Foundation Programme – Business Pathway
British Institutions and Culture
INU0508
Assignment 1 – cultural guide
Name: ZHANG YIKAI
Nick name: Carter
Student number: 120240768
Tutor: Currin Alex
Submission date: Friday 23rd March 2012
Newcastle united football club
Research source and notes
Newcastle United Football Club (often abbreviated to NUFC) is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since. The ground was developed into anr in the mid-1990s and now has a capacity of 52,387. The club has been a member of the Premier League for all but two years of the competition's history, and never dropped below the English football's second tier, since joining the Football League in 1893. In 2007, long term chairman and owner Sir John Hall sold his share in the club to Mike Ashley.
They have won four League Championship titles and six FA Cups, as well as the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup. Newcastle United has the eighth highest total of major honours won by an English club.[2] The club's most successful period was between 1904 and 1910, when they won an FA Cup and three of their First Division titles.
They have a fierce local rivalry with Sunderland, and the two clubs have engaged in the Tyne–Wear derby since 1898. The club's traditional kit colours are black and white striped shirts, black shorts and black socks. Their traditional crest takes elements of the city coat of arms which features two seahorses.
Coulours and badge
The club colours are black and white striped shirt with black shorts with claret and white trim, and black socks with white trim, though white socks are sometimes worn under some managers who consider them "lucky".[40] Newcastle's colours at the outset was generally the home kit of comprising plain red shirts with white shorts and red socks. In 1894 the club adopted the black and white striped shirts, which had been used as the reserve team's colours. These colours were chosen for the senior team because they weren't associated with either of the two teams United were merged from. They played in grey shorts until 1897, and between 1897 and 1921 they played in blue shorts before adopting the black shorts they play in now.[3][41]
United's away colours have changed a number of times over the years. They played in white shirts, with black shorts from 1914 until 1961, and then white shorts until 1966. They then played in yellow shirts and blue shorts for the 1967–68 season, but from 1969 to 1974 they played in all red with an all blue third kit. In 1974 they returned to a yellow shirt, which they played with various coloured shorts until 1983. They played in all grey from 1983 to 1988, before once again returning to the yellow kit until 1993. Since 1993, the away kit has changed consistently and has not been the same for more than a single season.[42][43]
The club's shirt sponsor has been Newcastle based bank Northern Rock since 2003, but prior to this, they had been sponsored at different times by ntl:Telewest, Newcastle Brown Ale and Greenall's.[41] Through owner Mike Ashley, the club also has a relationship with the Sports Direct retail chain which he founded.[44]
On 4 January 2012 Virgin Money, who had just bought Northern Rock, signed a 2 year deal to sponsor Newcastle United.[45]
In January 2010, Puma became the official supplier and licensee of replica merchandise for Newcastle United. The deal meant Puma supplied team kit, replica kit and training equipment for the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons.[46]
Stadium
Throughout Newcastle United's history, their home venue has been St. James' Park (now called Sports Direct Arena)—the oldest and largest football stadium in North East England, and the sixth largest football stadium in the United Kingdom.[50] It has hosted 10 international football matches at senior level, the first in 1901, and the most recent in 2005.[51][52] It is also set to be used as a venue for the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2015 Rugby World Cup.[50][53]
Football had been played at St James' Park as early as 1880, the ground being occupied by Newcastle Rangers, before becoming the home of Newcastle West End F.C. in 1886. Its lease was then bought by Newcastle East End F.C. in 1892, before they changed their name to Newcastle United. At the turn of the 19th century the ground's capacity was given as 30,000, before being redeveloped between 1900 and 1905, increasing the capacity to 60,000, making it the biggest stadium in England for a time. For most of the 20th century, the stadium changed very little, despite various plans for development of the ground. The old West Stand was replaced with the Milburn Stand in 1987, the Sir John Hall Stand replacing the Leazes End in 1993, and the rest of the ground renovated making the ground a 37,000 capacity all-seater stadium. Between 1998 and 2000, double tiers were added to the Milburn and John Hall stands to bring the venue up to its current capacity of 52,339. There were plans to build a new 90,000 seater stadium in Leazes park, just behind St James' with Newcastle Falcons taking over St James' Park, but due to protests the plans were dropped. St James' Park currently seats 52,339 people but Mike Ashley would consider taking the roof off The Gallowgate end and adding another 6,000 seats making the total capacity to 58,339 IF the toon manage to finish in the top 6.[3][54] In October 2009, club owner Mike Ashley announced that he planned to lease the name of the ground in a bid to increase revenue, and in November the stadium was temporarily renamed sportsdirect.com @ St James' Park Stadium.[32][55] This name was only supposed to be used until the end of the 2009–10 season, but lasted until November 2011.[55][56] On 10 November 2011, the club officially changed the name of the stadium to the 'Sports Direct Arena'. Although this will most likely be an interim name as it is only being used to showcase the sponsorship capabilities of the stadium. The company, owned by Mike Ashley, are not paying anything for the deal. However, if another company purchases the naming rights they will be expected to pay between £8 million and £10 million.[57][58] Many fans voiced their anger at the renaming, but chairman Derek Llambias has said that it is necessary to give Newcastle extra money so that they compete with the bigger clubs in the league.[59]
Since 1982, the stadium is served by St James Metro station on the Tyne and Wear Metro. The station is decorated in a black and white colour scheme, with archive photographs of the club's players.[60]
The club's current training ground is located at Darsley Park, which is north of the city at Benton. The facility was opened in July 2003, and is also used by the Newcastle Falcons rugby team.
Ownership
Newcastle United was set up as a private company limited by shares on 6 September 1895.[4] The club traded in this way for much of the 20th century, until April 1997, when John Hall, who bought 72.9% of the club for £3 million in 1991, floated the club on the stock exchange as a public limited company, with less than half the shares sold to the Hall family and the majority holding going to his business partner Freddy Shepherd. Later that year Hall stepped down as chairman and was replaced by Shepherd, with the Hall family represented on the board by John's son Douglas.[62] In December 1998, after buying a 6.3% stake in the club for £10m, the media group NTL had considered a full takeover of the club. This was later dropped after the April 1999 Competition Commission, brought in due to government concerns about football clubs being owned by media companies.[63]
In 2007, businessman Mike Ashley purchased the combined stakes of both Douglas and John Hall, 41% share in the club, through a holding company St James Holdings, with a view to buy the rest.[64] Upon purchasing this share he appointed Chris Mort as chairman, while gaining more shares, owning 93.19% of the club by 29 June 2007.[65] This figure reached 95% on 11 July 2007, forcing the remaining shareholders to sell their shares.[66]
Since completing the purchase of the club, Ashley has twice announced that he planned to sell the club. The first occurred after fan protests over the resignation of Kevin Keegan on 14 September 2008, when Ashley stated "I have listened to you. You want me out. That is what I am now trying to do".[67] However, he took it off the market on 28 December 2008 after being unable to find a buyer.[68] On 31 May 2009 it was reported that Ashley was attempting to sell the club again.[69][70] On 8 June 2009, Ashley confirmed that the club was up for sale for at an asking price of £100 million.[71] By the end of August 2009, the club was back off the market.[72
Social responsibility
Newcastle United established the Newcastle United Foundation in summer 2008, which seeks to encourage learning and promote healthy living amongst disadvantaged children, young people and families in the North East region, as well as promoting equality and diversity.[73][74] The Foundation's manager Kate Bradley told charity news website The Third Sector, "Children look up to players as their heroes, and anything they say is instantly taken on board. If Newcastle defender Steven Taylor tells them not to eat a Mars bar for breakfast, they'll listen."[75] In 2010, the charity taught over 5,000 children about healthy living.[73]
