Never been able to get into it myself but I think that may be because there's no one around to root for. I wouldn't be caught dead supporting anything related to Newcastle in all honesty so that rules out the only local professional side. I have an idea though that I think could transform the north east into a hot bed for Rugby. Durham County Rugby Club. It could either work as a takeover and relocation of the falcons or a new club starting from scratch. The idea is that like the Cricket club it would unite the North East and create a strong club In a region of the country that love sport but is clearly missing an opportunity. Go to a Durham cricket game and you see a mix of Sunderland Newcastle and Boro shirts. I think it would generate massive interest and easily be one of the best followed clubs in the country and would beocme a major force in time. Any rugby fans out there? Like the idea?
Like how Durham had an ice hockey team? Its an idea I don't like. Is Ashley's reign at their towns football club karma for this?
Gosforth were a proper rugby club before John Hall and his "Geordie Nation" bollocks took them over in the mid 1990s. They reached a couple of cup-finals in the 1970s and were highly regarded. Hall came along, they ditched the third, fourth and fifth XVs, and the juniors, and he changed their colours from green and white to black and white. They've fared a bit better than the old Durham ice hockey team but in truth are now a soulless club with no real hinterland
Good post mate, I think it all comes down to junior participation.. If theirs heaps of kids playing rugby in the region then theres your foundation... Secondly if the team was to go ahead then participation within the community via school tutorials about the game and family fun days etc would help generate the publics interest & possibly create a core fan base of support!
Sunderland have a rugby team. They play at Ashbrooke. Don`t know what standard they are what the support`s like though.
Ice hockey isnt a popular sport in this country though. Rugby is probably the 2nd biggest. Its hard to get into playing ice hockey. Rugby like footy is as simple as getting a few mates together with a ball so it can prosper at grass roots.
Durham Wasps were one of the biggest names in British ice hockey, they were a really big team in the late 1980's early 1990's when I was a young lad. John Hall bought the club and moved them to Newcastle, another part of his "Geordie Nation" bollocks. Spot the pattern?
But my idea is to unite the entire area by opening it up to the whole of the north east. Durham is central and has no biased affiliation that would alienate a section of potential fans. Like Durham Cricket club does.
Fair comment. Historically there were two reasonably successful and well supported clubs in the region - Gosforth and West Hartlepool. Gosforth as we have seen was bought up by Hall, stripped of its tradition and turned into an ersatz professional club. West never really came to terms with professionalism and slid down the leagues. The problem with a "super club" as you suggest is that rugby fans are a parochial bunch and tend to stick with their local club (look at the massive problems of regional rugby in Wales for a good example of this). It is alluded to in my posts - the reason the ice hockey died the death was when Hall moved it out of Durham up to Newcastle the majority of non Mags who followed the team, and didn't see themselves as part of the "Geordie Nation" turned their backs and had nowt to do with the team after that. You noted this yourself in your first post - there are also loads who want nowt to do with the Falcons because of their ties to the Mags (historically) and what Hall did to a once proud club. So you have a good traditional club scene at one end and the plastic Falcons at the other and trying to invent a county team to fit in the middle would never compete with Falcons or draw supporters from the traditionalist fans.
When traitor Hall ditched the Rugby I emailed the new owner (forgot his name) saying if you want the whole of the NE to support the team remeber its roots and use green instead of black. I got a good email from him saying he would think of about. Of course nothing has happened. Rugby for a certain build of lad is great as a contact sport you can absolutely flatten an opponent and use any power or speed you have to push over the line. I love football but as a participant Rugby is more fun and more hands on. As a ps I have just seen a video of Lorik Cana, if football was played liked he does rugby would be redundant
