'Unfortunately people lose jobs when teams get relegated... that's the harsh reality of professional sport'
Mick Hogan doesn’t beat about the bush. End-of-season demotion from the Gallagher English Premiership would suck for Newcastle and have some severe consequences.
“Unfortunately people lose jobs when teams get relegated, whether that is staff, whether it is players or whether it is coaches, whatever. But we know that and that is what we have got to deal with,” he told RugbyPass.
“No job is guaranteed in life, never mind in sport. That’s the harsh reality of it. The fans can come back next year and decide whether they want to support the club or not. For a lot of people it will end their involvement with the club as an employee, but that is the harsh reality of professional sport, isn’t it?”
Newcastle head into Sunday’s bottom-two showdown on the back of five successive defeats. They’re nine points behind the visiting Worcester and have only eight matches left to save themselves. In a region of England where Falcons are the sole professional rugby outlet, it’s clearly squeaky bum time if they are to preserve their top-flight status.
It’s 21 years since the region was last top of the pile, its shop window shining with Newcastle winning the league in 1998 and neighbours West Hartlepool fighting the good fight in those early years of professionalism.
The Westies are no more. They’re scratching around these days in Durham/Northumberland 1, the seventh tier of the English league system. Meanwhile, Falcons are still figuring ways to financially better wash their face in an area where rugby is down the sports popularity pecking order. That’s a status which won’t be helped by losing Premiership exposure.
“It’s huge and that’s one of the downsides of relegation,” admitted a concerned Hogan, the club’s managing director since 2014. “It doesn’t just put you out for the season that you’re down there. You also need another season just to get (Falcons rugby) back into peoples’ psyche and mindset, so it might take two, possibly three seasons. It puts you back.
Rugby followers of the North East and surrounding areas, your support is needed this Sunday when Newcastle Falcons host Worcester Warriors in one of the biggest games Kingston Park Stadium has seen in years. Book your place and cheer on the lads via https://t.co/t5EklSso9F? pic.twitter.com/Fh9SUPfAtA
— Newcastle Falcons (@FalconsRugby) February 26, 2019
“That is the rules of the competition. We have known that all along and if that [relegation] was to happen we will have deal with it… we have got probably the least amount of rugby played in the region than anywhere else in the country and I stand by a couple of things.
“One is football (dominates) and the other is there isn’t the population up here in Northumberland, Durham and Cumbria that there is in other parts of the country. We have one of the biggest geographical areas but we have actually the lowest number of chimney pots. It’s a challenge to produce players from that, but also to produce supporters.”
This necessity to create some glitz and glam about the sport is why the authorities have thought big in promoting rugby to the masses at nearby St James’ Park. In the next seven months alone, the 52,000 capacity Newcastle United football mecca will host Falcons in a Premiership match (they had an attendance of 30,174 last season), an already sold-out Champions Cup final, the Challenge Cup decider and an England-Italy international.
That’s quite an attractive playlist and Falcons will hope to reap some benefit of this greater interest back at their own Kingston Park – regardless of whether they remain in the Premiership or not. “If you inspire people through the big game strategy you have got somewhere for them to go and retain the interest in the sport,” continued Hogan.
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— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 1, 2019
“The long term vision of this club is that in five, 10 years’ time we want a stadium that holds 15,000 people, we want community pitches because we purchased the stadium three years ago and bought a number of additional fields as well.
“We want a second 3G pitch, we want two new stands in here, we want Premiership Rugby, we want Super League here, we want a women’s team here, we want disabled teams here more, we want this site – Kingston Park – to become base centre for rugby in the region.
“That is a centre of excellence if you’re playing at an elite level, but it’s also a community facility if you want to come along and get involved in whichever way you want you can… you know that Kingston Park has a place for you as well. It just becomes a hub for rugby across the north-east of England.”
It was 2012, eight months after Semore Kurdi secured majority ownership, that Newcastle were previously relegated from the Premiership. Kurdi’s faith in the project isn’t wavering, despite the growing threat of a return to the Championship where the one crucial difference compared to their last demotion is that play-offs have been scrapped, meaning the league can be won months before the end of a campaign and give the promoted club invaluable extra weeks to prepare to go up.
“He’s still very positive and, as we mentioned, it’s about the long-term vision of what we’re trying to achieve up here. If the club were to be relegated it would be a setback, but it would be a setback for any club that gets relegated. It just presents different challenges to different clubs, but what it doesn’t do is affect our long-term aim and that vision of the club and where we want to get to.
“Our central funding doesn’t radically change if we drop out of the Premiership because of the way the share structure is within Premiership Rugby. But obviously if we weren’t in the Premiership you see certain revenue streams go down, mainly ticket sales, hospitality and sponsorship.
“You have got to be able to react to that. You have got to be able to work just as hard if not harder and there is no reason why you can still be at a level you were at previously. Yes, there would be adjustments made. There would be adjustments made to the business side, but it’s not radical adjustments and we have got a long-term vision of where we want to take the club and that hasn’t changed.”
Newcastle were felt to have turned an on-field corner last year with a rare fourth place finish and qualification for the Champions Cup for the first time since 2004/05. But scratch the surface and the rub of the green they got was obvious. Four games were won by a point, a further three in the last minute.
This good fortune has eluded them this term, leaving them precariously placed with Worcester visiting the city on banks of the Tyne. “I’m pretty nervous because it means quite a bit to me and all the other staff here, but it means a lot to our supporters as well so it’s that nervousness. It’s not that nervous excitement, it’s nervous fear as well.
“It’s the first of eight cup finals for us. Eight games to stay in the Premiership. I do believe if we win four of our five home games and pick up the odd win or a few bonus points away we will have enough in that – but we have got to get that. We have some tough games coming up, but it’s in our hands. If we win all eight we will probably be in the top six, but we have got to do it.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Says much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
3 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
23 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
10 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
78 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
23 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
10 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
3 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
16 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
23 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
23 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments