Sports & Activities

With Newcastle Falcons rugby club spawning the legendary Jonny Wilkinson and Gateshead International Stadium regularly hosting the best in international athletics talent plus climbing walls, the UK’s largest water park, a dry ski slope and a surfing school, it’s not just football we’re passionate about...  although if you fancy a kick around or want to watch a match in one of our two huge stadiums, Newcastle United's St James' Park and Sunderland's Stadium of Light, we promise we won’t say no.

The all-seater and fully accessible Gateshead International Stadium has gained an international reputation for hosting top athletic events such as the Aviva British Grand Prix International Athletics in 2010, and also provides superb training facilities for talented athletes, sports clubs and the local community.

Any visitor to NewcastleGateshead who surveys the city skyline can have little doubt as to one of the overriding passions of the region - St. James' Park is home to Newcastle United Football Club and towers over the city. Sunderland AFC’s Stadium of Light is similarly impressive with a capacity of 49,000, and now hosts not just football but also world-class concerts including Oasis and Take That.

Northumbria University's Sport Central is home to the hugely successful  Basketball team,  the Newcastle Eagles, who continue to top the premier league. While local ice hockey teams the Newcastle Vipers and their rivals are both based in the coastal town of Whitley Bay where they got their name, the Whitley Warriors.

The Newcastle Falcons, the region's premier rugby union team, are based at Kingston Park. Visit the ground and watch a game, enjoy a drink from either of their two bars or enjoy live sport on one of their seven plasma screens. You can enjoy Rugby League at Gateshead Thunder, the North East's only professional Club.

Dance City is the National Dance Agency for the North East of England and welcomes all kinds of people with a passion for all kinds of dance. Opened in the autumn of 2005, Dance City's pioneering £7.6m centre has given the organisation the perfect home from which to develop and drive dance forward as one of the most exciting art forms of the 21st Century.

If you like horse racing, you'll love the buzz and excitement at Gosforth Park, one of England's premier racecourses which hosts both flat and national hunt races - a fantastic day out.
Northumberland has excellent golf courses scattered throughout the region. In fact, there are 92 courses within one hour's drive of Newcastle, offering plenty of choice.

With miles of beautiful coastline it's no surpirse that water sports are amongst the region's top leisure activities. Tynemouth offers some of the UK's premier surfing conditions; head to Tynemouth Surf Co. for a wide range of boards, equipment, surf lessons and wetsuit hire. If you want to try your hand at windsurfing or stand up paddle boarding, check out what's on offer at Boardskillz where activities are available for beginners, intermediates and experienced riders, or visit Advenure Sunderland at Sunderland Marina which boasts a host of watersports and activities.

What’s more, with so much beautiful countryside and so many miles of idyllic coastline surrounding us the opportunities for cycling, walking and other outdoor pursuits are limitless. A particular highlight is the final, eastern leg of the Coast to Coast (C2C) cycle route which takes you from just outside the city centre on a picturesque ride along a stretch of the River Tyne right to the coast at Tynemouth for a well-deserved ice cream on the beach as you muster the strength to cycle back!