Newcastle United Football Club is one of the most prestigious clubs in English soccer with a passionate fan base and an impressive history.
The club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, play their home matches at St. James’ Park, and have been a member of the Premier League for all but three years of the competition’s history. Furthermore, they’ve also never dropped below the second tier of English soccer since joining the Football League in 1893.
With a number of prominent players – both former and present – and a few long-standing rivalries, Newcastle United continue to play a hugely significant role in English soccer.
This ultimate guide will take an in-depth look at Newcastle United as a club, including a detailed timeline of their history, a list of their honors, and some of the club’s most important records. Moreover, we’ll also provide some information about Newcastle’s stadium, their owners, prominent former players, managerial history, and much more.
Basic Facts
- Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne
- Founded: 1892
- Ground: St James’ Park
- Nickname: The Magpies, The Toon, The Geordies
- Kit Color: Black And White
- Owner: Mike Ashley
- League: Premier League
- Current Manager: Steve Bruce
- Current Captain: Jamaal Lascelles
Home Grounds
Throughout Newcastle United’s entire history, they’ve only had one home venue – St. James’ Park. It’s the oldest and largest soccer stadium in North East England, as well as the sixth-biggest soccer stadium in the whole of the United Kingdom.
In addition to hosting Newcastle United matches, St. James’ Park has been used as a venue for ten international football matches at senior level – the first being in 1901 and the most recent in 2005. It was also used as a venue for both the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
Soccer has been played at St. James’ Park as early as 1880, with the ground being occupied first of all by Newcastle Rangers. It then became the home of Newcastle West End F.C in 1886, before being bought by Newcastle East End F.C. in 1892. The latter soon changed their name to Newcastle United.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the ground was given a capacity of 30,000. However, redevelopment between 1900 and 1905 doubled the capacity to 60,000 making St. James’ Park the largest stadium in England at the time.
For the majority of the 20th century, the ground didn’t change too much – despite various plans and designs for further development. Between 1987 and 1993, however, the old West Stand was replaced with the Milburn Stand and the Leazes End replaced by the Sir John Hall Stand.
Furthermore, the rest of the ground was renovated during this period, converting St. James’ Park to a 37,000 capacity all-seater stadium. Double tiers were also later added to the John Hall and Milburn Stands, extending the venue to its current capacity of approximately 52,300.
In October 2009, owner of the club, Mike Ashley, decided to lease the name of the stadium in order to try and increase revenue. On 10th November 2011, it was officially renamed to the Sports Direct Arena, although this was an interim name purely to showcase the sponsorship capabilities of the ground.
Payday loan company Wonga.com became Newcastle United’s primary commercial sponsor in 2012, and bought the naming rights of the stadium. Despite this, they decided to restore the St. James’ Park name – a decision that was celebrated by the club’s supporters.
The club’s official training ground is located at Darsley Park, which is towards the north of the city at Brenton. The facility was first opened in 2003, and is also used as a training ground by the Newcastle Falcons rugby team.
Main Trophies
Newcastle United are a fairly successful side, although the majority of their main trophies were won during the early to mid 20th century. Their most significant honors include 4 League titles, 6 FA Cups, and 1 UEFA Intertoto Cup.
Newcastle have the ninth highest total of trophies won by an English club, with their most successful period between 1904 and 1910. During this six-year stint, they won three of their League titles and an FA Cup.
Listed below is a full record of the main trophies Newcastle United have won throughout their 129-year history.
First Division / Premier League
- Winners: 1904-05, 1906-07, 1908-09, 1926-27
- Runners-Up: 1995-96, 1996-97
Second Division / Championship
- Winners: 1964-65, 1992-93, 2009-10, 2016-17
FA Cup
- Winners: 1909-10, 1923-24, 1931-32, 1950-51, 1951-52, 1954-55
- Runners-Up: 1904-05, 1905-06, 1907-08, 1910-11, 1973-74, 1997-78, 1998-89
League Cup
- Runners-Up: 1975-76
FA Charity Shield
- Winners: 1909
UEFA Intertoto Cup
- Winners: 2006
Club History And Timeline
The origins of Newcastle United can be traced back to the formation of a side by the Stanley Cricket Club of Byker in 1881. A year later, this team was renamed Newcastle East End F.C. to avoid confusion with another cricket club in Stanley, County Durham.
