Gateshead Storm
| stormcloud | |
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Gateshead Storm Community Rugby League Club |
| Colours | Blue and amber |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Website | http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/gatesheadcommunityrugbyleague/ |
| Current details | |
| Ground(s) | |
| Competition | North East Rugby League |
Gateshead Storm are an amateur rugby league club in the North East of England. They play in the North East Premier.
Gateshead Storm were formed in September 2002, many of the original squad having played together as part of the Gateshead Thunder Academy. To help prepare for the Rugby League Conference, the club agreed to help out Durham Tigers in the 2002 competition. Durham went on to make the play-offs that year.
Storm entered the North East Division of the Conference in 2003 and progressed to the play-offs. The success of the first year was recognised with the award of 'Club of the Year 2003'.
The start of the 2004 campaign saw the Gateshead side progress to the final of the RLC Challenge Cup, where they narrowly to London Skolars 34–38. When Teesside Steelers withdrew from National League Three with barely two weeks to go until the first game and Storm were invited to take their place.
In 2006, Winlaton Vulcans withdrew from the North East Division of the Rugby League Conference, Storm agreed to start a second team to fulfil as many of Winlaton’s fixtures as possible. Although things started well, a series of injuries to players caused pressure on the club’s limited resources and with the National League side taking precedence a number of fixtures at the end of the Conference season were sacrificed.
2008 saw Storm relocate to a new home at Bullocksteads Sports Ground in Newcastle. Along with the relocation, there was a change of personnel within the club with Rob Jones stepping down as Head Coach to take up a role as Chairman and being replaced by John Coutts.
Gateshead Storm Juniors were formed in April 2009 on the back of the success of Joseph Swan School's under-12 team.
Newcastle Knights joined the North East Division of the Rugby League Conference in 2001. They previously played in the winter North East Rugby League Association as Benfield Lions. Newcastle Knights merged with Gateshead Panthers before the season started. They won the North East Division in 2004.
They joined the North Premier Division in 2007 but stepped back to the North East Division in 2009.
The two sides merged to become Newcastle Storm for the 2010 season in which they played in the North East division. Newcastle joined the newly formed North East Premier in 2011. The new side reverted to Gateshead Storm at the end of the 2011 season.
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