Red Bull set to complete Newcastle Falcons takeover

Red Bull's takeover of Newcastle Falcons is expected to be finalised in the coming days, with the club set to be renamed Newcastle Red Bulls from next season.

In a move that could be transformational for the Gallagher Prem and rugby union in the north-east of England, the energy drink brand will add Newcastle to a sporting portfolio which includes a Formula 1 team - as well as German football club RB Leipzig and New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.

Newcastle have struggled on and off the pitch for much of the past decade, finishing bottom of the league for the past three seasons.

But the investment will usher in a new era for the club, with the takeover set to be confirmed next week.

One source close to the deal described Red Bull as a "dream investor" who have a track record of running high-performance teams, with expertise in athlete management and youth development.

In 2004, Red Bull bought Jaguar Racing from Ford and has gone on to be a dominant force in F1, winning six constructors' championships and eight drivers' championships.

In football, RB Leipzig were set up in 2009 in the fifth tier and rose to the Bundesliga as soon as 2015, qualifying for the Champions League in their first season in the German top flight.

The opportunity to revive Newcastle's fortunes and re-establish them as a force in the English and European club game is thought to be one of the motivations behind Red Bull's interest.

The takeover comes just months after Newcastle boss Steve Diamond revealed the club needed an urgent cash injection in order to compete in the league next season, with the other league shareholders prepared to step in to avoid the club going bust and reducing the league further to nine teams.

English rugby's top flight is a 10-team division after Wasps, London Irish and Worcester all went out of business within a 12-month period between 2022 and 2023.

"You want an investor that's not just going to put a couple of million quid in to get us through next year. We need to look bigger than that," Diamond said in March.

While it will not be an overnight fix, with Newcastle's squad already set for next season, Red Bull's investment should stop the exodus of home-grown talent from the club.

England internationals Adam Radwan and Jamie Blamire, as well as club legend Callum Chick have all departed over the course of the past year, and while Diamond led the side to their first win in 25 matches in October 2024, the Falcons still finished bottom of the league table with just two wins from 18 games last season.