The Sport Newcastle story is a fascinating tale spanning seven decades.

In the early days, it was a very different organisation and few could have predicted it would become one of the major players in North East sport by the turn of the century.

The big change of direction came after 10 years when the Gala Dinner was first held. The funds raised gave the Sports Council the chance to hand out grants to young athletes and encourage the best of grassroots sport.

Much of this new impetus was due to the appointment of the late Malcolm Dix, who took over as chairman in 1977.

For the next 40 years, Malcolm filled just about every role in the organisation, including Secretary and President.

His lifetime commitment to local sport helped hundreds of young people along the path to sporting success.

Malcolm also took charge of the Gala Dinner — introducing not just an annual Sports Personality award but also the Wilkinson Sword and Frank Brennan Trophy, which marked outstanding contributions.

The achievements of many of the region's earliest sporting stars were acknowledged with the Wilkinson Sword presented to World Cup winner Jack Charlton, the twin pillars of Newcastle United's FA Cup triumph Joe Harvey and Bob Moncur plus Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist Brendan Foster.

The most emotive presentation of the Wilkinson Sword was to Jackie Milburn by His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1987. Wor Jackie died soon after.

At the start of the new millennium, the organisation was rebranded as Sport Newcastle to reflect its modern role and renewed ambition.

Tyneside lives and breathes football so it is perhaps unsurprising that, on a staggering 15 occasions, a Newcastle United player or coach has won our Sports Personality award.

The breadth of winners from the club has been huge, but perhaps the most romantic of them was the very first NUFC winner.

In 1979 forward Alan Shoulder — the pitman who rose through the ranks after playing for Blyth Spartans — picked up the award for his on-field successes. 

He was followed by a whole host of famous Magpies with Eddie Howe the most recent winner from the club.

United’s current boss followed two-time winners Peter Beardsley, Paul Gascoigne and Alan Shearer.

In fact, Shearer is not only United's all-time record goalscorer but he remains a patron of Sport Newcastle.

Kevin Keegan, meanwhile, has won the award on a record three occasions — twice as a player and once as a manager.

And it's not just the Sports Personality award that NUFC have picked up over the years. Sir John Hall and Sir Bobby Robson — the club's two most famous Knights — both received the Wilkinson Sword, as did former manager Jack Charlton.

Throughout Sport Newcastle's five decades, Rugby Union has changed dramatically. Not only did the game become professional during the 1990s but the Newcastle Falcons also helped produce the most famous player in the world.

Jonny Wilkinson, first recognised by Sport Newcastle as a Rising Star, not only won the Premiership title with the Newcastle Falcons but also kicked the winning drop goal during the 2003 World Cup final.

He was named our Sports Personality in both 2002 and 2004. And a man key to Wilkinson’s success, his mentor Steve Black, collected the award alongside the ex-England fly-half in 2015 as they walked away as joint winners.

Rob Andrew not only led the Falcons into the professional era but also delivered the 1997-98 Premiership title and established the Kingston Park outfit as a top flight club. 

Andrew also won the Sports Personality award, as did ex-Director of Rugby Dean Richards. 

Before professionalism arrived, Sport Newcastle also recognised amateur Rugby Union success.

The late Gosforth and England prop Colin White, who led his club to two famous Twickenham Cup final victories, collected the award during the 1970s.

Former RFU presidents Danie Serfontein and Richard Appleby have also been recognised for their contribution to grassroots sport.

In 2023 Sarah Hunter MBE was presented with the Wilkinson Sword — the North Shields star recognised for revolutionising women’s Rugby Union.

If there is one sport which Newcastle has excelled at over the past few decades, it's basketball.

Since 2005, the Newcastle Eagles have collected an astonishing 27 trophies making the Vertu Motors Arena outfit the most successful sports side during sport Newcastle's 50 year history.

Fabulous Flournoy MBA may have been born in New York City — and is now a fixture on the Philadelphia 76ers coaching staff in the NBA — but he is most definitely an adopted Geordie.

As a player and then head coach Flournoy played a key role in leading the Eagles to BBL dominance and twice collected our Sports Personality award.

In 2016, the Eagles were recognised for their quadruple winning 2014-15 Clean Sweep campaign as ‘Prince’ Charles Smith collected the Sports Personality award and managing director Paul Blake the Wilkinson Sword.

