North East ready for kickoff as Rugby League World Cup arrives

Matches will be played in Newcastle, York and Middlesbrough as part of the Rugby League World Cup. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

The North East is ready as the biggest event in the global Rugby League calendar arrives.

Newcastle will play host to the first game and opening ceremony of the Rugby League World Cup 2021 as the tournament kicks off on Saturday 15 October.

Host nation England will take on Samoa in the curtain raiser, hoping they can go one better than the last tournament in 2017 when they were beaten in a close-fought men's final against Australia.

A fanzone has been set up on the Quayside featuring live entertainment, food, drink and a zip line.

A fanzone has been set up on Newcastle's Quayside. Credit: ITV News

Postponed from 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the long-awaited event could provide an economic boost for hospitality businesses.

The Grey Street Hotel in central Newcastle has been fully booked for the opening weekend for around six months.

Sales Director Rosie-May Edge says: "It's nice to have tourists here and give them a Geordie welcome. We are busy on a weekend anyway - we get a lot of out-of-towners, a lot of stags and hens, but these big events do bring us a lot of business so we are thankful for them.

"Coming back after Covid, it's been hard, especially with an independent restaurant and bar. For all of our sites, seeing the city busy is best for everyone."

Michael Hill is the Landlord at The Strawberry. The pub sits in the shadow of St James' Park where the month-long festival of rugby will officially get underway. He expects it to be a busy weekend.

"It's absolutely fantastic," he says. "Great for the region, great for Newcastle and fantastic that it's come here."

"I think everybody wants to be so close to the stadium. We're absolutely spoiled in the North East with having a stadium actually in the city centre, which is something not many places have so it's the freedom of an entire city to go wherever you want to go."

As well as St James' Park, the tournament will also showcase other venues across the region, with matches being played at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium, York's LNER Community Stadium and the home of Newcastle Thunder at Kingston Park.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...