The Foundation's commitment, along with a similar foundation ran by West Bromwich Albion, the unique relationship that Aston Villa has with Acorns Children's Hospice and Tottenham Hotspur has with SOS Children's Villages UK, are some leading examples of commitment in the highest level of football to responsibility and change in the communities in which they work and who enrich them through their support and ticket sales. The work of these clubs, and others, are changing the way professional sport interacts with their communities and supporters.[76][77]
Supporters and rivalries
Supporters of Newcastle United are drawn from all over the North East and beyond, with supporters' clubs all across the world.[78] The club's supporters are also known as the Magpies, the Geordies or the Toon Army. The name Toon originates from the Geordie pronunciation of town.[79] In a 2007 Virgin Money survey of football supporters who held season tickets or otherwise paid to attend games, it was found that Newcastle fans were the most loyal in terms of making sacrifices to attend the game.[80] In a 2004 survey by Co-operative Financial Services, it was found that Newcastle United topped the league table for the cost incurred and distance travelled by Newcastle based fans wishing to travel to every Premier League away game. The total distance travelled for a fan to attend every away game from Newcastle was found to be equivalent to a round-the-world trip.[81] In the 2009–10 when the club were playing in English football's second tier, the Football League Championship, the average attendance at St James Park was 43,388, the fourth best for an English club that season.[82]
The club's supporters publish a number of fanzines including True Faith and The Mag, along with NUFC.com, which was established in 1996. They set up Newcastle United Supporters Trust in September 2008, aiming to "represent the broad church of Newcastle United's support".[83]
In addition to the usual English football chants, Newcastle's supporters sing the traditional Tyneside song Blaydon Races.[84][85]
Traditionally, Newcastle's main rivals are Sunderland and Middlesbrough, against whom the Tyne–Wear derby and the Tyne–Tees derby are competed for respectively.
Statistics
To date Newcastle United have spent 80 seasons in the top-flight. They are eighth in the All-time FA Premier League table and have the eighth highest total of major honours won by an English club with 11 wins.[2] The holder of the record for the most appearances is Jimmy Lawrence, having made 496 first team appearances between 1904 and 1921.[86] The club's top goal scorer is Alan Shearer, who scored 206 goals in all competitions between 1996 and 2006.[87] Andy Cole holds the record for the most goals scored in a season: 41 in the 1993–94 season in the Premier League.[86] Shay Given was the most capped international for the club, with 80 appearances for Republic of Ireland.[86]
The club's widest victory margin in the league was in the 13–0 win against Newport County in the Second Division in 1946. Their heaviest defeat in the league was 9–0 against Burton Wanderers in the Second Division in 1895.[86] The club's longest number of consecutive seasons in the top flight of English football was 35 from 1898–99 until 1933–34.
Newcastle's record home attendance is 68,386 for a First Division match against Chelsea on 3 September 1930.[86] The club's highest attendance in the Premier League is 52,388, in a match against Sunderland on 4 March 2012.[88] The highest transfer fee received for a Newcastle player is £35 million, from Liverpool for Andy Carroll in January 2011, while the most spent by the club on a player was £16 million for striker Michael Owen from Real Madrid in August 2005.[39][86]
Club honours
Newcastle United have won European and domestic league honours. The club's last major honour was in 1969 when they won the Inter-Cities Fairs
References
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The Guardian (UK). http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2022857,00.html. Retrieved 21 July 2009. 7. ^ a b "Virgin Money to sponsor Newcastle United Football Club". Virgin Money. 2012-01-04. http://uk.virginmoney.com/virgin/news-centre/press-releases/2012/virgin-money-to-sponsor-newcastle-united-football-club.jsp. Retrieved 2012-01-04. 8. ^ "Newcastle United Announce Puma Kit Deal". footballshirtculture.com. 19 January 2010. http://www.footballshirtculture.com/sponsorship/newcastle-united-announce-puma-kit-deal.html. Retrieved 14 April 2011. 9. ^ "Club Crest". nufc.co.uk. http://www.nufc.co.uk/page/Club/History/ClubCrest. Retrieved 12 April 2011. 10. ^ "The Coat of Arms of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne". www.newcastle.gov.uk. http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/core.nsf/a/lmcoatofarms. Retrieved 12 April 2011. [dead link] 11. ^ a b "Newcastle United". WeltFussballArchiv.com. http://www.weltfussballarchiv.com/Vereinsprofilnew.php?ID=4179. 