Non-League club Hanwell Town are a far cry from the Newcastle United side experiencing a revolutionary transition following their Saudi-backed takeover. However, a unique connection exists between these two clubs.
Hanwell Town: Connection to the ‘World’s Richest Football Club’
Who Are Hanwell Town?
Hanwell Town resides from Hanwell, West London but are currently based at the Powerday Stadium in Perivale. However, the Isthmian South Central League side’s roots can be found in a Newcastle United context.
Founded in 1920 by a group of Newcastle fans who were working on the railways at the time, the Perivale-based side was formed and adopted the famous black and white of the Magpies.
The Geordies currently find themselves battling for promotion in the play-off places playing entertaining football as the side boasts the second-highest goal difference in the league.
A Relationship With the Richest Club in the World
Newcastle’s Saudi-backed takeover worth an eye-watering £300 million was met with much criticism and backlash – mainly from rival clubs in the Premier League.
However, Eddie Howe has orchestrated a dramatic resurgence following the departure of Steve Bruce lifting the spirits of the locals and fanbase as a whole. An active January transfer window saw the club recruit several signings, including highly-rated Brazilian Bruno Guimarães.
The sheer difference in the two sides in terms of size is emphasised even more by the status that Newcastle United have acquired following the takeover. However, the takeover didn’t stop Newcastle fans from getting to know a financially lesser club in Hanwell Town who share a unique commonality in their origins.
The London Geordies recently opened up their gates to Newcastle fans before they visited Brentford in a Premier League fixture catering for fans ahead of a huge 2-0 win at the Brentford Community Stadium.
I’ll leave you with this picture…our Chairman, Bob Fisher, who has been at the club over 50 years, welcoming and thanking #NUFC fans for coming. #NUFC fans have completely changed our club and we are SO grateful.
And 3 points for both sets of Geordies topped it off! 🖤🤍 pic.twitter.com/ZCptF06Mnb
— Hanwell Town (Toon) FC (@hanwelltownfc) February 26, 2022
In an exclusive interview with Last Word on Football, Hanwell Town’s CEO Nigel Hunt said: “We have this connection now with Newcastle United. It’s brilliant for the club and we need all the support we can get, especially at this level, so having the Newcastle fans down before the Brentford game was fantastic and they stayed for a couple of hours and spent a lot of money over the bar as they normally do.
“We get a lot of positive vibes from their fans, and they’ve really supported us over the last 6-9 months.”
Hanwell Town had Newcastle fans in attendance for drinks and opportunities to sell merchandise which fans of the Magpies were open to buying to show support for a club much lower down the English football pyramid.
Merchandise and Social Media Boom for Hanwell Town
The interactions between the fans of the Tyne and Wear club and Hanwell have only benefitted the latter further in boosting the non-league club’s merchandise sales as well as their following on social media.
Hanwell’s Twitter following has experienced a significant increase and this can be partly associated with the rising recognition and support the club is receiving from fans of the Toon Army.
After our recent influx in #NUFC followers, we’ve had a number of messages about how supporters can financially help the London Geordies.
Please find the details below,
One off – https://t.co/vdGbgpSclD
Recurring – https://t.co/6a4CGTlzlj
Up the Geordies 🖤🤍
⚠️Please RT⚠️ pic.twitter.com/S3P5Zd1kAT
— Hanwell Town (Toon) FC (@hanwelltownfc) February 7, 2022
Surrounding the increase in merchandise sales, Hunt added: “Our merchandise has gone up tenfold and it’s not only gone up to the North-East of England, but also all around the world as well. We’ve sent packages everywhere, so it has really gone viral.”
With the side well and truly contending for promotion this season, the future is looking bright for Hanwell Town and the growing exposure of the club with Geordie origins can only benefit them down the line.
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