Newport RFC

What Newport RFC does

Newport RFC is a semi-professional rugby union football club based in Newport, Wales, founded in 1874 as one of the eleven founder members of the Welsh Rugby Union in 1881. The club competes in the Super Rygbi Cymru (Welsh Premiership), a 16-club league, and fields teams in the Welsh Cup and SRC Cup. It plays home matches at Rodney Parade, a historic ground it occupied for 140 years until shareholders voted to sell the stadium to the WRU in 2017, after which the club operates as a tenant. The club is known as "The Black and Ambers" and holds 11 Welsh Championships; recent competitive results include 2025-26 Cup winners, Shield holders, and league play-off semi-finalists.

The club's product portfolio centers on match-day experiences at Rodney Parade (tickets, hospitality, and conference/banqueting), a multi-tier membership program (Adult £140, Concession £100, Vice President £250, Former Players £50, Under 16 free), and a tiered sponsorship product suite sold to local businesses (kit from £2,500, pitchside £1,000/banner, match ball £200, match £600, player £300, programme and website advertising). Pricing is published publicly and distributed via Future Ticketing's online platform, at the gate, through the club website, and via a Commercial Director (Kevin Jarvis) for B2B sponsorship. The club operates a small Bullion Draw lottery through the Friends of Newport Rugby Trust and a merchandise shop.

The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer for match tickets and memberships, and direct B2B sales for sponsorship and hospitality. The club has no proprietary technology, no disclosed funding, no parent company, and operates with 11-50 employees from a small office at Waterside Court, Newport. Its digital footprint is a WordPress website and standard social media presence on Facebook and Twitter/X. Revenue is generated from six core streams: match-day tickets, membership subscriptions, sponsorship/advertising, hospitality, lottery (Bullion Draw), and merchandise, with the commercial sponsor network anchored by Robert Price (Builders' Merchants) as the primary club sponsor.

Name

Newport RFC

Legal name

Newport RFC

Website

https://blackandambers.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1874

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Newport RFC is a semi-professional Welsh rugby union club founded in 1874, competing in the Super Rygbi Cymru Premiership at Rodney Parade in Newport, Wales, generating revenue from match tickets, memberships, sponsorship, hospitality, and a supporter lottery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Rugby Club

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Rugby (Union & League) Leagues (MPAKAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE)

Keywords

• Rugby union club
• Matchday hospitality
• Club membership
• Rugby sponsorship
• Sports event tickets

Headquarters

HQ city

Newport

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Match Day Tickets: The club sells match day tickets to spectators attending home games at Rodney Parade. Pricing varies by category: Adult £14, Concession £10, Under 16 free. Tickets are distributed via Future Ticketing's online platform and at the gate.
2. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership packages sold to supporters, providing access to home matches, priority booking, and member benefits. Membership tiers include Adult (£140), Concession (£100), Vice President (£250), Former Players (£50), and Under 16 (free).
3. Sponsorship and Advertising: Corporate sponsorship and advertising packages sold to local businesses, including kit sponsorship (from £2,500), pitchside advertising (£1,000 per banner), match ball sponsorship (£200), match sponsorship (£600), match programme advertising (from £125), and website advertising (from £500). Kit sponsorship packages include access to purchase Wales international tickets.
4. Hospitality: Match day hospitality packages at Rodney Parade, including private hospitality rooms for 10 guests, complimentary drinks, cold buffet or hot meal with players, and match programmes. Prices start at £600 per match.
5. Friends of Newport Rugby Bullion Draw: A weekly lottery draw operated by the Friends of Newport Rugby Trust, with a prize pot of up to £10,000. Tickets sold at local pubs (Red Lion, Handpost) and on match days. Monthly winners receive cash prizes (£300, £75, £25).
6. Merchandise: The club operates a shop selling official club merchandise including replica shirts and accessories. Online sales facilitated through the club website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Newport RFC is a semi-professional rugby union club in Newport, Wales, founded in 1874, that competes in the Welsh Premiership (marketed as Super Rygbi Cymru). The club sells match tickets, annual club memberships, hospitality packages, multi-tier sponsorship assets (match, match ball, player, kit), pitchside and programme advertising, and conference/banqueting venue hire, with a Bullion Draw lottery as a supplementary fundraising product.