The club also received The Frank Brennan trophy as they dominated the awards night.

In 2021 ‘Mr 27’ Darius Defoe picked up the rebranded Sporting Achievement award — now our top honour at the Gala Dinner.

And the following year head coach Marc Steutel won the Stan Calvert award after leading the Great Britain national team to a string of impressive wins over crack European opposition.

When Elswick Harriers’ Mike McLeod won the first Newcastle Sports Personality award in 1978, it began a lifelong association with Sport Newcastle.

The Elswick Express won the award on two further occasions reflecting a career that brought an Olympic silver medal at 10,000m and victory in the inaugural Great North Run.

Mike is still a Vice President of Sport Newcastle, while his son, England international athlete Ryan received support from the charity as an emerging star.

World champion 1,500m runner Steve Cram may have represented Jarrow and supported Sunderland but the 1986 Sports Personality was living in the City of Newcastle when he smashed world records and won Olympic silver.

Triple jumper Jonathan Edwards was an adopted Geordie who was the first Olympic gold medallist the city could honour when he won his second Sports Personality title in 2001. 

Newcastle has become a worldwide focal point for athletics thanks to the annual showcase of the Great North Run and organisers Nova International were rewarded with the Frank Brennan trophy which has also saluted the work of legendary physio, Norman Anderson, and a string of coaches.

Newcastle still haven't got a 50m pool but the lack of world class facilities hasn't stopped swimmers making a splash on the international stage.

Former Newcastle University medical student Kevin Boyd was the 1989 Sports Personality after the freestyler won silver and bronze at the Commonwealth Games.

In the late 90s Susan Rolph picked up the city's top award two years running as she won double Commonwealth Games gold plus World and European titles.

A decade later 2008 Sports Personality Chris Cook repeated the Commonwealth double in the breaststroke sprints. 

Both Rolph and Cook were products of the phenomenal success achieved by City of Newcastle swimming coach Ian Oliver, who received the Wilkinson Sword the same year as Cook. Sport Newcastle has regularly granted aid to the club's top talents.

Sport Newcastle has always looked beyond the city boundaries to embrace and support sporting achievement from across the North East.

Boxer Glenn McCrory became a local legend when he won the IPF world cruiserweight crown in 1989 — the first North East fighter to win a world title.

Glenn's continued involvement with sport beyond his native County Durham earned him a unique treble of all three of Sport Newcastle's major awards and he's still one of our most consistent supporters.

The North East is a hotbed of local rivalry, yet the amazing rise of Durham County Cricket Club has unified the region in admiration and support.

England internationals Steve Harmison and Paul Collingwood have won individual awards, while the club itself has won the Frank Brennan trophy four times as the silverware regularly headed to the Riverside.

Former chairman Don Robson and inspirational coach Jeff Cook were also honoured. 

The old Durham Wasps ice hockey team dominated their sport in the 1980s and early 1990s and their 1992 award saluted their second British and Premier League double in a row.

Since Sport Newcastle gained charitable status, its stated brief has been further extended into the region — in time to recognise South Tyneside teacher Katie McLean, who led England women's Rugby Union team to 2014 World Cup glory.

Football may be the first love in Newcastle but the sporting life of the city has impressive breadth.

Gosforth’s Vera Selby was the first ever Women's World Snooker champion in 1976 and was our Sports Personality when she regained her world crown in 1981.

Jenny Lee Smith was another early trailblazer for women's sport, this time on the golf course. Our 1982 Sports Personality won the first Ladies British Open as an amateur, before turning professional and twice triumphing on the Ladies European Tour.

Few sportsmen showed more Geordie grit than British featherweight champion boxer John Davison. The 1992 sports personality was a genuine character — a late arrival to his sport, who won two international belts and was a real force of nature in the ring. 

Three times Paralympic champion Stephen Miller has been a standard bearer for the enormous progress in disability sport. 

His 2007 Sports Personality award was unique as it was presented jointly alongside his mother and coach Ros.

Both have continued to provide expert advice on disability sport to Sport Newcastle.

The Frank Brennan trophy has also recognised success in: ice skating with six-time British champion Joanne Conway (1986); judo with Olympic and double World Champion Diane Bell (1987); showjumping with the Olympic silver medallist Karen Straker; and speedway with Newcastle Diamonds who were Premier League winners in 2001.