Newcastle Blue Star - KD Stadium

Newcastle Blue Star FC

KD Stadium 

Scotswood Sports and Social Centre

Denton Road

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE15 7HB

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Ground Number: 1537
Saturday 4th April 2026
Newcastle Blue Star 1-1 Carlisle City
Northern League D1

NEWCASTLE BLUE STAR FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

Although there have been previous versions of the club, this incarnation of the club was established in 2018. They took over the running of Hazlerigg Victory whose primary function was in recreational football, featuring U8s and up. That club was established as recently as 2007 and still has teams operating under the name today. Under their new identity, they spent five seasons in the Northern Alliance Premier, finishing 3rd twice before winning the title in 2023. It was a successful first season in the Northern League Division 2 as they finished as runners-up to Blyth Town. They beat Horden Colliery Welfare in the playoff semis before losing to Easington Colliery in the final. Following a vacancy becoming available higher up, the club were promoted as one of the losing play-off finalists with the best points-per-game record across step six nationwide. Last season nearly saw a third consecutive promotion following a 4th place finish. The reformed club is yet to win an FA Vase game, falling at the first hurdle for three seasons in a row. They did have a good FA Cup run this season, beating North Shields, Newton Aycliffe and Heaton Stannington before a 2-0 home loss to Marine in the 2nd Qualifying Round.

The original Newcastle Blue Star was formed in 1930, and the club was entered into the Newcastle Business Houses League two years later. The club would play in this league for six seasons before moving on to the North East Amateur League. Spells in the Tyneside Amateur League and Northern Combination would follow. In 1973, under the name Blue Star Welfare, the club had advanced to the Wearside League. They were crowned champions during its first season in the league and again in 1976. In 1978, the club marked its most notable achievement to date, winning the FA Vase, beating Barton Rovers 2-1 in the final at Wembley Stadium. By the 1979 season, the club had re-named itself Blue Star. The early 1980s were a successful time for the club. It won the Wearside League in three consecutive seasons. Around this time, it also reached the First Round proper of the FA Cup, knocked out by York City, losing 2–0 at Bootham Crescent. The club joined the Northern League D2 in 1986. They won the title, winning all but two games, reverting to the name Newcastle Blue Star around the same time. They were close to winning the Division 1 title in 1988, but results soon declined.

In 1992, a consortium placed a pre-emptive bid to buy cash-strapped Fourth Division side Maidstone United with the intention of moving the club to the north-east and merging it with Blue Star, thus giving Blue Star League football. The bid was rejected by Maidstone chairman Jim Thompson. A Tyneside-based businessman named John Waugh (the then-chairman of Newcastle Blue Star) led a consortium to buy the club. The goal was to move the club 300 miles north to Tyneside, merge it with Newcastle Blue Star, and rename the team "Newcastle Browns. There were even ambitious (some said delusional) claims that the club would play their home games at St James' Park. Between 1994 & 1998, the club entered a sponsorship and ownership agreement with Roland Maughan, a prominent local businessman. It was common during that era for non-league clubs to take on the names of their primary backers or companies to secure financial stability. They were known as RTM Newcastle for four years. While some fans of that era might jokingly refer to it as "Road to Metrocentre" or other local puns, the official designation was strictly the initials of its benefactor. They were relegated to Division 2 in 1999 but bounced straight back as runners-up to Brandon United the following season. They were relegated again in 2003 but came back up in 2005 after a 3rd place finish. They were Northern League champions in 2006 but would have to wait another year for promotion due to ground grading issues. They moved to the Kingston Park rugby ground to facilitate going up; however, this proved to be their downfall. Due to travel costs, they applied to take voluntary relegation in 2008, but then reversed the decision. In 2009, Newcastle Blue Star finished 3rd in the NPL D1 North. They were promoted to the Northern Premier League Premier Division after a 4–1 victory over Curzon Ashton in the Play-off final at Kingston Park. The club hit trouble in May 2009, after being hit with a demand to repay £65,000 of loans previously made by the Football Stadia Improvement Fund to improve the club's former Wheatsheaf Ground, on the basis that the club was no longer playing there. Although it was offered the option of repaying the debt in instalments, the club chose to cease operations a month later.

MY VISIT

From our game at Newbiggin, it was a half-hour drive to the ground. We parked on the street outside and went in. Of all the grounds so far, this had the most buzz, and the place was a hive of activity. After paying £8 to get in, I checked out the bar. They only had the overly sweet Inch's cider from what I could see, so I didn't bother. From there, I checked out the club shop, which had a huge range. Sadly, unless you were a midget or enormous, there was nothing I fancied in my size. I settled on a patch badge for a quid. Next up was food, the chicken curry and chips weren't as good as yesterday at Hartlepool for £6, but they were still very tasty. I then went around the ground getting pictures before kickoff. The attendance was not as good as would be ideal; quite a few hoppers had drifted off to other 3 PM games, which is always an issue on a three-game day.

 

Newcastle Blue Star were in 7th and had won fifteen, drawn six and lost twelve so far. They'd won four in a row and had beaten Penrith 3-0 last Saturday. Carlisle City were in 14th and had won ten, drawn six and lost seventeen. They were on mixed form but had beaten Crook Town 1-0 in their last game. Carlisle City dominated the early stages, and they took the lead on 7 minutes through Sean Bannon, who finished unopposed from close range. Newcastle Blue Star were very poor for the opening stages. They were trying to win set pieces, much to the frustration of the Carlisle City manager, who was booked for his protests. They were awarded a penalty on 38 minutes for handball, and Sean Reid put the spot kick away. The attendance was announced as 573. The second half saw Newcastle Blue Star dominate, and they had already forced the goalkeeper into a great save when they took the lead. On 60 minutes, Sean Reid latched onto a deflection to finish with a low shot. That was it for goals in what was a competitive game.

 

THE GROUND

THE KD STADIUM is a ground that has been built up from scratch; even so, it's an impressive setup. There is cover on three sides with a couple of 200-seater stands, covered terracing for around 600 and a corner near the hospitality area to keep another 100 dry. Other facilities are excellent with a large bar, a decent food stand and a club shop with an extensive range. Buses run nearby, and there is plenty of parking on the surrounding streets.