In 1886, Newcastle East End F.C. moved from Byker to Heaton, while Newcastle West End F.C. moved into St. James’ Park. The two sides became rivals, however it wasn’t long before Newcastle West End were forced to dissolve as a result of financial difficulties.
Due to this, a number of their players and staff joined rivals Newcastle East End, effectively merging the two clubs. The newly-revamped Newcastle East End then took over the lease of St. James’ Park in 1892, and continued to compete in the Northern League.
In an attempt to bring larger crowds to the stadium, Newcastle East End decided to change their name to reflect the merger. Options included Newcastle F.C., Newcastle City, and Newcastle Rangers, but the name decided upon was Newcastle United on 9th December 1892. This was seen as the best name for signifying the unification of the two teams.
The name change was quickly accepted by the Football Association, however, the club wasn’t legally constituted as Newcastle United Football Club until three years later.
Newcastle started their first competitive league campaign in English soccer in the Second Division for the 1893-94 season. A few years later, they earned promotion to the First Division ready for the 1898-99 season.
Early Success
In the 1903-04 campaign, the club built up a promising and skilful squad of players, and subsequently went on to dominate English soccer for the next seven years. Newcastle won the league on three occasions during this period; 1904-05, 1906-07, and 1908-08.
They also lost three FA Cup finals; 1905, 1906, and 1908, before finally winning the trophy in 1910, defeating Barnsley in the final. 14 years later, Newcastle returned to the final again, beating Aston Villa to win their second FA Cup.
A few years later in 1927, Newcastle won their fourth and final top-tier league title, with one of the most prolific goal scorers in the club’s history – Hughie Gallagher – captaining the side.
In 1931-32, the club won the FA Cup for a third time, however, a couple of years later, Newcastle were relegated to the Second Division. This ended their 35-year stint in the top division of English soccer.
Post-War Rebuild
Following their relegation to the Second Division, Newcastle found it difficult to adjust and narrowly avoided further relegation in the 1937-38 season.
However, the club were able to rebuild during World War II, and were soon promoted back to the First Division at the end of the 1947-48 season. During a successful run in the 1950s, Newcastle won the FA Cup on three occasions.
The club continued to yo-yo between the divisions, before a strong 1967-68 season in the First Division got them into European Competition, where they won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final against Hungary’s Ujpest.
Premier League Era
Newcastle’s first season in the Premier League saw them finish third, their highest league finish since 1927. Under the attacking philosophy of manager Kevin Keegan, the club went on to achieve two consecutive runners-up finishes in the 1995-96 and 1996-97 campaigns.
The success of the team was largely due to the attacking prowess of players such as Les Ferdinand, David Ginola, and Alan Shearer; the latter being signed in 1996 for a then world record fee of roughly $20 million. However, Keegan left in 1997 and the club finished in a disappointing 13th place the following season.
The club recovered under the management of Bobby Robson, going on to secure three successive top-five finishes at the start of the 21st century. A run to the UEFA Cup quarter-finals followed in the 2004-05 season, but since then the club have enjoyed a relatively unsuccessful spell.
A couple of relegations and promotions, and a large turnover of managers have made it difficult for Newcastle to build any kind of momentum, with the club happy to stabilize as mid-table team in the top division since their return in 2017.
Club Net Worth
Currently owned by Mike Ashley and his investment in Frasers Group, the estimated combined net worth of Newcastle United Football Club is roughly $2.5B.
