Newcastle United F.C. - Supporters and Rivalries

Supporters and Rivalries

Supporters of Newcastle United are drawn from all over the North East and beyond, with supporters' clubs all across the world. The club's supporters are also known as the Magpies, the Geordies or the Toon Army. The name Toon originates from the Geordie pronunciation of town. In a 2007 Virgin Money survey of football supporters who held season tickets or otherwise paid to attend games, it was found that Newcastle fans were the most loyal in terms of making sacrifices to attend the game. In a 2004 survey by Co-operative Financial Services, it was found that Newcastle United topped the league table for the cost incurred and distance travelled by Newcastle based fans wishing to travel to every Premier League away game. The total distance travelled for a fan to attend every away game from Newcastle was found to be equivalent to a round-the-world trip. In the 2009–10 when the club were playing in English football's second tier, the Football League Championship, the average attendance at St James Park was 43,388, the fourth best for an English club that season. At the end of the 2011-12 Premier league season, Newcastle United held the third highest average attendance for the season of 49,935. This figure was only supassed by Arsenal and Manchester United, the only two clubs in the premier league with larger stadiums.

The club's supporters publish a number of fanzines including True Faith and The Mag, along with NUFC.com, which was established in 1996. They set up Newcastle United Supporters Trust in September 2008, aiming to "represent the broad church of Newcastle United's support".

In addition to the usual English football chants, Newcastle's supporters sing the traditional Tyneside song Blaydon Races.

Traditionally, Newcastle's main rivals are Sunderland, against whom the Tyne–Wear derby is competed.