Newcastle Falcons put 'up for sale' by owner, reports suggest

Newcastle Falcons’ owner Semore Kurdi has put the club up sale after more than a decade in charge, reports suggest.

The potential sale of the Kingston Park team - which the Falcons have declined to comment on - comes after a difficult period on the pitch for the club, which is at the bottom of the rugby Premiership.

Reports suggest that Mr Kurdi, who bought a stake in the Falcons in 2011 and has held control since 2012, has enlisted global sports investment group A&W Capital to explore a sale. The reports say that several options are being explored, including a total sale of the club and its ground at Kingston Park, along with a deal to take over just the team.

The Falcons have endured a tough few seasons on the pitch, failing to win any of its Premiership games last season. But it survived when more high profile clubs including Wasps, London Irish and Worcester went out of business altogether, and recently broke its losing streak with a won over Exeter.

In its most recent accounts, published in April, the Falcons said they were working towards “a more self-sustaining model” after reporting losses of £2.5m. Owners Newcastle Rugby saw turnover rise from £8.9m to £12.2m, but the previous year’s profit of £3.6m was converted to a loss.

The accounts also revealed that the group had net liabilities of £18.3m, with in excess of £20m due to Mr Kurdi. A note said that Mr Kurdi “confirmed his willingness not to call on this debt, to meet the day-to-day working requirements of the group and also to continue to invest in the long-term future of the group”.

Mr Kurdi, whose professional life was based in property and hospitality, has won many plaudits over his time at the Falcons for maintaining the most Northerly outlet of English professional rugby during a turbulent period for the sport.

Among those paying tribute was former Falcons executive director Mick Hogan, who said: “Put simply there would be no professional rugby union in the region without Semore (and before him Dave Thompson and Sir John Hall). It’s not just the tens of millions he has put into the club, but his leadership, navigation through the pandemic and his vision at key moments in the journey have been vital.

“In eight of those years I worked for him. We had some real highlights - Premiership semi-final, Heineken Cup wins, The Big One (x2) at St James’ Park, 2019 Euro Finals in Newcastle, Rugby World Cup 2015 (and our legendary fanzone) and buying back the stadium. There were tough times too but his calmness throughout saw us overcome the challenges.

“I hope he can now exit the club on terms and in a timeline that he deserves. The whole sport in this country owes him (and all the other club owners) a huge debt of gratitude and a massive thanks for his unstinting loyalty to the Falcons.