If the fans at St. James’ Park are to believed, Newcastle United are the greatest team the world has ever seen. The club was founded in 1892 and they’re known around the world as the Magpies or the Toon, which is a nickname for people from the city of Newcastle.

1. Newcastle United formed from two teams!

The team began in 1892 when Newcastle East End took over Newcastle West End and became united. Over their career, they’ve currently spent 91 seasons in the top league and are the most successful team in the North East of England!

2. St. James’ Park is the 8th biggest stadium in England!

St. James’ Park has been the home of Newcastle United since the very beginning. It has a capacity of 52,305 and has also hosted Olympic Games football games in 2012 as huge rock concerts by Queen, Bob Dylan and Geordie singer Sam Fender in 2023!

3. Newcastle United play in black and white stripes!

The team have proudly worn the black and white strip since 1894. Newcastle United supporters will shout ‘Toon! Toon! Black and white army!’ and St. James’ Park is awash with flags depicting the team’s iconic colours.

4. Jackie Milburn scored 200 goals for Newcastle United!

After joining the club in 1943, Wor Jackie – as he’s known in the Toon – hit the back of the net 200 times until 1957. After that, the Northumberland-born striker joined Northern Ireland team Linfield and scored another 68 goals in 54 games. What a legend!

5. Eddie Howe is the team’s current manager!

Eddie Howe is already a legend on Tyneside after joining the team and saving them from relegation in 2022, then taking the Magpies to fourth place the following season. He’s a genius!

6. The Blaydon Races is a popular song on the terraces!

If you ever go to a home game, you’ll hear the Blaydon Races song. That’s a fact. It’s a traditional folk song which written by Geordie Ridley in the mid-19th century and has since become a popular anthem for the area. The song describes a trip to the annual horse races held in Blaydon, a town known for its coal mining heritage and is full of Geordie slang. Why aye!

7. The team once wore red and white stripes!

This was in 1892, though, when they were a brand new team. They changed to black and white stripes shortly after.

8. The Newcastle badge has seahorses as part of the crest!

The club has had many different badges over the years, but the latest has two seahorses guarding a castle and a black and white shield. The seahorses represent the fact that Newcastle is a seaport! The Latin motto Fortiter Defendit Triumphans means ‘Triumphing by Brave Defence’ which could be applied to the fact the current team has Big Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, Fabian Schär and Nick Pope protecting the goal!

9. The Geordies were unstoppable between 1904 and 1910!

Newcastle have won 4 League titles, 6 FA Cups, an FA Charity Shield, and the 1968–69 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Between 1904 and 1910, the team won the league three times and the FA Cup. Maybe they’ll do that again soon!

10. One player represented the Toon over 500 times!

Goalkeeper Jimmy Lawrence is Newcastle United’s record breaker, playing for the club on 507 times between 1904 and 1922! He was born in Partick, Scotland and joined the Geordies from Hibernian.

11. Their nickname is the Magpies!

Magpies are black and white, and so is Newcastle United’s home kit. Makes total sense. The team’s mascot is called Monty Magpie and can be seen whipping the crowd into a frenzy before home games!

12. Newcastle once scored 13 goals in one match!

The Toon once thrashed Newport County 13-0 during a First Division game at St James’ Park in 1946. Their biggest Premier League win was against Sheffield Wednesday in 1999, when they won 8-0. Alan Shearer scored five that day.

13. Ant and Dec are Geordies!

When not presenting from jungles or beaming into our homes on a Saturday evening, the two Geordie TV personalities can be spotted at St. James’ Park, cheering the lads on.

14. Their fiercest rivals are Sunderland!

Newcastle and Sunderland fixtures are always a fiercely competitive game. The teams – which are 10 miles apart – last played each other in the league back in 2016, as Sunderland are currently in the Championship. The teams did however played each other in the third round of the FA Cup in 2024 – the Magpies walked away with a 3-0 win.

15. They’re an eco friendly football club!

In December 2012, the club hit the headlines when it was revealed that they were the world’s first carbon positive football club, which means they’re doing their bit for the environment!

16. Alan Shearer is a Geordie legend!

Before signing for Newcastle in 1996, Newcastle-born Shearer played for Southampton and Blackburn Rovers. When he played for Newcastle United, he made 303 appearances and scored 148 goals. He even managed the team at one point and the St. James’ Park faithful still chant his name.

17. Newcastle United W.F.C. are ones to watch!

The Lady Magpies formed in 1989 and play in the FA Women’s National League Division One North. Their current captain is goalie Grace Donnelly! Their ground is Kingston Park, which is not that far from St. James’ Park, and has a capacity of 10,200.

18. The team run onto the pitch to the sound of saxophones!

The song was originally featured in the 1983 film Local Hero. The song itself is called Going Home and was performed by local rock legend Mark Knopfler, who performed for Dire Straits and grew up in Blyth, like defender Dan Burn. The song’s main part has a wailing saxophone and will make Geordies get “something in their eye”whenever they hear it. It’s purely belter, as they say on Tyneside.

19. Hollywood loves the Toon!

Goal! is a classic football film that follows the journey of Santiago Muñez, a talented player from Los Angeles who dreams of playing professionally. The film takes us on a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows as Santiago navigates the world of football, faces challenges on and off the field, and chases his dreams. In the movie, he signs for Newcastle and is a Tyneside legend!

20. Almost 70,000 people once attended a Newcastle game!

The highest-ever attendance for a Toon match was 68,386. The game was a First Division fixture versus Chelsea and took place on September 3, 1930!

21. Newcastle United’s biggest sale was a Geordie!

Gateshead-born striker Andy Carroll was sold to Liverpool in 2011 for £35 million, which remains the club’s biggest sale! The 193-Beanos high forward returned in 2019 and eventually left to sign for Reading in 2021.