Bigger than Barca.

Probably the wrong night to start this, what with the match on in an hour and a half, but a discussion I had last week has got me thinking and I would like to open it to the forum.

I was out in a 50/50 mix, SAFC and Barcodes. Good craic as you would expect and the banter flowed as well as the alcohol.

Anyway, one lad piped up and said "if SAFC didn't exist; or NUFC didn't, then the region would have a MASSIVE fan base for the one or the other".

So, even just taking Tyne & Wear into account, 100,000 fans for one club. The fervour of the crowds, the heritage of fine north-east footballers...........

He reckoned we would be bigger than Barcelona.

Worth a discussion?

x

 

Thats just like saying imagine they was only one Glasgow club or Birmingham club etc etc!
It's a nice thought though, a world without Geordies

 

Anyone on here know the biggest town / city with only one club?

x

 

Manchester?

 

In England Newcastle if you count Gateshead/South Tyneside.

If not Leeds is the next one. (i think).

then Boro

 

I'm not 100% certain but I think it's Leeds.

 

Just to put it into perspective though, Newcastle/Sunderland have about a 1mil population.

 

Wherewereyou. You're thinking of set of fans. Everyone in Manchester supports City. United's support is south of the Watford Gap, I believe.

x

 

blackcatsteve.

Can you be more precise, please?

x

 

Steve, it's nowhere near that mate, Newcastle- 260,000. Sunderland- 280,000.

 

Aah! I thought that they must play somewhere south of the Gap, too. Mea culpa.

 

Great Idea...We could call the new club PLAINS FARM WMC.........

 

I'd have thought Newcastle or Leeds, but Leeds have a lot of surrounding towns like Bradford, Huddersfield etc with reasonable fan bases of their own.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Primary_Urban_Areas_in_England_by_population

5 Newcastle 794,500 Newcastle upon Tyne; Metropolitan Boroughs of Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside

22 Sunderland 295,503 Includes the town of Whitburn

So if we are talking 1 team in that catchment area you have to include Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside imo.

But Barcelona have 1,6 million in the city limits but 4.5 million in their catchment area.

 

Surely there's more than one club in Barcelona? What has the population there got to do with the original point?

 

Espanyol are based in Barcelona.

 

What's the point in combining the clubs of we're already bigger than Barca?

But to answer the question I don't think so. The support would be great, though.

 

Classic.

 

South Tyneside is stretching it, basically shields, we get as much support from Shields (which belongs in county Durham!)

 

is it Hartlepool