastle Thunder and applied for permission to use Kingston Park in Newcastle as their home ground.[1]

Honours

Colours and badge

Colours

The Thunder adopted the colours of the original club, playing in a predominately purple home kit with a white V and a black and white stripped away kit with a nod towards traditional Newcastle colours that Newcastle United play in.

Badge

The clubs first badge as Gateshead had Thunder underneath it with the N styled as a bolt of lightening and a purple face, facing right. The new Newcastle Thunder badge is very similar that it has Thunder with the N as a bolt of lightening and Newcastle above it, replacing Gateshead and the purple face has been removed, the logo looks more modern and updated.

Stadiums

2001-2014: Gateshead International Stadium

The new club moved into the Gateshead International Stadium, known as the Thunderdome when used for Rugby League, in 2001 as it was previously occupied by the original Gateshead Thunder club. The stadium is a multipurpose venue with athletics, American football and association football being hosted at the stadium, with Gateshead Harriers, Gateshead F.C. and, until they moved out Gateshead Senators, occupying the stadium. In 2006 a move to Kingston Park was mooted after a fall out with the local council who own the stadium.

2015-present: Kingston Park

In 2015 rugby union club Newcastle Falcons bought Gateshead Thunder and moved the club to Newcastle Upon Tyne to share their ground, Kingston Park with a view to increasing attendances compared to at Gateshead. The ground also has excellent facilities as the Falcons play in the rugby union Premiership.

Kit manufacturers and sponsors

YearsKit ManufacturerMain Shirt Sponsor
1999AvecNorthern Electrics
2000-2001exitonone
2004-2005 Halbro
2006Nikenone
2010XBladesGMC Transport Limited
2011-2012Puma
2013StagJack Coupe and Sons
2014Gateshead College
2015-Impact Gizmowizard

Past coaches

2016 squad

* Announced on 29 February 2016:

2016 Squad Numbers

No Player Position Former club
1 Tom Reudiger Full Back Queanbeyan Blues
2 Ali Blair Wing, Centre Wallsend Eagles
3 Derrell Olpherts Centre Hemel Stags
4 Josh Atkinson Centre Queanbeyan Kangaroos
5 Peter Fox Wing Doncaster RLFC
6 Benn Hardcastle Stand Off York City Knights
7 Ben Thorburn Half Back Souths Logan Magpies
8 Vincent Rennie Prop Canterbury Bulldogs
9 Evan Simons Hooker Hemel Stags
10 Matt Barron Prop York City Knights
11 Jason Payne Second Row, Back Row Castleford Tigers
12 Rhys Clarke (C) Second Row Whitehaven RLFC
13 Lee Paterson Loose Forward, Back Row York City Knights
14 Paddy Hargreaves Hooker Whitley Bay Barbarians
15 Joe Brown (C) Centre Doncaster RLFC
16 Fran Welsh Prop Young Cherrypickers
17 Josh Stoker Prop Gateshead Panthers
18 Dan Turland Second Row, Back Row Gateshead Storm
19 Aaron Teroi Half Back Melbourne Storm
20 Josh Kittrick Half Back Doncaster RLFC
21 Dan Parker Centre Coventry Bears
22 Sam Luckley Prop Wallsend Eagles
23 Zach Clark Full Back Jarrow Vikings
24 Gioele Celerino Prop North West Roosters
25 Harry Aldous Second Row Hull Kingston Rovers
26 Lee Fewlass Prop Gateshead Panthers
27 Ryan Millington Prop South Wales Scorpions
28 Craig Cook Hooker Oxford RLFC
29 Craig Boot Back Row Bramley Buffaloes
30 Julien Lasserre Full Back AS Carcassonne
HC Mick Mantelli Head Coach Italy
AC Michael Heap Assistant Coach

2017 transfers

Gains

Player Club Contract length Date
England Jack Aldous Hull F.C. 1 Year September 2016
New Zealand Kruse Robinson Yass Magpies 1 Year October 2016
England Liam McAvoy Workington Town 1 Year October 2016
England Liam Scott Wallsend Eagles 1 Year October 2016
England Brett Waller York City Knights 1 Year November 2016
England Corbyn Kilday Swinton Lions 1 Year November 2016
England Tyler Craig York City Knights 1 Year November 2016

Losses

Player Club Contract length Date
England Jason Payne Retirement N/A October 2016
England Josh Atkinson Oxford Rugby League 1 Year October 2016
England Fran Welsh Keighley Cougars 1 Year November 2016

Records

Player records

Correct to end of 2005 season.

Team records

Former players

Juniors

Gateshead run a junior team in the Gillette National Youth League.

References

  1. ↑ "Newcastle Thunder: Gateshead rugby league side relocates". BBC Sport. BBC. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.

External links

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