BRITISH UNIVERSITIES AMERICAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE OFFICIAL SITE

Newcastle Raiders

Newcastle was one of the original four teams in the BCAFL in 1985-86, although they did not actually play games until the second half of the season.

The next season, the Scholars (as we were then known) were champions of the Scottish Conference and advanced to the College Bowl only to be beaten by Hull 24-6. Newcastle had teams that were successively weaker and more poorly financed until in 1991 they withdrew from BCAFL.

The team reappeared in 1992 as the Destroyers, but an 0-7-1 finish indicated that they were the same old Newcastle. The renamed Mariners struggled until a revamped offense turned the programme around in 1995-96, to 5-3. They missed the playoffs on a tie-breaker. In 2001 the Club had its first piece of good luck in a while.

Former standout player both for Club and Country, Tim Watton, came back to Newcastle and took it upon himself to re-establish the team within both the University and in BCAFL. After an initial 1-6-1 season the Club changed...the renamed Newcastle Raiders started the long process behind the scenes of getting the relationships between the AU, Sports Centre, BCAFL, Gateshead Senators and other teams to the strong links they are today. After a series of Head Coaches, many unable to continue for non-football reasons, the Club is lucky to have another former player, Ben Johnson at the helm. Since 2001, the club has gone 5-3 for 3 consecutive seasons making the playoffs twice. Off Field achievements have continued with sponsorship being obtained from local bars enabling the growth of the Club.

Last year were North Eastern Divisional Champions and got through to the Northern Conference Final

The University can trace its origins to a School of Medicine and Surgery (later the College of Medicine), established in Newcastle in 1834, and to Armstrong College, which was founded in the city in 1871 for the teaching of physical sciences.

These two colleges formed one division of the federal University of Durham, the Durham Colleges forming the other division. The Newcastle Colleges merged to form King’s College in 1937 and, in 1963, when the federal University was dissolved, King’s College became the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Sustained expansion since 1945 has resulted in the development of a modern University campus, around the original Armstrong College buildings, on a 45-acre site close to the centre of Newcastle. A vigorous building programme over the past 30 years has created, among other additions to the campus a new Medical School a new Dental School the Robinson Library and a new sports hall Financially independent, the AU finances and manages the representative teams of the University. The Centre of Physical Recreation and Sport, on behalf of the University, provides and manages the facilities for both representative and casual sport. The Centre also runs one of the most comprehensive Intra Mural Programmes in the country.

Famous Alumni include athletes Matt Tait (Rugby Union) and Ed Coode (Oarsman)