Newcastle Thunder will play their home games at Blaydon RFC through the 2025 season, the League One club have confirmed. The Thunder spent last season playing at the Gateshead International Stadium, the ground they called home before a stint at Kingston Park.
However, this year will see the League One club play out of Blaydon’s Crow Trees Ground, which is around five miles from both Newcastle city centre and their previous home in Gateshead. Blaydon, who play in the fifth tier of English rugby union, have a well-kept pitch and a small stand seating 400 people on the banks of the River Derwent, with the ground having a capacity of around 2,000.
As such, it appears perfect for the needs of Newcastle and the RFL have approved the change of home ground, meaning every home game in both the league and clubs will be played at Crow Trees in 2025.
Where Newcastle’s future lies beyond the end of the season in unknown but the club will be doing all they can to bounce back this year after their disastrous campaign last time around. The Thunder finished bottom of the professional rugby league ladder in 2024, losing all 20 games to ensure they finished the year without a single point to show for their efforts.
Delighted to confirm that the @TheRFL have approved @BlaydonRFC to be the home for all ⚡️Thunder ⚡️cup & league home games in 2025.
More details to follow.— Newcastle Thunder (@ThunderRugby) January 8, 2025
Chris Thorman’s side have been busy when it comes to building their squad for 2025, though, with Owen-Tyler Cole, Lloyd Hall, Alex Taylor, James Snowden, Jack Skelton and former Bradford Bulls academy player Seth Clapham signing on for the new season since the turn of the year alone.
Crow Trees will be Newcastle’s third home in as many years having left Kingston Park in 2023 following relegation from the Championship. Financial issues followed and the club temporarily pulled themselves out of League One before being reinstated after a change of ownership, with the club calling Gateshead home in 2024.
The Thunder will play their first competitive game as at their new ground later this month when they host Batley Bulldogs in the second round of the Challenge Cup. They’ll host North Wales Crusaders in the 1895 Cup a week later before facing of against Swinton Lions over the opening weekend of the league season.
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