Newcastle Falcons: Premiership side to play Northampton at St James' Park
- Published
Newcastle Falcons are currently ninth in the Premiership
Newcastle Falcons will play this season's Premiership match against Northampton Saints at St James' Park.
The game at Newcastle's United's 52,000-capacity stadium takes place on Saturday, 24 March (17:30 GMT).
St James' Park staged three matches during the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup.
"The passion for sport in our region and the commitment from the public in supporting major sporting events is second to none," Falcons director of rugby Dean Richards said.
"It will be a memorable day which people will want to be part of," Richards added. "I was working at Harlequins when they began a similar initiative of playing a game at Twickenham every season, and they really are great occasions."
The match will be preceded by a fixture between Newcastle University and Northumbria University.
St James' Park has also hosted three Super League Magic Weekends and will be the venue for the 2019 European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals.
"As a kid from this area I was brought up watching Newcastle United games at St James' Park and experiencing the amazing atmosphere there," Falcons captain Will Welch added.
"For us as Falcons players to now go play a game on that stage will be something truly special, and I'm sure our supporters and the wider public in our region will buy into it."