Red Bull's Falcons takeover can bring the good times back to rugby in region - Diamond

A TAKEOVER of Newcastle's top flight rugby club announced yesterday has been described as "exciting for rugby and not just for Newcastle".

- By OWEN YOUNGER

The newly-named Newcastle Red Bulls are set to remain at Kingston Park, with a renewed focus on developing local talent through its academy.

Newcastle Red Bulls director of rugby Steve Diamond has now talked about whether the club could "replicate the football buzz" in the city after the monumental takeover. The move has seen the Red Bull group take full ownership of the club, formerly known as Newcastle Falcons.

Having worked with Newcastle Rugby Ltd since February 2024, he has given his thoughts on what this move means for the sport in the North East, shared his excitement about Red Bull's track record and spoken about the future of rugby here in the region.

When asked about the significance of this for Newcastle as a city, Diamond said: "Well you obviously see the excitement when Newcastle United play at home, and I'm not suggesting for a moment we could fully replicate that, but a successful Newcastle Red Bulls will generate a huge amount of support in this region.

"It's a sporting area, very similar to Manchester where I come from, but the difference is that there is only one football team here. Manchester is split in half and there's always conflict but here there never is and everyone is united.

"I think that we can take some genuine positive steps forward early on, and we are a well-connected community club which will continue to serve us well.

"We care about the supporters, and they have shown their love for the club with the purchasing of season tickets. Friday night rugby is a fantastic thing, and I think we can really generate some great experiences here.