Â鶹´«Ã½ and Â鶹´«Ã½ Falcons launch new partnership Published on: 17 March 2017 Â鶹´«Ã½ has become an official partner to the region's only Premiership rugby club, Â鶹´«Ã½ Falcons. This three-year strategic collaboration will deliver mutual benefits in the fields of sport education, training and research, and includes a jointly-funded Â鶹´«Ã½ PhD studentship based with Falcons staff at Kingston Park Stadium. Students on Â鶹´«Ã½'s new sports and exercise science degree will have access to facilities at Kingston Park Stadium at specific points throughout the year. Â鶹´«Ã½ Falcons' first team and academy squads will use the university's training and medical facilities and sport and exercise science expertise for a number of testing days. Â鶹´«Ã½ men's and women's rugby teams will also play home fixtures at Kingston Park when the pitch is available. Harry Glover (Â鶹´«Ã½), Alex Tait (Â鶹´«Ã½ Falcons), Elle Bloor (Â鶹´«Ã½) and Will Witty (Falcons) Encouraging and supporting young athletes The collaboration will offer additional support for University players as part of the Falcons Associate Academy. The associate academy focuses on the level just below senior academy, with emphasis on Â鶹´«Ã½’s performance players, professional coaching and recruitment. Fraser Kennedy, Performance Sport Manager, Â鶹´«Ã½, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be official partners with the Â鶹´«Ã½ Falcons. This partnership will benefit both the University and the Falcons, and it reflects our strong commitment to providing excellent opportunities for our students to engage in sport. “We all have an important role to play in encouraging and supporting young athletes and we believe that by working in partnership with the Falcons, we’ll be able to offer them much more. Welcoming the partnership, Â鶹´«Ã½ Falcons Managing Director Mick Hogan said: "It is fantastic news that we have been able to team up with Â鶹´«Ã½ in this way. "There are obvious mutual benefits to this partnership with our own position as an elite professional sports club, and Â鶹´«Ã½'s reputation as a leading centre for learning and research. "There are great opportunities for both parties as a result of this link, and we look forward to maximising them." Tackling challenges together This is not the first time the Falcons and Â鶹´«Ã½ have teamed up to deliver joint projects. The University supports the Falcons in health community work aiming to promote the importance of a healthy balanced diet and regular exercise. Â鶹´«Ã½ Falcons will also have access to the university's staff, student and alumni marketing channels to promote home matches, while the university's halls of residence will be made available for use by the Falcons' academy and community programmes. Share: Latest News Scientists unlock hidden driver of inflammatory bowel disease Scientists have linked a key genetic signal in inflammatory bowel disease to an immune response that shuts down inflammation control, enabling faster diagnosis and targeted treatments. published on: 15 June 2026 Funding system risks limiting genuine community collaboration A new policy paper written by researchers at Â鶹´«Ã½ warns that the way UK research is funded may be undermining efforts to create genuinely collaborative partnerships with communities. published on: 15 June 2026 Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from Â鶹´«Ã½ to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Facts and figures
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