History of the Club

The Early Days

This history is based on a piece written by local journalist Jeff Bowron, with alterations.

Rugby League first came to prominence at Gateshead back in 1934 when Great Britain retained The Ashes with a 19-14 victory in front of a 15,576 crowd at Redheugh Park, the home of Gateshead Football Club, who now share the 11,750 all-seater International Stadium, aka "The Thunderdome" with Gateshead Thunder.

Regular Professional Rugby League returned to the town in 1938, when the Newcastle club moved across the river Tyne and played a season of matches at the White City Sports Stadium, located at the south end of the Scotswood Bridge. The war intervened however, and the team did not rejoin the League in peace time.

The eighties saw a return of top-class action to the borough as Gateshead Council organised several high-profile events at the International Stadium. The Charity Shield match and several full and junior internationals were held throughout the next two decades. An academy team, the Gateshead Mets, was formed, and many young stars were uncovered as the team held its own against the academy teams of the other professional clubs.

A professional team was the next logical step, and in 1999 Gateshead was granted a franchise in the Super League. A competition was held to determine the name for this club, and consequentially, Gateshead Thunder was born.

• Part two: The Super League