Owners
Newcastle United have been owned by businessman Mike Ashley since 2007. Ashley firstly purchased the combined stakes of Douglas and John Hall for a 41% share in the club.
Upon buying this share, he appointed Chris Mort as chairman of the club, while gaining more shares – approximately 95% by 11 July 2007. Ashley then forced remaining shareholders to sell their shares, meaning he had full control of the club.
Since completing his purchase of the club, Ashley has been a controversial and much-maligned figure, putting the club up for sale on three separate occasions.
Best Players
Since their formation 129 years ago, Newcastle United have had a number of legendary players on their books. Listed below are 10 of the most prominent.
Hughie Gallacher (1925-1930)
- Striker
- 174 Appearances / 143 Goals
Jackie Milburn (1943-1957)
- Striker
- 399 Appearances / 201 Goals
Bobby Moncur (1962-1974)
- Centre-back
- 361 Appearances
Chris Waddle (1980-1985)
- Winger
- 191 Appearances / 52 Goals
Peter Beardsley (1983-1987 & 1993-1997)
- Midfielder, Forward
- 326 Appearances / 119 Goals
Rob Lee (1992-2002)
- Midfielder
- 381 Appearances / 56 Goals
Alan Shearer (1996-2006)
- Striker
- 404 Appearances / 206 Goals
Shay Given (1997-2009)
- Goalkeeper
- 462 Appearances
Gary Speed (1998-2004)
- Midfielder
- 285 Appearances / 40 Goals
Nolberto Solano (1998-2004 & 2005-2007)
- Midfielder, Winger
- 314 Appearances / 48 Goals
All Time Top Goalscorer
The club’s record goalscorer is Alan Shearer, who scored a total of 206 goals in 404 appearances across his ten-year stint at Newcastle.
He’s also the current all time top goalscorer in Premier League history, with 148 of his record 260 goals coming in the black and white shirt of Newcastle United.
Managers
From 1892 to 1929, Newcastle’s team was selected by a committee represented by Frank Watt. Therefore for the first 37 years of their history, the club didn’t have an official manager in charge.
Since 1930, Newcastle have had 33 official managers, with Steve Bruce the current manager having been in the role since 11 July 2019.
The longest-serving manager in the club’s history is Stan Seymour who had three different spells managing the club from 1939 to 1958. These three managerial spells totalled nearly 14 years.
Statistically, the club’s most successful manager is Chris Hughton with an impressive win percentage of 59.38%. However, the most successful in terms of trophies won is Joe Harvey with five (although four of these were minor ones). Harvey also had the longest uninterrupted spell in charge, lasting 13 years from 1962 to 1975.
Captains
The current club captain of Newcastle United is Jamaal Lascelles, who’s held the position since 2016. Listed below are Newcastle United’s recent club captains since 1968.
- Bobby Moncur (1968-1974)
- Irving Nattrass (1974-1975)
- Geoff Nulty (1975-1978)
- Terry Hibbitt (1978-1979)
- Mick Martin (1979-1982)
- Kevin Keegan (1982-1984)
- Glenn Roeder (1984-1988)
- Andy Thorn (1988-1990)
- Roy Aitken (1990-1991)
- Kevin Scott (1991-1992)
- Brian Kilcline (1992-1993)
- Barry Venison (1993-1994)
- Peter Beardsley (1994-1997)
- Rob Lee (1997-1998)
- Alan Shearer (1998-2006)
- Scott Parker (2006-2007)
- Geremi (2007-2008)
- Michael Owen (2008-2009)
- Nicky Butt (2009-2010)
- Kevin Nolan (2010-2011)
- Fabricio Coloccini (2011-2016)
- Jamaal Lascelles (2016-present)
Current Squad And Coaching Team
Goalkeepers:
- Martin Dubravka
- Karl Darlow
- Mark Gillespie
Defenders:
- Ciaran Clark
- Paul Dummett
- Fabian Schar
- Jamaal Lascelles
- Jamal Lewis
- Emil Krafth
- Federico Fernandez
- Javier Manquillo
Midfielders:
- Matty Longstaff
- Jonjo Shelvey
- Matt Ritchie
- Isaac Hayden
- Jeff Hendrick
- Ryan Fraser
- Jacob Murphy
- Miguel Almiron
- Sean Longstaff
Forwards:
- Joelington
- Callum Wilson
- Allan Saint-Maximin
- Dwight Gayle
First Team Manager: Steve Bruce
Assistant Coach: Graeme Jones
Assistant Coach: Ben Dawson
Assistant Coach: Steve Agnew
Assistant Coach: Stephen Clemence
Head Of Goalkeeping: Simon Smith
Head Of Medicine: Paul Catterson
Head Physiotherapist: Derek Wright
Head Of Strength And Conditioning: Nick Grantham
Head Of Recruitment: Steve Nickson
Head Of Analysis: Kerry Morrow
Academy Manager: Steve Harper
Home And Away Kits
The club’s home colors are traditionally a black and white striped shirt as well as black shorts and socks with a white trim.
