In 1998, Gateshead was awarded a rugby league franchise after a three-way contest with Cardiff and Swansea.
The result was Gateshead Thunder, who played in Super League IV in 1999.
The Thunder played at Gateshead International Stadium and the club had, according to sports journalist Andy Wilson, "an enjoyable and surprisingly successful season" which included home and away wins against St. Helens and a sixth-place finish in the table – missing out on the playoffs by two points.
Despite these performances, which attracted an average crowd of 3,895 to Gateshead Stadium, the franchise lost £700,000 in its first year and in November 1999 the Rugby Football League (RFL) approved a merger with the Hull Sharks.
The result was the formation of Hull FC, and when the authorities refused permission for the merged clubs to enter a Hull-based team into the RFL's second tier, the franchise moved almost in its entirety to Hull, ending Gateshead's Super League participation after a single season; according to Wilson, the Thunder was "left to die, provoking bitter resentment" from supporters.

There have been some highlights, including winning Championship 1 in 2008 and a run to the quarter-final of the Challenge Cup in 2009 which ended in a 66–6 defeat to Super League side St Helens in front of 4,325 fans at Gateshead International Stadium.
However, the Thunder went through a 64-game losing streak spanning two-and-a-half years before winning against Workington Town on 29 August 2012.

Relations between the Thunder and Gateshead Council were strained at times, with a possible move to Kingston Park Newcastle upon Tyne, first mooted, and rejected, in 2006.
In 2008, the club committed itself again to Gateshead Stadium for the immediate future, however, in March 2014 The Journal reported that talks had begun between Thunder's managing director Keith Christie and representatives of Newcastle Falcons with a view to the Falcons taking over the rugby league club.
Falcons' owner Semore Kurdi confirmed that a bid had been made to purchase Gateshead Thunder on 20 March 2014, though he refused to elaborate on whether he intended to relocate the club if that bid was accepted.
The takeover was confirmed on 23 May 2014, though it was announced that the club would continue to play at the International Stadium.
In January 2015 Gateshead Thunder were officially renamed Newcastle Thunder and relocated to Kingston Park.
Keith Christie told the BBC that the move was "a business decision" designed to build a new fan base for the club.
In 1998, Gateshead was awarded a rugby league franchise after a three-way contest with Cardiff and Swansea. The result was Gateshead Thunder, who played in Super League IV in 1999. The Thunder played at Gateshead International Stadium and the club had, according to sports journalist Andy Wilson, "an enjoyable and surprisingly successful season" which included home and away wins against St. Helens and a sixth-place finish in the table – missing out on the playoffs by two points. Despite these performances, which attracted an average crowd of 3,895 to Gateshead Stadium, the franchise lost £700,000 in its first year and in November 1999 the Rugby Football League (RFL) approved a merger with the Hull Sharks. The result was the formation of Hull FC, and when the authorities refused permission for the merged clubs to enter a Hull-based team into the RFL's second tier, the franchise moved almost in its entirety to Hull, ending Gateshead's Super League participation after a single season; according to Wilson, the Thunder was "left to die, provoking bitter resentment" from supporters.
There have been some highlights, including winning Championship 1 in 2008 and a run to the quarter-final of the Challenge Cup in 2009 which ended in a 66–6 defeat to Super League side St Helens in front of 4,325 fans at Gateshead International Stadium. However, the Thunder went through a 64-game losing streak spanning two-and-a-half years before winning against Workington Town on 29 August 2012.
Relations between the Thunder and Gateshead Council were strained at times, with a possible move to Kingston Park Newcastle upon Tyne, first mooted, and rejected, in 2006. In 2008, the club committed itself again to Gateshead Stadium for the immediate future, however, in March 2014 The Journal reported that talks had begun between Thunder's managing director Keith Christie and representatives of Newcastle Falcons with a view to the Falcons taking over the rugby league club. Falcons' owner Semore Kurdi confirmed that a bid had been made to purchase Gateshead Thunder on 20 March 2014, though he refused to elaborate on whether he intended to relocate the club if that bid was accepted. The takeover was confirmed on 23 May 2014, though it was announced that the club would continue to play at the International Stadium. In January 2015 Gateshead Thunder were officially renamed Newcastle Thunder and relocated to Kingston Park. Keith Christie told the BBC that the move was "a business decision" designed to build a new fan base for the club.
Gateshead International Stadium