Inside Newcastle
The platform finally has a team.
Newcastle have been back in finals contention through 2026, which the decade has not made a habit: 13th for win rate over ten years, two premierships back in 1997 and 2001, and stretches where the NRLW side, premiers in 2022 and 2023, was clearly the better team in the building. The Wests Group has owned the club since 2017 and built regardless, more than $23 million into the Broadmeadow centre and the $1.2 million a year it costs to run. This season has the makings and the mess in roughly equal parts: Justin Holbrook's first year, Kalyn Ponga and the young core extended, the Newcastle Herald counting down to November 1 on the rest, and then a home loss to Manly that got Dom Young and Tyson Frizell charged for hip drops with the finals in sight.
- Owned by The Wests Group Australia, a member-owned leagues club group, since 2017. No operator accounts published; the group's accounts are member-only.
- Training base: Broadmeadow, opened 2022. Announced at $20 million, the spend is past $23 million; the final figure is unpublished.
Checked 21 August 2026 · Evidence medium
At a glance
- Home crowd, 2026: 23,801 across 12 home matches, up 2,917 on 2025
- Members, 2026: 32,097, published by National Rugby League
- Following: 721,154 across 5 platforms
- Brand value, 2024: $43M, 10th of 17 clubs
- Who owns the club: The Wests Group Australia, a member-owned leagues club group · since 2017
- Accounts we can see: None located for the operator; group accounts are member-only
- Training base: Newcastle Permanent Centre of Excellence, Broadmeadow · opened 2022
- Head coach: Justin Holbrook through 2028
Ownership & Financials
- Knights Rugby League Pty Ltd (ABN 83 169 964 523), an Australian private company active since June 2014, is the entity that runs the Knights; its own stationery reads 'Part of The Wests Group Australia'.
- The Wests Group Australia, a Newcastle-owned member-based not-for-profit whose registered clubs include Western Suburbs (Newcastle) Leagues Club, acquired the Newcastle Knights in 2017 and describes rugby league as its primary sporting focus.
Following & Sponsorship
- Major Partner: McDonald Jones Homes
Leadership
- Peter Parr, Chief Executive Officer
- Chris James, Director of Football
- Philip Gardner, Chief Executive Officer, The Wests Group Australia
- Geoff Coburn, chair
- Geoff Coburn, chair
Football Department
- Justin Holbrook, NRL head coach
- Ben Jeffries, NRLW head coach
- Michael Dobson, NSW Cup head coach
- Ben Hagan, NSW Women's Premiership head coach
- Alex Moore, Jersey Flegg head coach
- Matt Lantry, SG Ball head coach
- Alicia-Kate Hawke, Tarsha Gale head coach
- Matt McLaren, Harold Matthews head coach
- Gary Jones, Lisa Fiaola head coach
- Josh Corby, Andrew Johns Cup head coach
- Craig Martine, Laurie Daley Cup head coach
Facilities
- Newcastle Permanent Centre of Excellence, District Park, Broadmeadow: The club's high-performance training base for its men's and women's teams and its pathways, opened in 2022 on Venues NSW land in the Hunter Sports and Entertainment Precinct, with three full-sized fields, a gym large enough for a full squad, a 25-metre lap pool, a theatrette and community spaces.
- McDonald Jones Stadium, Broadmeadow: The club's home ground, a 33,000-capacity stadium a few hundred metres from the Centre of Excellence; the club plays there and does not own it.
Pathways
- Both ladders are complete and every rung has a named head coach for 2026. The men's ladder runs from Hunter junior clubs and the regional Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cup sides through Harold Matthews, SG Ball, Jersey Flegg and the club's own NSW Cup team to NRL; the women's runs Lisa Fiaola, Tarsha Gale and NSW Women's Premiership to an NRLW side that has won two premierships. A three-year agreement with Mid North Coast Rugby League widened the catchment in January 2026.
- The Knights joined the NRLW in 2021 and won the premiership in 2022 and 2023.
- On 19 January 2026 the Knights and Mid North Coast Rugby League signed a three-year memorandum of understanding across the Group 2 and Group 3 competitions, covering coach education, volunteer capability and male and female pathways, with agreed measures on participation, pathway progression, coach education attendance and retention of local talent.
Results
- All-time win rate: 46.6% (All first-grade games), 12th of 17
- Last 10 seasons: 42.0% (2017–2026), 13th of 17
- Last 3 seasons: 45.5% (2024–2026), 12th of 17
- Team Rating: 80.0 (2026 season), 7th= of 17
- Premierships: 2 (Since 1988), 10th of 17
- Finals seasons: 18 (Since 1988), 11th of 17
Sources
Newcastle: squad and cap · Every club, inside · Tell us we’re wrong