However, the original colors for Newcastle – when they were known as Newcastle East End F.C – were red shirts with white shorts and red socks.
The club wore this kit up until 1894, when they switched to the black and white color combination, which had previously been used as the colors for the reserve team’s kit.
Newcastle’s away kit has changed several times over the years. The club played in white shirts and black shorts between 1914 and 1961. The following 34 years saw a variety of red, blue, yellow, and gray away kits.
However, since 1995, both the home and away kits have changed consistently and not been the same for more than a single season (barring the black and white color design for the home kit).
In terms of the club’s badge, the current crest was first used in the 1988-89 season. It features elements from the coat of arms of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, with the two sea horses symbolizing Tyneside’s close connection with the sea and the castle representing the city’s Norman keep.
Rivalries
Traditionally, Newcastle’s main rivals are Sunderland, with whom they compete in the Tyne-Wear derby. These matches are hotly contested and massive for supporters in terms of local bragging rights.
The statistical balance in the fixture is very even. In 154 matches across three major competitions, Newcastle have won 53 times, Sunderland 51 times, while 50 draws have been shared.
Interestingly, Yann M’Vila, who’s played in both the Tyne-Wear derby and the famous Milan derby (between AC Milan and Inter Milan), describes the former as bigger and more passionate than the latter.
Another rivalry – although one which isn’t considered anywhere near as significant as the Tyne-Wear derby – is the Tyne-Tees derby between Newcastle and Middlesbrough. The status of this fixture as a “derby” is hotly disputed with many Newcastle supporters adamant that it shouldn’t be seen as one.
Furthermore, there’s a distance of 42 miles between both teams, as opposed to the 12 between Newcastle and Sunderland
Nevertheless, the Tyne-Tees derby had particular value during the late 1990s and early 2000s as it was the only North-East fixture of the season. Newcastle and Middlesbrogh were established Premier League sides, while Sunderland were largely outside of the top flight.
Fun Facts And Records
- Newcastle United are 8th in the all-time Premier League table
- The player with the most appearances for the club is Jimmy Lawrence, having made 496 first-team appearance between 1904 and 1922
- Newcastle’s record victory is their 13-0 defeat of Newport County in the Second Division in 1946
- The player with the most goals in a single season is Andy Cole with 41 during the 1993-94 campaign
- The club’s heaviest defeat is their 9-0 loss against Bolton Wanderers in the Second Division in 1895
- The highest transfer fee Newcastle have paid for a player is $55 million for Joelington in 2019
- The highest transfer fee the club have received for a player is $48 for Andy Carroll in January 2011
- Newcastle’s highest ever attendance in a Premier League match was 52,389 against Manchester City on 6 May 2012
- The youngest player to make an appearance for the club is Steve Watson, who was 16 years 233 days old when playing against Wolves on 10 November 1990 in the Second Division