We will become a regional club of North East players with a clear path into the first team
PLAN FOR GATESHEAD TO MIRROR THE BILBAO MODEL
GATESHEAD supremo Michael Williams has revealed the club’s brave plan to become the ‘Athletic Bilbao’ of North East football.
The Tynesiders have experienced major change in the last six months after Hong Kong-based businessman Ranjan Varghese took the club off the hands of local pair Richard and Julie Bennett.
The club have faced a restructure in terms of finances and have to cut their cloth accordingly but they remain full-time and under Steve Watson they aim to build a successful side made up of local young players.
One of the Heed’s biggest challenges is attracting fans through the turnstiles at the International Stadium.
Newcastle and Sunderland remain the main competition on the market but Gateshead have reduced prices for season ticket holders of both clubs to just £10 for home games.
Getting fans to watch Gateshead and keep coming back has always been the issue. Back in 1969, when the Tynesiders were a Northern Premier League outfit, then boss George Hardwick said: “I can build the team if people will give the support worthy of this big town.” Unfortunately 38 games later, Gateshead were rock bottom and heading to the Wearside League. Fast-forward to 2018 and former Toon favourite Steve Watson is doing an impressive job. Watson lost 80% of his squad last season and had to build a team late in pre-season but he has helped the side punch above their weight in the National League. Gateshead were tipped for relegation by some back in August but they are challenging for the play-offs with the promised land of the Football League a little more than just a dream. Operations director Williams told The Chronicle: “The North East is still arguably the hotbed for football talent and it is a case of trying to tap into that, be it players who get released at 16 from Newcastle or Sunderland or Middlesbrough or players that have been out of the area and come back.
“I liken it a lot to Athletic Bilbao and how they operate in the Basque Country.
“They recruit only from the Basque region which is very similar to the North East.
“The population is about three million and also the Basque area was built on mining, shipbuilding and steel.
“The residents there have a great pride and affinity in the area they are from.
“This will fit in very nicely with our vision moving forward.
“Gateshead will become a regional club where the players will come from the North East and have a proper pathway into the first team.
“We don’t have infinite resources to spend on players so it makes sense with the great football talent in the North East to try to nurture.”
Those who haven’t ventured to Gateshead Stadium in recent times will see a big change in the surrounding area.
The Stadium pub, which was once jam-packed with Geordie fans during the visit of Kevin Keegan’s Entertainers in 1995, is long gone.
Just opposite the stadium now is Gateshead college’s Academy for sport, which runs in conjunction with the football club. Williams feels this gives the club every chance of producing their own players.
He said: “It is ideal. “Having everything on one site – including the college – helps regarding the football team and the stadium.
“It all makes great sense.
“We are also in the process of launching our own Academy. “We currently have an under-19 team but we don’t have an under-18. “When players leave school now at 16 they have other options but with our new Academy we are launching something special. They
Having everything on one site, including the college, helps the team. It all makes great sense Michael Williams
will be able to come to Gateshead and have an outstanding education at the college.
“What we believe is a true player pathway into the Academy and reserve team then hopefully on to the first team.
“We currently have the likes of Tom White, Elliot Forbes and Jon Mellish in the first team.”
Gateshead’s last tilt at promotion to the EFL came in 2014 when they made the play-off final but were beaten by Cambridge at Wembley.
Back then former boss Gary Mills said: “We’re gutted of course.
“You get an opportunity of 90 minutes of football to get Gateshead back into the Football League and we didn’t quite do it.”
Sadly, Gateshead haven’t come close since.
Watson is working hard to change that.
Williams said: “Everybody respects Steve and relates to him.
“He is still the youngest ever Newcastle player to make a first-team debut at 16.
“It is great to have him here as gets that respect from players and fans around the country.
“For the club and the foundation it has a massive impact.
“Everybody, historically, knows the overriding problem at Gateshead is getting more fans in the stadium and more bums on seats plus making more revenue.
“We are now working on reorganising the community and foundation side of things.
“We are looking at new projects for next year to get them delivered.”
One such project will be on April 7 when Newcastle United legends
take on a Gateshead team in a club fundraiser. The game is designed to boost Watson’s budget for next season.
But it remains to be seen what division that will be in. Williams said: “In reality, the way the team are playing there’s no reason why we can’t make the play-offs. “Everybody is full of belief. “We have 15 players from the North East on board. They are hungry, full of passion and full of spirit. They have a great affinity and loyalty to the area.
“They really understand the importance trying to reach the Football League.
“In the past we have had journeyman players and win, draw or lose the desire wasn’t really there.
“It makes such a difference to have local players to move forward.
“This is where our focus is going to be.”
When Gateshead came close in 2014 the club proved they can pull in a decent crowd when things are going well.
Their play-off victory – which took them to Wembley – attracted an attendance of 8,144.
This season the average attendance has been 782 but with events like the legends game coming up next year, Williams hopes that fans will recognise the club once again.
He said: “When the Newcastle team came here under Keegan in 1995, it was a sell out.
“We’d love to recreate that day. “It’s a driving factor for us and some of the players involved back then will be playing again in April.
“It would be fantastic to get the stadium full again.”