Newcastle Falcons
Established	1979
Final Season	1998/99
Former Home Venue	Newcastle Entertainment Centre Newcastle Entertainment Centre Newcastle Entertainment Centre is a multi-purpose Australian arena located within the Newcastle Showgrounds and was opened in 1992 at a cost of A$12m.... , Newcastle Newcastle, New South Wales The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
Team Colours	Red, Blue and White
Championships	None
Team History	Newcastle Falcons (1979-1998/99)

Newcastle Falcons were an Australian basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 team, that played in Newcastle

Newcastle, New South Wales

The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...

, in the National Basketball League

National Basketball League (Australia)

The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....

. The team played in the NBL's inaugural season in 1979, and left the league in the late 1990s, after new owners based in Albury

Albury-Wodonga

Albury-Wodonga is the broad settlement incorporating the twin Australian cities of Albury and Wodonga, which are separated geographically by the Murray River and politically by a state border: Albury on the north of the river is part of New South Wales while Wodonga on the south bank is in...

 couldn't resolve the club's ongoing financial problems.

The Falcons hold a special place in the history of league. The club was responsible for the formation of the league, and were the organisers. The other clubs had to pay a fee of around $300 to the Falcons to participate in that first season. The city is regarded as the birth place of the NBL.

The club's original colours were green and white, being the city's colours, but the club soon changed to black and red, and to red and blue, after the Newcastle Knights

Newcastle Knights

The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...

' admission to the New South Wales Rugby League

New South Wales Rugby League

The New South Wales Rugby League is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby League. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League until 1984 when forward thinking marketing managers decided...

. All the national league clubs in Newcastle took on red and blue as their colours at some stage in their existence.

In 1992, the club moved from its original home stadium at the Broadmeadow Basketball Stadium

Broadmeadow Basketball Stadium

The Broadmeadow Basketball Stadium is an indoor basketball stadium located in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia and was the original home of the Newcastle Falcons of the National Basketball League from the origin of the league in 1979 until they moved to the newly built Newcastle Entertainment...

 to the new Newcastle Entertainment Centre

Newcastle Entertainment Centre

Newcastle Entertainment Centre is a multi-purpose Australian arena located within the Newcastle Showgrounds and was opened in 1992 at a cost of A$12m....

. The club's downfall began in the mid-1990s when problems with sponsor Topper

Topper (sports)

Topper is a sportswear brand owned by Alpargatas Group, with business in South America and Asia. Its products range from footwear and clothing to underwear, sport bags, balls, and equipment in general for football, basketball, volleyball, rugby union and tennis.In Brazil, Topper supplies athletic...

 befell them and the Newcastle Breakers

Newcastle Breakers

Newcastle Breakers are a defunct Australian association football club. Formed out of elements of the Newcastle Austral club, they participated in the National Soccer League from season 1991/1992, until their dissolution in 1999/2000. The club fared poorly on the field in its nine seasons in the...

. Even with the support of new sponsor Energy Australia and new owners, the club couldn't get itself out of trouble, and left the league in the late 1990s.

The city had no NBL team until the new owners of the Canberra Cannons

Canberra Cannons

The Canberra Cannons were a basketball team competing in the Australian National Basketball League. They went into financial administration in 2003 and were relocated to Newcastle, where they became the Hunter Pirates...

 moved to Newcastle and established the Hunter Pirates

Hunter Pirates

The Hunter Pirates were an Australian basketball team, based in the city of Newcastle, that competed in the National Basketball League.-Team history:...

 in 2003.

There is a chance that the falcons will return to the National Basketball League

National Basketball League

National Basketball League may mean:* National Basketball League , the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia* National Basketball League * National Basketball League of Canada...

under the ownership of Nathan Tinkler

Nathan Tinkler

Nathan Tinkler is a mining magnate and businessman from the Hunter Region, New South Wales, Australia.-Biography:Tinkler was an electrician in a coal mine before starting his own business. His big break came in 2006 when he borrowed $500,000 to buy a mine. He sold his company to Macarthur Coal...

 in the future, maybe in the 2012 and 2013 season.

Honour roll

NBL Championships:	None
NBL Finals Appearances:	4 (1983-85, 1996?)
NBL Grand Final Appearances:	None
NBL Most Valuable Players:	None
NBL Grand Final MVPs:	None
All-NBL First Team:	Jerry Everett
NBL Coach of the Year:	Bob Turner (1981), Tom Wisman (1995)
NBL Rookie of the Year:	Scott McGregor Scott McGregor (basketball) Scott McGregor is an Australian basketball player.McGregor began his NBL career with the Newcastle Falcons, where he won the NBL Rookie of the Year award. In 1997, McGregor played in the Australian Under 22's team that won a gold medal in the FIBA World Championships in Melbourne...  (1996)
NBL Most Improved Player:	Tonny Jensen (1995), Ben Pepper Ben Pepper Ben Pepper is an Australian basketball player, who played for the twelve seasons in the National Basketball League.-Professional career:... (1997), Ben Melmeth (1998)
NBL Best Defensive Player:	Terry Dozier (1992, 1993)
NBL Best Sixth Man:	Ben Pepper (1997)