Product overview

Newport RFC is a semi-professional rugby union club competing in the Welsh Premiership (Super Rygbi Cymru). The club operates its website at blackandambers.co.uk as a WordPress-based digital platform. The club's primary products and services consist of match day experiences at Rodney Parade, including match tickets and hospitality packages, alongside various commercial sponsorship and advertising opportunities such as match ball sponsorship, player sponsorship, kit sponsorship, pitchside advertising, and website advertising. Additional revenue streams include conference and banqueting facilities, club memberships, and the FoNR Bullion Draw lottery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Match Tickets
• Club Membership
• Hospitality Packages
• Match Ball Sponsorship
• Match Sponsorship
• Player Sponsorship
• Playing Kit Sponsorship
• Pitchside Advertising
• Match Day Programme Advertising
• Website Advertising
• Conference and Banqueting Facilities
• Bullion Draw (Lottery)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,200 players have represented Newport RFC since 1874, including more than 200 internationals and 29 British Lions.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Robert Price (Builders' Merchants) LtdcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRobert Price is the official sponsor of Newport RFC. The builder's merchant based in Abergavenny (NP7 5PF) provides financial support and branding visibility as the primary club sponsor. Their logo appears on official sponsor sections of the website.
• Friends of Newport Rugby TrustcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Friends of Newport Rugby Trust (fonr.co.uk) is a supporter trust committed to strengthening supporter involvement in club governance and community links. It operates the Bullion Draw lottery and easyfundraising programme, representing a key community partnership.
• Future TicketingcoreTechnology or IntegrationFuture Ticketing provides cloud-based ticketing software for Newport RFC's online match ticket sales. Tickets are supplied via their platform at futureticketing.ie.
• RJ Mason Storage & WarehousingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRJ Mason Storage & Warehousing is listed as a partner of Newport RFC. Located in Gwent (NP20 5NJ), contact 01633 666222. Provides financial support as a club partner.
• MII Engineering LtdminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMII Engineering Ltd is listed as a partner. Based at Unit 20, Pant Glas Industrial Estate, Bedwas, Caerphilly CF83 8DR, contact 02920 857800. Provides financial support as a club partner.
• Newport BusminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNewport Bus is listed as a partner of Newport RFC. Located at 160 Corporation Road, NP19 0WF. Contact 01633 670563. Provides financial support and may offer transport services for away travel.
• Griffiths & JamesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGriffiths & James is listed as a partner. Based at 6 New Street, Pontnewydd, Cwmbran NP44 1EE. Contact 01633 877900. Provides financial support as a club partner.
• Rougemont SchoolminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRougemont School is listed as a partner. Based at Llantarnam Hall, Malpas Road, Newport NP20 6QB. Contact 01633 820800. Provides financial support as a club partner.
• Cabin CwtchminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCabin Cwtch is listed as a partner. Located at Langstone, NP18 2JN. Contact 01633 383011. A local café business providing financial support as a club partner.
• The Red Lion PubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Red Lion pub on Stow Hill in Newport serves as a venue for the weekly Bullion Draw lottery and ticket sales point for the Friends of Newport Rugby Trust. Partnership supports the club's fundraising activities.
• easyfundraisingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEasyfundraising is a partner that enables supporters to raise free donations for Newport RFC every time they shop online. No extra cost to supporters, managed through the Friends of Newport Rugby Trust.
• A1 SkipsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerA1 Skips is listed as a sponsor of Newport RFC. Sponsor logo appears on the club website. Based at a1skips.com.
• Fitzgerald PlantminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFitzgerald Plant is listed as a sponsor of Newport RFC. Sponsor logo appears on the club website. Based at fitzgeraldplant.co.uk.
• Pepe'sminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPepe's is listed as a sponsor of Newport RFC. Sponsor logo appears on the club website. Based at pepes.co.uk.
• NewportLiveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNewportLive is listed as a sponsor of Newport RFC. NewportLive is the leisure trust operating facilities at Newport's International Sports Village, which includes Newport Stadium. Sponsor logo appears on the club website.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Newport Gwent Dragons / Dragons RFC: Professional Welsh region now fully owned by the WRU that historically merged with Newport and still plays home games at Rodney Parade. Tangentially a peer but at a substantially larger commercial scale.
• Llanelli RFC / Scarlets: Historic Welsh rugby institution now operating as one of the four professional Welsh regions. Comparable for heritage and fan base, but operates at a vastly larger commercial scale via URC participation, central contracts, and regional sponsorship.
• Connacht Rugby: Irish provincial rugby team operating from a non-traditional rugby region (similar to Newport's underdog positioning in Welsh rugby). Comparable for provincial-community brand building and SME sponsor base in a tier-one professional league.

Direct peers

• Moseley RFC: Historic English rugby club operating at a comparable semi-professional tier in the RFU Championship, with similar community-membership model and reliance on local sponsorship. Strong analogue for UK semi-pro club economics.
• Pontypridd RFC: Welsh Premiership club with comparable semi-professional structure, community-driven sponsorship model, and historic rivalry with Newport. Operates a similar membership and hospitality revenue mix within the same league.
• Bridgend Ravens: South Wales semi-professional rugby club in the same league tier with comparable community-driven sponsorship model and Welsh Premiership match-day economics.
• Doncaster Knights: English semi-professional rugby club in the RFU Championship with comparable revenue model (tickets, memberships, local sponsorships, hospitality). Useful comparable for benchmarking UK second-tier rugby economics.
• Swansea RFC: Historic Welsh rugby club competing in the semi-professional tier with similar heritage, community identity, and reliance on local sponsorship. Direct comparable for Welsh Premiership semi-professional operations.
• Cardiff RFC: Historic Welsh rugby union club also competing in the Welsh Premiership, sharing Newport's amateur-era heritage and semi-professional status post-regionalisation. Cardiff RFC is the most direct comparable in terms of membership model, sponsorship structure, and on-pitch rivalry.
• Ebbw Vale RFC: Former merger partner with Newport (Gwent Dragons 2003) now back as an independent semi-professional club. Closely comparable tier, geography (Gwent), and historical commercial trajectory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NewportRFC
• Facebookfacebook.com/newportrfc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/newport-rfc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Newport RFC