In the early 1990s, Dan McFarland was a semi-regular presence on the Kingston Park terraces while studying classics at Newcastle University. He met his wife Danielle in the city. More than two decades on, he is back. And in many ways, the home of Newcastle’s rugby side looks the same in 2026. The reality, though, is that everything has changed, with McFarland now the man heading up the team’s Red Bull revolution.‘I didn’t shower myself in glory as a student, but I certainly made the most of it,’ Newcastle’s new head coach tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘I had three brilliant years here. I’d stand for matches at the bottom of the terrace. I don’t really remember any specific games. There’s probably a good reason… but we don’t need to go into that!’ No longer pint in hand as a student spectator, McFarland has a serious job on his hands with Newcastle, who are going into their second season under the ownership of billionaire energy drinks giants Red Bull. With that comes expectation. Red Bull are not a company that settles for mediocrity, as McFarland and his players have found out. Red Bull’s training base in Salzburg, Austria, isn’t a normal venue for a pre-season camp for a PREM Rugby side, but that’s exactly where Newcastle spent a week earlier this month. There, McFarland’s squad – which contains a mammoth 26 new players for the start of the 2026-27 campaign – were treated to the full Red Bull experience. It included carrying one of the organisation’s iconic Formula 1 cars across a field as part of their fitness training. ‘Having a worldwide company owning a rugby club in Europe is extremely unusual,’ says Newcastle’s new head coach Dan McFarland. ‘They’re breaking new ground’ The Newcastle squad headed to Red Bull’s futuristic global HQ in Salzburg earlier this month for their pre-season camp Their innovative fitness drills included carrying a Red Bull F1 car across the pitch They also trained and worked alongside other Red Bull-sponsored superstars in surfer Andrew Cotton, mountain biker Danny MacAskill, fitness athlete Harry Lightfoot and HYROX star Jake Dearden. Newcastle’s rugby outfit is now seen as a key part of the Red Bull brand, alongside the organisation’s raft of other sporting teams and superstars. It seems to have already rubbed off on the squad. ‘Red Bull is an extremely unique brand,’ says Newcastle’s New Zealand flanker Tom Christie. ‘So, for us, as Red Bull athletes, to be part of their family was an incredible experience.’Full-back Josh Hodge adds: ‘When you start to step into the Red Bull world, it’s a real eye-opener. When Red Bull has got involved with any other sports, they’ve made the most exciting teams or exciting individuals in the world. That’s what we’re trying to do too. We want to be the most exciting rugby team in the world.’Red Bull are certainly not a brand that settles for sporting mediocrity, so their significant financial investment into Newcastle brings with it an expectation of improvement. Last season, the club finished bottom of the PREM table – with just two wins from 18 games – for the fourth straight season, a year after Red Bull’s takeover saved Newcastle from falling out of existence. Now, after McFarland’s appointment, a complete squad overhaul and significant work undertaken behind the scenes, there is hope of a turnaround in fortunes. The scale of Newcastle’s overhaul means it is unlikely, though not impossible, that the club will go from bottom to top immediately. But what the club has to be is more competitive. That’s what Red Bull demand. It’s what English club rugby’s top division needs too if it is to retain its lure. ‘I genuinely don’t know what is achievable, so I’m not going to put any limits on that,’ McFarland says. ‘We’re owned by an energy drink company, so our game has to be high energy. ‘We’ve got to play with intensity and we’re preparing to do that. We want to bring a brand of rugby people want to watch. Red Bull are famous for wanting to push boundaries. It’s not fluff. That’s what they want to do. They’re brave. Having a worldwide company owning a rugby club in Europe is extremely unusual. They’re breaking new ground. I was certainly attracted by that.’ This time last year, former coach Steve Diamond took Newcastle on a camping trip to the Lake District. Salzburg, where the club’s hotel was decked out with a Red Bull DJ, F1 simulator and table tennis table – alongside the state-of-the-art training facilities – represented quite the upgrade. Josh Hodge (left) and Tom Christie of Newcastle Red Bulls. ‘For us, as Red Bull athletes, to be part of their family was an incredible experience,’ Hodge tells Daily Mail Sport Newcastle’s players enjoy some downtime in Austria on their pre-season tour But it wasn’t all fun and games, as South African back Werner Kok would attest Red Bull’s fingerprints are now all over Newcastle. Their impact has not been subtle. A near £1million investment into a new playing pitch was the start and, in the years to come, there are plans for a new training centre on the Kingston Park site. Neil McIlroy is a key figure as general manager, while former Scotland analyst, Gavin Vaughan, is in as head of recruitment. Vaughan and new head of performance, Tom Clough, are both playing vital roles. Newcastle won’t spend to the PREM’s salary cap of £6.4million this term, but will do so in the coming years as they look to attract world-class talent.The Red Bull training camp has already made players at other clubs across the globe envious. Vaughan’s phone is red-hot with interest. England coach Steve Borthwick has visited Newcastle during pre-season to get a feel of the environment. ‘We are a start-up club, so there is a process that comes with that,’ says McFarland, who has also coached with Connacht, Glasgow, Scotland, Ulster and Kobe Steelers. Everybody at Red Bull understand they’re not in it for the short haul. This is a project that’s going over years. My job is to try and get it off the ground.’ Red Bull’s impact on Newcastle has been significant in all aspects. Off the field, their backing means staff now have free lunches alongside the players and their pensions have been boosted. A raft of new employees have been hired, video and social media managers arriving via Red Bull’s marketing programme. A video of two Newcastle players doing a kicking challenge in Austria was shared by Red Bull’s main Instagram account and soon racked up millions of hits.There are plans for Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad – the F1 drivers for Red Bull’s second team Racing Bulls – to wear Newcastle shirts on the grid of an upcoming Grand Prix. Newcastle’s players will also soon be on the front cover of Red Bull’s global magazine. It all forms part of the brand’s awareness piece. The message is clear. Be bold. Be brash. Be successful. There has also been an attempt, however, by the club to stay close to its community despite it being purchased by a global brand. Newcastle’s squad is split into four mini teams in a nod to the area’s history, each named after its proud association with the coal mining, farming, ship-making and fishing industries. ‘We’re representing Red Bull and we take that seriously,’ says Christie, who has thrown himself into his new life as an adopted Geordie with trips to watch Newcastle United at St James’ Park. ‘The people are mad for the football team here. We’ve got some amazing fans who have stuck with us when it’s been tough. We’re not going to shy away from that. Now we’re in a position to play an exciting brand of rugby, reward our fans and hopefully bring in new ones.’ ‘We are a start-up club, so there is a process that comes with that,’ says McFarland Newcastle’s players take in some of Red Bull’s other projects on a tour at the HQScrum-half Raffi Quirke and Kiwi flanker Hoskins Sotutu are Newcastle’s two big arrivals, though the latter is currently nursing a knee injury. McFarland faces a tough task in blending in so many new players so quickly. But Newcastle are not just planning a quick fix. John Fletcher’s role in bringing through young players will be crucial to their hopes for long-term success and in 17-year-old Scotland No 10 Jake Dalziel, the club has one of British rugby’s premier talents. Don’t be surprised if Dalziel soon becomes a PREM regular despite his tender years, even if McFarland rightly plans to manage the teenager sensibly. Red Bull’s investment is no guarantee of success for Newcastle, but the club now has pockets deep enough to challenge the best and in McFarland, a coach who has a connection to the city.Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend is an ongoing Red Bull consultant, too. Time will tell if Newcastle’s huge turnaround can yield results in the campaign to come. But one thing is for sure – Red Bull’s patience is unlikely to last long if they don’t.‘This is a club that has been linked to glory,’ McFarland concludes. ‘It’s also a club that’s packed with resilience, toughness and grit – all things that make rugby a very special sport. That was a big attraction for me in coming back to Newcastle.’