Will Welch: Newcastle Falcons flanker to retire after 15 years at club
- Published
Will Welch led Newcastle to the Championship title in his first season as captain in 2012-13
Long-serving Newcastle Falcons flanker Will Welch has announced he will retire at the end of the Premiership season.
The 33-year-old homegrown player made his first-team Falcons debut in 2008, at the age of 18.
Welch has been troubled by an ankle injury this season, which will stop him adding to his 275 club appearances.
That tally means he will be tied with Tom May in second on the list of the club's all-time appearance makers, with Micky Ward holding the record on 287.
Welch "It's meant the world to me for me to play for the team I used to come and watch when I was a kid.
"From being in the Falcons academy, signing professionally as a teenager and going on to spend my whole career here - the whole thing has just been a dream."
He said the injury problem has been a key factor in his decision: "I've had an ankle issue for the past couple of seasons which has been niggling me every week, and I just needed to get it sorted.
"It's a six-month recovery which unfortunately takes me past the end of this season, but on the positive side it will fix it for life after rugby. I'll at least be able to run around with my kids, and I'm retiring on my own terms."
Welch became the Falcons' youngest ever club captain in 2012, at the age of 22, staying in the role for seven seasons before handing it over in 2019.
Newcastle say he will be given a testimonial year to celebrate his service to the club.
Falcons chairman Semore Kurdi said: "Will retires as a true Newcastle Falcons great, and it has been an absolute privilege to have him with us for well over a decade.
"He is somebody who always put the team before individual gain, he gave absolutely everything on the field and the work he did behind the scenes as club captain was outstanding."