Will rugby clip Red Bull’s wiings? 

In a city built on football, Newcastle’s rugby union club is on the cusp of a new era under new owners, Red Bull. But with the local obsession with the round ball game bring the first failure for the famous sporting branded franchise?  

Executive Director of Rugby Development at the RFU Steve Grainger, gives his take on the takeover and the brand Red Bull, of what they can bring, not just to Newcastle but the entire English game. 

Executive Director of Rugby Development at the RFU Steve Grainger, at Rugby Expo 2012. Pic credit: Alamy

Red Bull bought the then ‘Falcons’ in August 2025 and cleared all the existing debt burdened on the club for £39 million with the aims of revitalising the Tyneside club in their first investment in rugby union.  

The Austrian based sport drink company has had many successes in their different sporting ventures, most famously in F1 with the Red Bull team which has been dominant since the early 2010’s, but will that same dominance be able to crack the top of English rugby? 

Max Verstappen celebrating another win with his Red Bull team last season in Qatar. Pic credit: Alamy.

“It’s been great to see, firstly, that rugby at a professional level is still very much alive in the North East,” says Grainger. “Obviously, a lot of history in Newcastle with the Falcons and great to see Red Bull a global brand, but also a disruptive brand coming in. “So great news all round from our point of view (RFU).” 

Kingston Park under the lights as Red Bull players run out for the game against Saracens. Pic credit: Leo Patchett

Newcastle United fans walking out of St James’ Park after a game in the Premier League. Pic credit: Alamy.

But the biggest challenge the energy drink company will face on their path to glory is being able to get the football purists ‘to add rugby to their football viewership.’ 

“You’ve got three groups and more, but let’s focus in on three that hopefully will be attracted,” Grainger continued. 

“You’ve got the rugby diehards in the North East, and for them, this has to be a positive and the sort of sustainability that this is going to bring, that they want to see top-notch rugby up in the North East.  

“I think secondly, there are lots of other sport-based fans in the North East, predominantly football fans, but they’re sport lovers, and this must be an opportunity to not take them away from football but maybe add rugby to their football viewership. 

“And then I think thirdly, a brand like Red Bull, we’ve got to hope it will engage people who’ve maybe never had any connection with rugby as a sport, and particularly up in the North East with a big student population.” 

Bath Rugby players celebrate winning the Gallagher Premiership after beating Leicester Tigers at the Allianz Stadium last June. Pic credit: Alamy.

Grainger states what Red Bull would need to do to ensure their investment is a successful one to succeed in the Gallagher Premiership. 

“I think there are a lot of opportunities there, the changes that are being made in the Premiership allow now, and this is important when you’ve got investors coming in, to allow some stability.  

“What they can do is they can turn a club around over a slightly longer period of time, but they only want to invest if they know they’re going to be safe in that league and stay in that league.  

“And that’s clearly what we’re now going to see at Newcastle, and you’d expect this to take a couple of years. “You’d worry if it didn’t.”  

“And we’ve seen how other clubs over the last couple of seasons have yo-yoed sort of up and down the league. “So, you’ve got to hope that within a couple of seasons, you’ll be, certainly pushing mid-table, and once you’re mid-table, it doesn’t take much to nip up into that top four?” 

Steve draws parallels to Sale Sharks, who ‘not that many years ago would have been sort of floundering down at the bottom of the table on quite a regular basis. And we’ve seen where they’ve been contesting the top four spots of the last couple of seasons.’  

Providing a blueprint for Red Bull to follow. 

“Ultimately, they will have their own metrics. And I guess what none of us knows is specifically what that’s about. I think they’re in it for the long haul. And I think that’s sensible. 

“They’ve got a history (Red Bull), in sort of innovating in performance. So, you probably expect to see, and I think this would be great for the club and for the region, to see them unearthing even more talent from the North East and developing that and then, really importantly, keeping that in the North East. 

“I think one of the challenges often for clubs in the North, particularly in rugby union, is that they put a lot of effort and energy into developing the players, and then they move South.” 

With that, will they able to attract and produce the next generation of players from the North East and ‘there are huge opportunities here, to increase the numbers doing that’. 

“I usually say, we want them to be able to pick up an oval ball as well as have a round ball at their feet, but we don’t necessarily want to detract. 

“We just want to give youngsters and young people a broader set of opportunities. We have a tremendous set of community rugby clubs right across the North East, right across Northumberland, Durham, Cumbria, down into North Yorkshire, all which Newcastle Red Bulls will have a relationship and an association with.  

“And whether it’s about ultimately going on and playing professional rugby, or whether it’s just about picking up a rugby ball and discovering the camaraderie.” 

The women’s game is also gaining a lot of traction, and the takeover could not just benefit the men’s game in thr Tyne & Wear region. 

“Over time you’d want to see some greater investment, innovation and growth in the women’s game.  

“There are huge opportunities.” 

“Nobody can forget that England opener against the USA in the World Cup back in August last year in Sunderland. “That showed you that there’s a huge passion for the women’s game in the region. And I think that would be an aspiration.” 

Trevor Cessford, Newcastle Red Bulls fan, “It’s good for Rugby in general and not just for the North (on the takeover).”  

“Rugby needs more money in it and if this works for Newcastle it may encourage more investment in the sport.”