Crow Trees
Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Blaydon), Tyne and Wear, England
Crow Trees, Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Blaydon), England — opened Not precisely confirmed; Blaydon RFC relocated here from their previous 'Racecourse' ground at some point not documented in sources found, 29 rugby league games hosted, home of Blaydon RFC (rugby union), long-term primary tenant, currently playing in Regional 1 North East; Newcastle Thunder (rugby league, RFL Championship) approved by the RFL as their home ground for all Challenge Cup and League home games in the 2025 season.
Sourcing caveat: Playing surface not confirmed. No specific rugby league match dates/results for the 2025 Newcastle Thunder tenancy were retrieved in this research pass.
Ground facts
| Opened | Not precisely confirmed; Blaydon RFC relocated here from their previous 'Racecourse' ground at some point not documented in sources found (This is fundamentally a rugby UNION ground (Blaydon RFC's long-standing home) that has only very recently (2025) also become a part-time rugby league venue, amid Newcastle Thunder's long-running pattern of home-ground instability (the club has played at Kingston Park since 2015, and previously as Gateshead Thunder at Gateshead International Stadium until 2014).) |
| Home club | Blaydon RFC (rugby union), long-term primary tenant, currently playing in Regional 1 North East; Newcastle Thunder (rugby league, RFL Championship) approved by the RFL as their home ground for all Challenge Cup and League home games in the 2025 season |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 29 |
| Top recorded crowd | 194 |
| Capacity | 2,000 (400 seated) |
| Floodlights installed | Two installations: original floodlights erected 1968, opened by Scottish Borders club Hawick in front of a record 3,500 spectators (a rugby union fixture); a second set added to 'the riverside pitch' in 1995 |
| Years used | 2013–2026 |
| Location | Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Blaydon), Tyne and Wear |
Name history
- Crow Trees — no name change found across its rugby union history
Rugby league history
A rugby union ground in the Blaydon/Swalwell area near Newcastle upon Tyne, home to Blaydon RFC, with a recently refurbished £1.2m clubhouse including three function suites and a gym with 1,000+ members, opened by former England rugby union internationals Stephen Bainbridge and Michael Skinner. Also hosts a weekly car boot sale. Newcastle Thunder's 2025-season tenancy is a recent, notable development in the club's unsettled ground history, though it should be framed as a temporary/current arrangement rather than a long-standing rugby league home.
Primary long-term tenant is Blaydon RFC (rugby union).
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
← Rugby League · Champions list · All-time records · Grand Final results · World Cup · All competitions · Teams · Players