Newcastle Red Bulls

The rugby union club was established in 1877 under the historical name Gosforth Football Club. At that time, rugby clubs commonly used “football club” in their names; this was not an association football team. It later became Newcastle Gosforth before adopting the Newcastle Falcons name during rugby union’s move into the professional era.

That history means rugby shirts from different periods can carry Gosforth, Newcastle Falcons or Newcastle Red Bulls branding while belonging to the same club lineage.

Kingston Park became the club’s home in 1990. The stadium has a listed capacity of 10,210 and remains the home of Newcastle Red Bulls following the change of ownership and identity.

Red Bull completed its takeover of Newcastle Rugby Ltd in August 2025, making this its first full acquisition of a rugby union club. Newcastle Falcons were renamed Newcastle Red Bulls, with the team remaining at Kingston Park and the new ownership committing to the development of local rugby talent.

The rebrand introduced a new crest and a visual identity built around Red Bull’s familiar red, yellow and dark-blue palette. It began a new chapter rather than creating a separate club, so the team’s Gosforth and Falcons history remains essential to understanding Newcastle Red Bulls.

Newcastle won the 1997/98 English rugby union Premiership title during the Falcons era. The achievement came in the first top-flight season after the club’s promotion and remains the defining domestic league honour in Newcastle’s rugby history.

The club also lifted England’s leading domestic knockout cup in 1976 and 1977 as Gosforth, then again in 2001 and 2004 as Newcastle Falcons. Names and sponsorships attached to the competition changed over time, but each victory forms part of the same club story.

A Newcastle rugby shirt can look very different depending on its era. Gosforth rugby shirts are closely associated with green and white, while black became the defining colour of Newcastle Falcons. Newcastle Red Bulls introduced red, yellow, white and dark blue into the rugby club’s new identity from 2025.

This FanFile covers the rugby club rather than one particular shirt. Check the crest, sponsor, manufacturer label and product code on your own rugby shirt to identify its season and whether it belongs to the Gosforth, Falcons or Red Bulls period.

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• Newcastle Red Bulls: official club history
• Newcastle Red Bulls: Kingston Park Stadium
• Reuters: Red Bull takeover and Newcastle rebrand

Facts checked: 17 September 2026.