Newcastle United are back in their pomp and enjoying life at the top end of the Premier League table. It is a great time to be a fan of the club and there certainly are a lot of famous people who fit into that category.The St. James’ Park faithful are renowned up and down the country for being one of the most fierce fanbases in English football. This list goes well beyond Tyneside though, with Newcastle having fans from all over the world.Of course there are local heroes who have always followed the clubs but like with Katy Perry supporting West Ham United and Jay-Z being a big Arsenal follower, people from all corners of the globe can pledge themselves to some of the best Premier League teams.Closer to home there is the man himself Alan Shearer, a legend for the club and someone who was first and foremost, a fan. Here are just some of the icons from the world of music to politics who follow the Magpies that we at Football FanCast have gathered, via The Shields Gazette.
Chris Eubank
The list gets off to a powerful start with the softly-spoken, hard-hitting Chris Eubank. He is one of several sporting legends that has been previously spotted in the stands at St. James’.Eubank was born in Dulwich, South London and so his footballing allegiance may come as a surprise to some. Not only this but he lives in Brighton and his son Chris Eubank Jnr is a vocal Manchester United supporter.Eubank Snr was a champion at middleweight and super-middleweight with one of his biggest fights seeing him cross paths with a fellow Newcastle fan in the form of Welshman Joe Calzaghe.We’re sure that father and son have had some heated exchanges over the years when their two teams have gone head-to-head.
Gabby Logan
Remaining in the world of sport with one of the most recognisable faces and voices on television. Gabby Logan was recently at the fore of the BBC’s coverage of a historic Women’s World Cup over in Australia and New Zealand.Football isn't all Logan is known for either when it comes to presenting with tennis and athletics also being a part of her repertoire.Given her brilliance in front of the camera, many would forget that she herself was a competitor as a gymnast.Her support of Newcastle is just as interesting as Eubank’s given that she was born in Leeds and is Welsh, although her presenting career did begin in that area of the country. Her first game was a 1-0 victory over Everton in the early 1990s and her support may well stem from a boyfriend she had during her time at Durham University.
Sam Fender
From sports to music now and you just have to hear Sam Fender talk to know which club he supports.The peak of his excellent career to date will surely be performing at his beloved St. James’ Park earlier this year. It had always been a dream of his and the city was in an overjoyed mood when the day finally came around.Just days after the sold out shows on hallowed turf were announced, he was actually a guest of honour for a home game against Crystal Palace, a clash which ended goalless.It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him perform there again and his music will continue to be blasted out of the speakers on matchday.
Cam Norrie
Returning to the world of sports and this time to tennis, with Cam Norrie.Norrie was born in Johannesburg, South Africa but is a British tennis star, ranking number 1 for nearly two years now following on from the dominance of Andy Murray.His allegiances are wide-ranging given that his dad is from Glasgow and his mum is from Cardiff. Beyond this, he supports an Australian rugby league team, the New Zealand All Blacks and then Eddie Howe’s Magpies too.
Matty Healy
Sam Fender is probably the biggest solo artist of this generation to support Newcastle United whilst Matty Healy is probably the biggest member of a band of this generation to support them.The controversial frontman of The 1975 whose parents are TV stars Denise Welch and Tim Healy, he is never far from the headlines.Both Tim and Denise originally hail from the Newcastle area and so it doesn’t come as a massive surprise that the club they support has been passed down through the family to The 1975 star. As is the case with Sam Fender, the band have been on tour and as well as visiting The 02 and Finsbury Park, they also performed at St. James’ Park so it has been a big year for local talent.
Tony Blair
Making a swift transition into the world of politics and there are a few names of note in this field who support Newcastle.Matt Hancock and former Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva are two such names and a third is Tony Blair. He was Prime Minister of England from 1997 to 2007 and since childhood has been a follower of the Magpies.Hancock is more in the headlines at the moment than Tony Blair but the latter can still be occasionally spotted in the stands alongside other big names.
Cheryl
Another famous Geordie who follows their hometown club is the legendary singer Cheryl, who needs no introduction.She rose to fame as a member of Girls Aloud and has been a judge on The X Factor and The Greatest Days since she took a step back from her singing days.In the footballing world, some will know her better for when she was married to Chelsea and Arsenal fullback Ashley Cole but in her own right, she has performed at the ground and been there many, many times too.If you weren’t sure of Cheryl’s links to Newcastle United, the fans have sung songs with her name in over the years which very few people who aren’t players can boast.
Sting
There is clearly a strong link between famous musicians and Newcastle United with the final singer to feature on this list being the one and only Sting. Prior to launching his solo career, Sting, real name Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, was the frontman of The Police.Some of their best-known songs include ‘Every Breath You Take’, ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me’ and ‘Message In A Bottle’. The band’s success is there for all to see and Sting having 17 Grammy Awards to his name is no mean feat at all.Sting was born in Wallsend which is just a few miles away from Newcastle, making sense of his allyship. He has been spotted at games alongside a good friend of his, Jimmy Nail, who is also a musician as well as being a prominent actor as well.
Malala Yousafzai
The most shocking and surprising name to feature on this list is without a doubt, Malala Yousafzai.Malala is the world’s youngster ever Nobel Prize winner at just 17, having won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. She has become a major figure for social change in the last decade or so and is a major advocate for a number of causes, the most notable being against the Pakistani Taliban in her home country.Her husband Asser Malik tweeted the following last year, "I’ve proudly supported Newcastle United since childhood and have always been fascinated by its fan base. Thank you to the club for inviting me to experience this surreal atmosphere at St. James’ Park."This points towards her following of Newcastle coming from her partner and she is certainly one of the most famous faces to grace the St. James’ Park stands.
Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (Ant and Dec)
There isn’t anyone as synonymous with the club when it comes to non-footballing fans than the presenting duo of all presenting duos, Ant and Dec.Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly are television royalty having presented “Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway”, “I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!” and “Britain's Got Talent” to name just a few of their best-known shows.When watching Newcastle on the TV, the cameras regularly pan to this double-act in the stands and whereas previously they would be grimacing a lot, nowadays there is more reason to smile for both of them as well as the St. James’ Park faithful.Ant and Dec met as child actors and have since been inseparable both on and off of the screen, it is difficult to find one without the other!
Others
These are just 10, well 11 actually, famous Newcastle United fans. There are so many others who haven’t been mentioned here and so coming up next is just some of the honourable mentions.AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson, another musician in Mark Knopfler, TV presenter Matt Baker, singer James Bay, actor Robson Green, English cricket duo Steve Harmison and Graeme Swann, acting legend Brian Blessed and the hilarious Asim Chaudhry are just some of the other people in the public who don the black and white of Newcastle Un