Inside story of UEFA’s other Newcastle United-themed side - & their Conference League journey

If you’re a Newcastle United fan, clued up about the smaller leagues of European football or just so happen to have visited Gibraltar, then you’ll know all about Bruno’s Magpies.

I, on the other hand, was dumbfounded but amused when I spotted their name on the Europa Conference League qualifying rounds list.

Wearing black and white stripes and named after United for ten years, the link between the clubs only recently grew stronger with the Toon’s own addition of a Bruno. “It’s mad really. What we’re hoping for one day is for Bruno Guimaraes to buy us and then he can have his own team named after him already,” jokes Louis Perry.

Founder and chairman, Louis has also been a player, the director of football and kitman for Bruno’s Magpies. 9-5 he’s an estate agent too.

“It’s been a long 10 years,” Louis laughs.

The Magpies were set up with a particular goal in mind. After moving over from the south of England in 2012, Louis just wanted to play football, something which turned out to be much harder than it ought to have been.

The Gibraltar National League didn’t used to be a serious league, “It was a pub league, really, until Gibraltar joined UEFA- then things got a little more serious,” says Louis.

Even though it wasn’t an overly-competitive league, no local team would let him play.

Despite being a forward, when Louis’ first chance at a trial came around he decided to say he was a left-back- because that’s what the team needed: “I got a trial with a team who hadn’t won a game for two years and I scored two goals. At the end of it I went up to the manager feeling like Messi and thinking I’m going to get my contract, but they basically said ‘unfortunately the assistant manager is a left-back and we probably don’t want to p*** him off.’

“That was it, I couldn’t do it.”

So he decided to set up his own team. After going to the Gibraltar Football Association and realising he needed £500 to set up a first team and another 500 for a reserve team he went to his nan, who owned a bar on the strip called Bruno’s. She also agreed to sponsor the team.

“Next I went to my good friend Mick Embleton, who’s from Newcastle, because I needed an ‘adult’ and he had some coaching abilities,” laughs Louis.

He asked Mick to be the manager and he said yes on one condition: the team be called ‘The Magpies’ and wear black and white stripes.

“He forced my hand a little bit,” he admits. Louis is a lifelong Portsmouth supporter.

Bruno’s Magpies evolved from there, but their recruitment drive proved to be challenging.

“At the start we didn’t know how to get players, so I would just go to the bar with Mick and go up to anyone that looked relatively in shape and asked if they played football,” says Louis. “We were doing trials on the beach because there are only two pitches.

“It was done so aesthetically, all we could do is look at people and go ‘yeah, he looks alright.’”

Four Geordies ended up making it into that first team, but Louis jokes this may be because Mick was picking and was hoping for some homegrown talent.

And it’s a link that seems to persevere even a decade later.

“Geordies being Geordies, whenever they come over to Gib they end up finding out about the Magpies,” says Louis. “20 guys came to watch once when they were on a stag do before they went out drinking. It’s a different level, you are built differently.”

Now, there’s a cause to back and support too. After being promoted to the first division in 2019, the Magpies finished third in the 21/22 season and third again in 22/33. They also won the league’s coveted Rock Cup last season.

Third place means Bruno’s Magpies have qualified for the preliminary rounds of the Europa Conference League for the second year in a row. Narrowly missing out on the second round last year, last week they drew 0-0 with Irish side Dundalk. The second leg is taking place tonight.

Looking back on the ten years, Louis adds: “It’s been a long old slog but it’s been really enjoyable and we’ve had lots of fun doing it.”