Newcastle Blue Star F.C.

Newcastle Blue Star F.C. is a football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It was established in 1930 and joined the Wearside League in 1973. In 1978, it won the FA Vase. Having won promotion to the Northern Premier League Premier Division at the end of the 2008–09 season via the play-offs, off field troubles led to the club winding up having never taken its place in the league.[1] In 2018 the club was reborn playing games at Scotswood in the West End of the city. They currently play in the Northern League Division Two, the tenth tier of the English football league system.

Newcastle Blue Star FC
Full nameNewcastle Blue Star Football Club
Nickname(s)The Aristocrats
The Star
Founded1930 (1930)
2018 (refounded)
GroundScotswood, Newcastle upon Tyne
ChairmanStephen Best
ManagerBrian Smith
LeagueNorthern League Division Two
2022–23Northern Alliance Premier Division, 1st of 16 (promoted)

History

Formed in 1930 as Newcastle Blue Star,[2] the club was entered into the Newcastle Business Houses League two years later. The club would play in this league for six seasons before moving onto the North East Amateur League. Spells in the Tyneside Amateur League and Northern Combination would follow.

In 1973, under the name Blue Star Welfare, the club had advanced to the Wearside League. It was crowned champions during its first season in the league. It repeated the success in the 1975–76 season adding the championship to its name again. It also achieved victory in the FA Vase, beating Barton Rovers at Wembley 2–1.

By the 1979 season, the club was named simply Blue Star. The early 1980s was a successful time for the club. It won the Wearside League in three consecutive seasons. Around this time it also reached the First Round proper of the FA Cup, knocked out by York City, losing 2–0 at Bootham Crescent.

In 1992, a consortium placed a bid to buy cash-strapped Fourth Division side Maidstone United with the intention of moving it to the north-east and merging with Blue Star, thus giving Blue Star league football. The bid was turned down by Maidstone chairman Jim Thompson.

Northern League era

The club entered into the Northern League Division Two for the 1985–86 season, emphatically winning it. It won 36 out of 38 games, only dropping points in two games (one a draw, the other a loss). Also in that season, the club scored a very high 133 goals.[3] In 1986, the name was reverted to its original title of Newcastle Blue Star.

Newcastle Blue Star had moved up to the Northern League Division One and came very close to winning it in 1987–88. By the early 1990s, the club had a slump in the league, finishing generally in the lower half of the table. From 1994 until 1998, the club was known as RTM Newcastle, soon changing it back to Newcastle Blue Star.

The club was relegated to Division Two for the 1999–00 season, but bounced straight back up with a runners-up spot. Unable to regain the form of previous years, Newcastle spent three seasons in the lower regions of the table, the last of which was a bottom place finish and subsequent relegation.

In 2004–05, Newcastle Blue Star was promoted into the Northern League Division One after ending the season in third place. Under the management of Eric Tait, Blue Star had a fantastic return to Division One, winning it for the first time and also completing the double by winning the Northern League Cup. Unfortunately for the club, it was not promoted because their Wheatsheaf Ground did not reach league standards.

2007–2009

It was announced as of the 2007–08 season that Blue Star would share the 10,200 capacity Kingston Park stadium with rugby side Newcastle Falcons. The ground change allowed the club to progress to the Northern Premier League Division One North which stands at level 8 on the football pyramid.

In September 2007, Tommy Cassidy was appointed manager, joining from Workington. As of March 2008, Workington were still claiming £10,000 compensation.[4]

On 8 March 2008, Newcastle Blue Star asked the FA if they could take the place of the relegated team in the league. The reason being that the costs of playing in this division were too high, and this could be due to the fact that they are the only Newcastle based team in the division, and at least 9 of the opposing teams are in the Manchester area, meaning the team have to pay for a coach to every away game, and paying costs for the visitors at a home game. The Northern League (the feeder division that Newcastle came from) had said that they would welcome the team back. This was confirmed on 26 March that Blue Star would be relegated in place of the bottom placed team in the league. However, on 4 April it was announced that the league allowed Blue Star to stay in the Northern Premier League as they had withdrawn their request.

On 26 March 2008, the club announced Paul Baker as the club's new manager. He succeeded Tommy Cassidy who left the club to pursue management at a higher level than the proposed drop back to Northern League offered.[5]

On Wednesday 9 April 2008, Newcastle Blue Star scored two goals in the first 47 seconds of their 3–0 win over Bamber Bridge. This is believed to be a world record.[6]

In the 2008–09 season, Newcastle Blue Star finished 3rd in the Northern Premier League Division One North but were promoted to the Northern Premier League Premier Division after a 4–1 victory over Curzon Ashton at Kingston Park in the Play-off final.

On Monday 11 May 2009, it was announced that the club was facing the possibility of folding after being hit with a demand to repay £65,000 of loans previously made by the Football Stadia Improvement Fund to improve the club's former Wheatsheaf Ground; this on the basis that the club was no longer playing there.[7] Although it was offered the option of repaying the debt in instalments, the club chose to cease operations in June 2009.[8]

2018 reformation

In 2018,[9] a local businessman saw fit to reform the club, with teams from U8's through to seniors. The current Newcastle Blue Star play at Scotswood, in the West End of the city. The club currently plays in the Northern Football Alliance, the seventh tier of non-league football in England (overall eleventh tier).

The club is located next door to the sports centre and boxing club, also known as Grainger Park. The clubhouse was officially opened in October 2018 by Lady Elsie Robson. The venue was named the Sir Bobby Robson Lounge.

In May 2023 and after winning the Northern Football Alliance, Blue Star were promoted back to the Northern League Division Two.

Management

First team
PositionName
ManagerEngland Brian Smith
AssistantEngland Andy Bowman
CoachEngland Steve Cuggy
CoachEngland Andrew Bulford
PhysioEngland Jessica Dixon

Reserves
PositionName
ManagerEngland Dean Walker
AssistantEngland Michael Dodd

Under 18
PositionName
ManagerEngland David Humble
AssistantEngland Steven Humble

Over 40
PositionName
ManagerEngland Colin Burr

First team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW Zimbabwe ZIM Sebastien Summerfield
— FW England ENG Nelson Ogbewe
— FW England ENG Dan Lanning
— MF England ENG Aaron Willoughby
— MF England ENG Joe Walker
— MF England ENG David Luke
— MF England ENG Gary Ormston
— MF England ENG Freddie Marr
— MF England ENG Luke Carr
No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF England ENG Robbie Wilson
— DF England ENG Craig McFarlane
— DF England ENG Cameron McHarg
— DF England ENG Curtis Coppen
— DF England ENG Euan Anderson
— DF England ENG Marc Lancaster
— DF England ENG Owen Gourley

Honours

References
  1. Unibond
  2. Web-Teams.co.uk
  3. FCHD.info – Blue Star
  4. Walsh, J. "Reds seek compensation for Cassidy" , News and Star, 28 March 2008. Accessed 20 April 2008
  5. Pratt, M. "Cassidy leaves Blue Star after ANL switch", Evening Chronicle, 19 March 2008. Accessed 20 April 2008
  6. " Blue Star double may be a record" BBC Sport, 11 April 2008. Accessed 20 April 2008
  7. "JournalLive - Sport - Football - Non-League Football - Shock as Blue Star face end of road". www.journallive.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012.
  8. "Newcastle Blue Star Dedication Site". Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010..
  9. Pratt, M. "Heartbreak as suspected arsonists torch Newcastle Blue Starr Football Club", Evening Chronicle, 3 September 2018. Accessed 3 September 2018

54.974203°N 1.695222°W / 54.974203; -1.695222

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