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London: BBC Sport. 4 November 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/newcastle_united/8342406.stm. Retrieved 4 November 2009. 18. ^ Bird, Simon (29 March 2011). "Newcastle 'have cost Ashley £285.8m so far'". Daily Mirror. UK. http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Newcastle-owner-Mike-Ashley-has-spent-a-staggering-285-8million-on-the-club-so-far-it-can-be-revealed-today-article718115.html. Retrieved 13 April 2011. 19. ^ "Newcastle United insist Sports Direct Arena name change is essential to help pay for new striker". The Telegraph. 10 November 2011. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/newcastle-united/8882563/Newcastle-United-insist-Sports-Direct-Arena-name-change-is-essential-to-help-pay-for-new-striker.html. Retrieved 16 November 2011. 20. ^ "Magpies – We need the money". Sky Sports News. 10 November 2011. http://www.skysports.com/skysportsnews/story/0,28679,19494_7301431,00.html. Retrieved 16 November 2011. 21. ^ "Welcome to Sports Direct Arena". The Sun. 10 November 2011. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3925539/Sports-Direct-Arena-Newcastle-owner-Mike-Ashley-re-names-St-James-Park.html. Retrieved 16 November 2011. 22. ^ "St. James". thetrams.co.uk. http://www.thetrams.co.uk/tyneandwear/stations/St._James. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 23. ^ "Ground News". nufc.com. 24 June 2009. http://www.nufc.com/html/2005-06html/ground.html. Retrieved 13 April 2011. 24. ^ Conn, David (8 February 2006). "How the Geordie Nation turned into a cash cow". The Guardian. UK. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2006/feb/08/newsstory.sport8. Retrieved 13 April 2011. 25. ^ ukbusinesspark.co.uk "Newcastle United". ukbusinesspark.co.uk. http://www.ukbusinesspark.co.uk/ned66412.htm ukbusinesspark.co.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2008. 26. ^ Ubha, Ravi (23 May 2007). "Ashley, Retail Billionaire, Offers to Buy Newcastle". Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a7JILUkOGnFc&refer=uk. 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Evening Chronicle. 1 June 2009. http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-evening-chronicle/2009/06/01/mike-ashley-puts-newcastle-united-up-for-sale-again-72703-23760895/. Retrieved 1 June 2009. 33. ^ Caulkin, George (8 June 2009). "Mike Ashley brings more embarrassment on Newcastle". The Times (UK). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/football_league/article6456878.ece. Retrieved 14 April 2011. 34. ^ Richardson, Andy (24 August 2009). "Is Ashley ready to make a definitive decision?". The Northern Echo. http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/4561352.Is_Ashley_ready_to_make_a_definitive_decision_/. Retrieved 14 April 2011. Evaluation
The reasons why I choose topic
The topic I have is about the Newcastle united football club, the reason why I choose the topic and have a presentation in term of the football club is I am obsess with sport especially about football games, so after a short discussion, we group decide to give me the topic about Newcastle united, for the rest of three people in our group.
Other people in our group Carol choose the Entertainment and leisure activities suitable for INTO students because everybody in my group knows carol loves night life and obviously she knows a lots of information about entertainment and leisure activities, Eason deal with the topic about Place of interest in the North East region, outside Newcastle because he have been to Newcastle for a few months therefore he knows a large amount of news about the place of interest in the North East region, for the last people in our group Eric, he choose the easiest topic in the rest of topics, actually he knows a lot of information about the transport in Newcastle city.
Allocation of the time for the meeting
In term of how to organize our group time, because we have enough much time to work the cultural guide during the period about 30 days, therefore we have 3 meetings to finish this work, namely 3rd March, 10th March and 17th, it was in Robinson library at the meeting for the first time, we have a discuss and choose a topic from the task for each other and allocate the team work for individuals, I was allocated a searching work for I have plenty of free time. The second time we had meeting is 10th march, after research done, we got together and give the resource to each people, and we try to link the resource together, lucky, we done it, the presentation was linked together. The last time we had meeting is 17th march, it is the final meeting we had, we decide the position of the presentation for each topic, and prepare the presentation together. 