A source in the North East has told RUCK that there could be a long-term ambition from Newcastle United’s incoming new owners to also purchase Newcastle Falcons in the long-term.
Amanda Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners has agreed a deal to buy Newcastle and end Mike Ashley’s 13-year tenure as the club’s owner, according to sources directly involved in the takeover.
The Saudi fund (PIF), controlled by Prince Mohammed bin Salman will hold 80 per cent of the club shares, while Amanda Staveley will hold 10 per cent of the shares and it is expected that she will play a key role in the running of the club.
The final 10 per cent will be controlled by billionaire brothers, David and Simon Reuben. They have significant property interests in the Newcastle area – including owning the city’s racecourse.
Although not on their immediate agenda, there’s a genuine intention from the new owners to invest in the area and finish where Sir John Hall, who once owned both clubs, left off.
How much is Saudi Public Investment Fund worth?
According to its website, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is “seeking to become one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world” with reported assets of $320bn (£250.86bn) worldwide.
What does Sir John Hall think?
“They need to immerse themselves into the community, invest in the academy, the training ground and the city as a whole. If they do this, then I’d welcome them with open arms.
“It would be wonderful to see them build a team that was a blend of local lads and some superstars and perhaps start to challenge in the top five again in the next few years.”
Six Nations captains ranked by how much fun they’d be on a night out
What does the Six Nations and British Pubs have in common?
Well, sadly, they’re both shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic and it remains to be seen when either live rugby or enjoying a pint with your mates will be back on the table.
Inspired by an article from Give Me Sport, we rank them from 6-1.
6. Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
This is why pubs have coffee machines now. Strap yourselves in for some quiet chats around a cappuccino that you just have to imagine real hard is an Irish coffee. Persuade Johnny to the club and he’ll tell the DJ to ‘turn the music down’, before dialling a noise complaint to the police.
