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Jamie Noon’s explanation of the excitement around Red Bull’s imminent takeover of Newcastle is succinct – but accurate.
“I just can’t imagine Red Bull coming in and doing a half-arsed job,” says the former England centre, who made 203 appearances for the club.
“That’s not their style.
“There is huge potential there and the investment Red Bull are making won’t just be financial, but also the expertise and professionalism from other sports.”
It is hard to argue with Noon.
Given Red Bull’s record of turning struggling football and Formula 1 teams into superpowers and heavyweight investment in top-end cycling and ice hockey, the Austrian energy drink giant is surely not going to stand for scraping the bottom of the Prem for long.
Newcastle fans are certainly dreaming. When the club opened season ticket sales last week, they recorded the highest demand for 10 years, up 197% on 2024’s first-day trading.
Some of those sign-ups might hope to see something akin to the star-studded line-up Noon joined in 1998.
Back then, bankrolled by Sir John Hall, England stars present and future Rob Andrew and Jonny Wilkinson turned out for a title-winning Falcons side, along with British and Irish Lions John Bentley, Alan Tait, Tony Underwood and Doddie Weir, and All Black code-crosser Va’aiga Tuigamala.
“Everybody assumes that they’re going to sign Antoine Dupont or whoever because they can afford to go hard,” he says.
“But is that the right thing? I don’t necessarily think it is. Not yet anyway.
“The recruitment cycle is over in France for next season and most of it’s finished in the UK as well, so there’s not a load of quality waiting for Red Bull to ring up.
“Most of the clubs are already back and have their players back.
“It’ll be difficult, but they have to make some good decisions based on the long-term project.”
Red Bull have tried to get ahead of the game.
While the final details of the takeover deal were signed off at the end of last week, Red Bull have made funds available before completion to thaw out Newcastle’s recruitment freeze.
Argentina scrum-half Simon Benitez Cruz, who impressed against the Lions and England this summer, has been recruited, along with hard-running Japanese back row Amanaki Mafi.
Freddie Clarke, Jamie Hodgson and George McGuigan have also arrived to shore up the pack.
All, with the exception of Benitez Cruz who has signed a two-year deal, have contracts that run to the end of the season, suggesting they are stop-gap signings, while bigger names are lined up.
Flanker Tom Christie, who started for New Zealand’s Crusaders in their Super Rugby win over the Chiefs in June, may be next according to the Daily Telegraph.
Stopping players leaving may be as crucial as bringing them in though.
Newcastle are bound by the Prem’s spending cap.
Red Bull is worth billions, but can only bring £6.4m in wages to bear on the bottom line, admittedly with one star’s pay excluded from that limit.
However, credits exist for producing home-grown talent and penalties are liable for fielding too many players who do not qualify for England.
As the only top-flight club for more than 100 miles, Newcastle have a huge catchment area for support and players.
“They can’t just go all foreign and bring in a host of Kiwis and South Africans, so they’re going to make sure that they’re clever,” says Noon.
“I think they’re conscious of trying to get enough quality guys to get through the season, but with a view that actually there’s a long-term project.
“With a bit more time and patience they can get the guys they want, as opposed to who is available.”
Red Bull’s entry into the Prem marks the end of a year-long search for a buyer for Newcastle.
Early last autumn, long-time club owner Semore Kurdi brought in A&W Capital, specialists in the sale of sports teams, to find someone to take the club on.
It was a pressing concern not just for Kurdi, who has put many millions of his own money into the club since becoming owner in 2011, or Newcastle, but the league as a whole.
After the demise of Worcester Warriors, Wasps and London Irish, another club going under would have reduced the Prem to nine teams. Each round would involve only four fixtures and the gate receipts and product for broadcasters and sponsors would shrink.
The situation was so stark that earlier this year Sky News reported the other top-flight clubs, along with CVC Partners who part-own the league, were prepared to loan Newcastle £4m to keep them upright.
Red Bull’s investment is a vastly preferable option for all involved.
Newcastle’s dire circumstances and Kurdi’s desire to see the club in good hands meant Red Bull could cut a deal with little initial cost beyond taking on responsibility for the club’s £39m debts.
Prem Rugby has been understandably eager to facilitate an acquisition that solves a short-term problem and fits long-term goals.
The league has rebranded from the Premiership to target a younger demographic, one that ties in well with Red Bull’s consumer base.
It also hopes to switch to a franchise model, perhaps as soon as 2026-27, doing away with on-pitch relegation. Such a move would reduce the risk of investing in distressed assets such as Newcastle, something that can spook potential owners.
Even the plan to rename Newcastle Falcons as Newcastle Red Bulls was simple and supported.
Red Bull ran into stiff opposition from the German football federation over their renaming of RB Leipzig in 2009. The RB officially stands for RasenBallsport, rather than the energy drink that bankrolled the team’s rise up the leagues, as a concession to officialdom.
Red Bull already has links with Newcastle’s football team and university.
Ultimately, it proved an ideal opportunity to expand its involvement in rugby from the sponsorship of a few high-profile players, such as South Africa captain Siya Kolisi and ex-England wing Jack Nowell, into something more substantial.
Prem Rugby hopes it is the start of a new sustainable era, in which clubs are owned and grown by corporate investors, rather than propped up by local business owners and benefactors.
To have attracted a blue-chip brand such as Red Bull, while the rebel R360 start-up competition also hunts investment, is a resounding vote of confidence.
Red Bull was not the only potential buyer identified in A&W Capital’s search, but was clearly the best option if a deal could be struck.
Now it has been, the focus will shift from the paperwork to the pitch.
“Newcastle is an awesome place – the people are fantastic,” says Noon.
“When I was there it was quite a young club, full of energy and we did it our way – we moved the ball around a lot and took people on.
“In a football-mad town, we kind of felt a little bit like [former Newcastle manager Kevin] Keegan, in trying to score one more than they did as a backline.
“It’s so exciting that everybody’s talking Newcastle again and the buzz is flying around. But it’s only great if they can perform on the field as well.”
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- Newcastle Falcons
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