Former Newcastle administrator Mick Hogan has heralded the contribution of Semore Kurdi to Falcons rugby after it emerged that the owner is putting the Gallagher Premiership club up for sale.
Newcastle are currently bottom of the English league with just one win in six games and they finished in last place in 2023/24 following a winless 18-game campaign. They were also bottom in 2022/23.
The Falcons, though, enjoyed better times in the pre-pandemic era and Hogan, who spent eight years working with Kurdi in a variety of roles, has insisted that the owner, who took over in 2011, has played a vital role in keeping the sport going at professional level in the region.
Writing on LinkedIn, Hogan said: “The sport needs more Semore Kurdi’s. Words said to me a few years ago by someone senior within rugby union. I had just explained the extent of the support that Semore gives Newcastle Falcons Rugby Club and the wider game throughout the north east.
“After 13 years at the helm he has enlisted A&W Capital to sell the club. Put simply, there would be no professional rugby union in the region without Semore (and before him Dave Thompson and John Hall).
“It’s not just the tens of millions he has put into the club, but his leadership, navigation through the pandemic and his vision at key moments in the journey have been vital.
“In eight of those years I worked for him. We had some real highlights: Premiership semi-final, Heineken Cup wins, The Big One (x2) at St James’ Park, 2019 Euro finals in Newcastle, Rugby World Cup 2015 (and our legendary fanzone) and buying back the stadium. There were tough times, too, but his calmness throughout saw us overcome the challenges.
“I hope he can now exit the club on terms and in a timeline that he deserves. The whole sport in this country owes him (and all the other club owners) a huge debt of gratitude and a massive thanks for his unstinting loyalty to the Falcons.”
