Newcastle United: Tyneside’s Toon Army

Athletic Club will face Newcastle United FC at St. James’ Park on Saturday July 30, in what is the Lions’ first confirmed friendly of the 2022/23 pre-season.

This will be the fourth time Athletic have taken on the Magpies, and it will be our third visit to the north-eastern English city. The two sides first met in the Uefa Cup Round of 32 back in 1994-95. The first leg at St. James’ Park finished 3-2, with Athletic fighting back from 3-0 down. The Lions advanced to the next round on away goals after Kuko Ziganda’s strike gave them a 1-0 victory at San Mamés.

Those matches have gone down in legend for the atmosphere in each city and the sense of camaraderie among both sets of fans. Before the return leg at San Mamés, Bilbao was awash with red-and-white and black-and-white kits. Supporters drank together and sang together, forming a bond and mutual respect which continues to this day.

In fact, at the end of the match in Bilbao, hundreds of Athleticzales invaded the pitch, rushing towards the away end to give a standing ovation to the Newcastle fans. The visiting supporters responded by chanting: “Athletic, Athletic, Athletic!”

Now managed by Eddie Howe, Newcastle finished 11th in the Premier League last season and their top scorer in the domestic competition was Callum Wilson with eight goals in 18 appearances.

Also known as ‘Toon Army’, Newcastle play at the 52,305-seater St. James’ Park, the ground which has been their home since the club was founded in 1892.

The two clubs, and the regions they belong to, share many cultural similarities. Like the province of Biscay, Tyneside was once dependent on its shipbuilding and mining industries, with most families having some link to those sectors.

Newcastle upon Tyne is one of few ‘one-club’ cities in the United Kingdom. Citizens of Newcastle – known as Geordies, and famous for their outgoing and friendly nature – feel a deep sense of attachment to their beloved Toon Army.

In a similar vein to The Basque Country and its unique language, Euskera, Geordies are supremely proud of their distinct dialect – also called Geordie. In fact, ‘toon’ in the term ‘Toon Army’ comes from the Geordie variation of ‘town’.

Just like at Athletic, Newcastle supporters love nothing more than to see one of their own pull on the black and white stripes. The Magpies have a strong academy and Geordie footballers are renowned for turning down lucrative deals in order to sign for, or stay at, Newcastle United. The most famous recent example being the club’s record goalscorer Alan Shearer, who scored 206 goals in 406 appearances for the Magpies.

Five members of the current first-team squad were either born in the region or came up through the academy. Of that group, local-born midfielder and academy graduate, Sean Longstaff, 24, has just signed a new contract, keeping him at his boyhood club for a further three seasons.

What’s more, former Athletic Club manager Howard Kendall was also born in Tyneside (in the town of Ryton) and followed Newcastle as a child, regularly attending matches at St James’ Park.