Gateshead Senators

American Football team based in the United Kingdom.

|  |  Gateshead Senators |

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Year formed  | Pre 1985 as Newcastle Browns, moved to Gateshead in 1988
Team colours  | White, green and orange
Home Field  | Monkton Stadium, Jarrow, South Tyneside
Conference alignment  | National Division (North Conference)
Head coach  | Gary Marshall
BritBowl Championships (0)

Divisional Championships (3)
1999, 2006, 2013[1]
Playoff Appearances (9)
1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2023, 2024

Gateshead Senators are a British American football Team based in South Tyneside at Monkton Stadium.

## Origins

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The Senators started life in the 1980s as the Newcastle Senators, rising out of the ashes of the aptly named Newcastle Browns, and playing at Northern Rugby Club in Newcastle. The club had two very successful seasons winning the Division 1 title with a 10–0 record and gained promotion to the National Division for the following season.

The Senators gained new players when the area's only other team, the Trojans, folded. In the National Division the team had a 4–6 record and gained the respect of many of the country's top sides.

In 1988, the Senators moved across the Tyne to Gateshead International Stadium. With this move the club also changed its name to the Gateshead International Senators, cementing the links with the stadium and giving them the nickname the GIs.

New players came from around the region, including many from the Tyneside Tigers, who were experiencing difficulties. In 1995, the end of the Stockton Gators led to further influx of new and experienced players, ready for the 1996 campaign.

## The club today

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Senators in action v Staffordshire surge, 25 June 2006

The team has players from Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Washington, Darlington, Teesside and Durham, making the Senators a truly North East team.

The most successful year for the team was 1999, going all the way and winning the Division 1 title.

In 2000, 2001 and 2002, the Senators again reached the playoffs, but could not go all the way again. The team moved to Division 2 for 2003 because of player retirements and the need to rebuild but this sparked a rebirth, and the team went 10–0 in 2003 and reached the semi-final. The Senators were promptly returned to Division 1 and remain one of the UK's top clubs, and always a serious contender, reaching the playoffs in every subsequent season until 2007 and now after league reorganisation, remain in the top flight, playing in the Premier Division. Despite their poor record in 2007, the club retained its place in the Premier Division for 2008.

The team opted to compete in the National Division in 2013, and advanced all the way to the Britbowl National Final, losing out to the Colchester Gladiators at John Charles Stadium, Leeds. It was a successful season however, as Gateshead twice defeated local rivals the DC Presidents in the regular season, as well as the Merseyside Nighthawks and Chester Romans in the play-offs on their way to the National Final. The Senators will once again compete in the Premier Division for the 2014 season.

## Historic results

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2013 National Division (North) 8–1–1*
2007 BAFL Premier 3–6–1
2006 BAFL Division 1 North 8–2*
2005 BAFL Division 1 North 8–2*
2004 BAFL Division 1 North 6–2–1*
2003 BAFL Division 2 North 10–0*
2002 BAFL Division 1 North 5–5*
2001 BAFL Division 1 North 5–3*
2000 BAFL Division 1 North 5–3*

*made playoffs

## Youth team

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Senators' Youth Kitted Squad

The Senators offer a full youth programme, including fully kitted football catering for age groups 13 to 19. The Youth team have won two Northern Conference titles (2007 & 2008) they have gone on to represent the north of Britain vs the London warriors at Doncaster keepmoat stadium.

In 2011, the Youth team managed to get to the Final of the Brit Bowl, but were beaten by the London Blitz in Crystal Palace.

The Senators are providing a training scheme for flag football and there are training sessions at monkton Stadium and schools within the local area.

The Youth kitted team plays in the BAFA (British American Football Association) Youth League.

Flag football is a fast-growing, non-contact variant of American football, long popular in the US, and gaining in popularity in the UK. It means that young people can learn all about the game in safety.

## See also

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* British American Football Association National Leagues

## References

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1. ^ "Senators take title in top style". Chronicle Live. 25 August 2006. Retrieved 3 July 2013.

## External links

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* Official website
* British American Football Association National League Official Site

* v
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American football in the United Kingdom

* British American Football Association
* List of American football teams in the United Kingdom
* GB Lions

* BAFA National Leagues
* BritBowl
* Boston Trophy
* British Universities American Football League

BAFANL Premier League|

| Premier Division North|

* East Kilbride Pirates
* Edinburgh Wolves
* Leicester Panthers
* Manchester Titans
* Merseyside Nighthawks
* Tamworth Phoenix

|

Premier Division South|

* Bristol Aztecs
* Cambridgeshire Cats
* Kent Exiles
* London Blitz
* London Warriors
* Solent Thrashers

BAFANL Division 1|

| NFC 1 Scotland|

* Aberdeen Roughnecks
* Clyde Valley Blackhawks
* Dunfermline Kings
* Glasgow Tigers
* Inverclyde Goliaths
* Highland Stags

|

NFC 1 Central|

* Darlington Steam
* Halton Spartans
* Lancashire Wolverines
* Northumberland Vikings
* Scunthorpe Alphas
* Yorkshire Rams

NFC 1 South|

* Birmingham Bulls
* Chester Romans
* Northants Knights
* Nottingham Caesars
* Sandwell Steelers
* Sheffield Giants

SFC West 1|

* Bournemouth Bobcats
* Bristol Apache
* Hertfordshire Cheetahs
* Oxford Saints
* Rushmoor Knights
* South Wales Warriors

SFC East 1|

* Essex Spartans
* London Blitz B
* London Hornets
* London Olympians
* Norwich Devils
* Wembley Stallions

BAFANL Division 2|

| NFC 2 West|

* Crewe Railroaders
* Leigh Miners
* Lincolnshire Bombers
* Shropshire Revolution
* Staffordshire Surge

|

NFC 2 East|

* DC Presidents
* Doncaster Mustangs
* Gateshead Senators
* Humber Warhawks
* Wakefield District Raiders

SFC 2 West|

* Cornwall Monarchs
* Portsmouth Dreadnoughts
* Somerset Wyverns
* Torbay Trojans

SFC 2 Central|

* Berkshire Renegades
* Hereford Stampede
* Ouse Valley Eagles
* Swindon Storm

SFC 2 East|

* Colchester Gladiators
* East Essex Sabres
* East Kent Mavericks
* Ipswich Cardinals
* Sussex Thunder

Associate Teams|

* Cumbria Wildcats
* Rossendale Raiders
* South East Squadron
* South Lincolnshire Lightning
* Yorkshire Bobcats
* Worcestershire Black Knights

Exhibition Teams|

* Sealand Seahawks
* The Thundering Herd

Defunct/Inactive Teams|

* Bedfordshire Blue Raiders
* Bournemouth Raiders
* Bristol Packers
* Carlisle Border Reivers
* Crawley Raiders
* Coventry Jets
* Dundee Hurricanes
* Gloucester Centurions
* Hull Hornets
* Maidstone Pumas
* Manchester Spartans
* Morecambe Bay Storm
* Peterborough Saxons
* Plymouth Admirals
* Redditch Arrows
* Southern Sundevils
* West Coast Trojans
* Wolverhampton Outlaws
* Wrekin Giants

* British American Football Referees' Association
* British American Football League

National Football League in the UK
NFL International Series
American Bowl
London Monarchs
Scottish Claymores
Potential London NFL franchise

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BAFL seasons

Modern era (1987–present)|

* 2007
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