Behind every big achievement is a big effort from everyone involved and the Eagles’ record-breaking women’s game dubbed The Big One last week is prime example of just that.

A historic night with over 1,120 fans in attendance to a WBBL home game for the first time was made possible thanks in part to the hard work of Gateshead College students who were an integral part of operations on the night.

From promotions and venue set-up to managing VIP arrivals and running the on-court entertainment and competitions the students took leading roles in many aspects of the game night helping them gain valuable experience towards their BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diplomas in Business.

Nadine Hudspeth, from Gateshead College said: “Our students learnt so much from this project and really enjoyed the experience. They’ve been able to get hands-on event management experience in a real work environment with all the additional challenges and pressures that brings and did themselves proud. The feedback about how they conducted themselves was brilliant.

“We’re lucky to have the support of businesses like the Eagles who work with us to give students meaningful experiences outside of the classroom and this really helps them to develop the skills they’ll need in work and life above and beyond their qualification.”

Dan Black, Newcastle Eagles Sales and Communications Manager, added: “We want to say a massive thank you to all the students for their brilliant work and to everyone at Gateshead College for their continued support.

“The Big One was an event for the history books and the effort everyone put in was nothing short of fantastic. To break the record in this way was an absolute triumph and something the students can be proud of.”

The on-court result wasn’t what everyone hoped for, but the success of the event most certainly was and with thanks to the Gateshead College students who took a quick break before the end of the night to get a photo with the team.