One Tuesday in March, the Newcastle Eagles invited season ticket holders to the Vertu Motors Arena to discuss the club’s future. Owner Paul Blake, men’s head coach Marc Steutel, women’s player-coach Chloe Gaynor and men’s player Mitch Clarke made up a panel, giving supporters direct access to the people leading the club. Eagles All In helped gather questions in advance. The evening was called Taking Flight Together.
It was an example of a club making itself accessible to supporters, and of supporters who care about its future.
On the court, Newcastle were best when the rotation shortened, roles became clearer and responsibility could not be avoided.
Taking Flight Together
Formed at the end of last season, Eagles All In have quickly become an important part of the club. They help sell tickets, organise away support and give the club a direct line to the fanbase.
In return, they have pushed for changes that make attending games easier. A new six-month payment plan gave supporters more flexibility in how they paid. The price of season tickets for young children was reduced by 30 per cent, while members of the Eagles Community Foundation Junior Clubs were also offered a discount.
When Responsibility Narrowed
Newcastle were better when the rotation was short and everyone on the floor had to carry their share of the game.
| Players Used | Record | Win % |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 5-2 | 71% |
| 8 | 2-7 | 22% |
| 9 | 8-11 | 42% |
| 10 | 0-5 | 0% |
Newcastle had their best record when only seven players saw the floor. Roles were harder to hide from, each player’s job became clearer, and Newcastle got some of their best basketball from a core group being asked to do more. As the rotation stretched, the team became less effective.
Never Quite Held
The squad assembled in the summer had already changed by November. The refreshed group only really clicked when injuries shortened the rotation. By the end of the season, Steutel was publicly calling out players for not taking on his messages.
Newcastle reached the Cup final, and Ray’Sean Taylor produced the kind of performance that briefly made it feel as though he could keep them in it on his own. London still overwhelmed them in the end. Newcastle got a big effort from a key player, but not enough around him.
Newcastle failed to get out of the ENBL group stage a year after reaching the final, finished eighth out of nine in the SLB Championship, and then saw their season end against London in the first round of the play-offs.
That series also brought the end of Darius Defoe’s 22-season playing career, one that included 28 titles. His emotional goodbye to the fans, as he left the floor to a standing ovation in the home leg, showed how deeply he has become part of the Newcastle community. He will not be replaced.
Together, Sometimes
Newcastle are a club people want to carry together. Supporters help shape it, the club makes room for them, and there is still a sense that what happens here belongs to more than the people on the payroll.
The team only showed that same togetherness in spells. When the rotation shortened, Newcastle looked clearer and stronger. The challenge now is to build a side that reflects the same collective purpose already visible around the club.
