Freddie Lockwood agrees new deal with Falcons
The 21-year-old academy graduate made his Gallagher Premiership debut at Harlequins last month, and has since been a regular for a Falcons side who have won three of their last four games.
The North Yorkshire native attended Barnard Castle School, representing England at Under-19s level before making his Falcons first-team debut last season in the EPCR Challenge Cup win at French side, Castres.
Delighted to have agreed his new deal to remain at Kingston Park, he said: “I’ve got the rest of this season, then another two, and I’m just excited about getting stuck in.
“I really enjoy it here at the Falcons, I’ve had a decent amount of game time lately and I want to push on and play a bit more for the first team over the next couple of years.”
Waiting patiently for his opportunity before grasping it with both hands, Lockwood said: “I’ve had to bide my time with a few injuries and I’ve been out on dual-reg at Darlington Mowden Park and Blaydon, which has been good, and it was always a case of taking my chance when it came.
“It’s also great to be doing it at a time when a lot of the academy boys are pushing through together and starting to get a few more senior appearances. The club have been pretty open about choosing to go down that path, and as someone who’s been involved in the system there’s definitely a lot of talent within the local area.
“I’ve loved the involvements I’ve had with the first team over the last month or two, and the support from the crowd. I play a pretty direct game, which I think they like, and it’s just a case of keeping on learning and improving.
“As well as the academy coaches who have been fantastic in helping me all the way through the system, in recent months I’ve had a lot of help from the likes of Will Welch, with playing the same position. Those sorts of guys are really helpful in learning your roles and picking up little tricks of the trade, as well as obviously the input we get from the coaches every day in training.”
Newcastle Falcons director of rugby Dean Richards said: “Freddie is another great example of someone who has come through our academy, been in a good environment and learned the ropes before taking his opportunity on the first-team stage.
“He has stood up really well during the past couple of months, putting in some big performances, and it’s great to have him with us for another couple of years.
“In many ways Freddie typifies what we’re about as a club, backing our local talent, and I look forward to seeing his continued improvement as part of our senior squad.”
Newcastle Falcons season ticket memberships for 2022-23 are already on sale by [**clicking here**][1].
[1]: https://www.eticketing.co.uk/newcastle-falcons/EDP/Season/Index/1702?returnUrl=/newcastle-falcons/Seasons/Seasons
