The "two biggest games in European club rugby" could be coming to Newcastle in '18 after the city lodged its bid for the European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals, according to Scott Wilson of THE NORTHERN ECHO. If the bid is successful, the Champions Cup final in May '18 will be staged at League Championship side Newcastle United’s St. James’ Park, with the Challenge Cup final taking place at Kingston Park, the home of Premiership rugby club Newcastle Falcons. Newcastle would also stage the Challenge Cup Qualifying Competition final, "with the weekend as a whole representing the biggest two-day event in European club rugby" and potentially generating more than an estimated €20M ($21.6M) for the regional economy. The bid is a partnership between Newcastle City Council, NewcastleGateshead Initiative, Newcastle United Football Club and Newcastle Rugby Ltd., and "has been submitted with the support of the Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby Limited" (THE NORTHERN ECHO, 12/5). The BBC reported the next stage of the bidding process "sees a shortlist of candidate cities" drawn up by Dec. 16, followed by venue visits and a selection process that will run through March. St. James' Park, with a capacity in excess of 52,000, staged int'l matches in the 2015 Rugby World Cup "as well as playing host to rugby league's Magic Weekend for the past two seasons." Edinburgh is hosting both European finals in '17, with the Champions Cup final at Murrayfield on May 13, a day after the Challenge Cup final (BBC, 12/5).
