Newcastle Falcons
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Newcastle Falcons
As well as being a successful Premiership side, Newcastle Falcons continue to play a
vital and growing role in the North East community. Their Media Manager, Mark Smith
recently took the time to tell us more about the work that they’ve been doing lately.
SNE: How’s the general mood down at the
club at the moment?
MS: We’re into the business end of our
season so the mood is very focused, looking
to maximise every single game and finish as
high up the Gallagher Premiership table as
possible.
Last season saw us finish in a 20-year-
high position of fourth, which was incredible,
and meant we played in the Heineken
Champions Cup for the first time in fourteen
seasons (basically rugby’s version of the
Champions League). That experience was
incredible and we had some notable victories
over French giants Montpellier and Toulon,
but fighting on multiple fronts has tested our
squad depth, not helped by a cruel run of
injuries to key players.
Our league form has seen us narrowly
losing a lot of the games we narrowly won
last season, which in turn has drawn us into
a survival fight at the bottom of the table, but
the squad and staff at the club are approaching
this challenge in a very professional manner,
confident that we have the skill and mind-set
to prevail.
SNE: What are your plans for 2019?
MS: In terms of 2019 specifically the first
goal is to secure our Premiership status by
winning the games we have left. Attention
in the city then turns to the European finals
which are held at St James’ Park on May
10-11, following on from our own game
there against Sale Sharks on March 23. The
European finals will be a huge showcase for
rugby in this region, and we as a club are
heavily involved in the organising committee
for that.
England are due to play at St James’ Park
on September 6 against Italy in their first ever
game in Newcastle, and we are less involved
in the organisation of that fixture though we
will of course be looking to support it and to
feed off the interest generated by the national
side coming here in what is their final game
before the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Our focus then moves in October to the
start of our own domestic league season, and
ensuring we finish as high up the table as
possible. paramount to everything we stand for as a
club, and we have an immense talent pool to
choose from, stretching throughout Durham,
Northumberland and into Cumbria. We pride
ourselves on the numbers and quality of
players we have been able to bring through,
and we remain committed to giving them
opportunities on the senior stage.
SNE: How has it been to see Mark Wilson
playing so well for England? MS: Our Newcastle Rugby Foundation
spans two codes, also including Newcastle
Thunder rugby league, and we are constantly
engaged with schools, clubs and organisations
to promote the sport as well as leading on
initiatives such as healthy eating and getting
active. We have attracted many renowned
partners who are keen to be associated with
the work we do in the community, using
rugby as a power for good.
MS: The rest of the rugby world is now
catching on to what we have all known for
years – that Mark is a top-class performer.
He has played more than 220 games for the
Falcons and been exceptional for almost a
decade.
His game relies on work rate and attitude,
and he is bringing those exact same traits to
his play at international level. His success
with England has come as no surprise to us,
and the best part is he is an incredibly humble
guy.
He attended a state school, contracts did
not fall into his lap and he has had to work for
everything he has. He serves as an inspiration
to local players and he is helping maintain
Newcastle’s position on the rugby map by
representing us in that arena.
SNE: How important is youth development
to the club?
MS: Our academy is world renowned
and has produced countless top players.
This production line remains absolutely
“When my son Luke was five years old in 2005 he started playing Rugby Union,
and for Christmas in 2009 my wife surprised us both with tickets for the Christmas
fixture against Yorkshire Carnegie which was the first ever professional game we
had been to. Now, some ten years later, we have only missed one home game
(against Harlequins the season that we were relegated) due to illness.
We ended up joining the supporters club and Luke won a player’s shirt in the
club raffle which was presented to him by Doddie Weir. I decided to support the
club further through my business A1 Tank Services Ltd by taking out a player
sponsorship deal back in 2010/2011 season (Geobani Bobo, a real character) and
have continued with this to this day as we are currently the sponsor of Sean
Robinson.
We have had some great experiences since following the Falcons with away trips
to Jersey and Toulon to name but a few, but none more exciting than this seasons
Heineken Champions Cup games, especially the dramatic, unbelievable victory
over Montpellier at Kingston Park.
In addition to Luke joining me at the games I now have my daughters (Anna 13
and Ellen 6) making it a great family experience at the games these days! Everyone
involved with A1 Tank Services Ltd along with Luke, Anna and Ellen would like
to wish everyone associated with Newcastle Falcons all the very best as we look
forward to a successful end to the season by achieving the ‘GREAT ESCAPE’!”
John Marshall
20 Issue 01
SNE: Could you tell us more about some
of the work the club has been doing in the
community lately?
SNE: What do you believe could be some of
the biggest challenges the club may face in
the coming years?
MS: Like with most sports, rising
player wages are a factor which has to be
considered, because we want to be a long-
term sustainable club rather than a ‘here
today, gone tomorrow’ operation. Everything
we do is with a long-term focus, and we never
lose sight of that.
Upgrading our facilities is something we
are on with, having had planning approved
for our new North Stand development. This
will raise both the quality and capacity for
supporters to come and enjoy match-day at
Kingston Park Stadium, and we are constantly