Too kind Gary. Thanks though.
The go-to document for getting a handle on the deep history of the game in Newcastle is Phil Mosely's thesis, A SOCIAL HISTORY OF SOCCER IN NEW SOUTH WALES 1880–1957
This is the first para in the 2nd chapter on the Newcastle district.
Here's a couple of very early references to football in Newastle from the digital newspaper archive in Trove in the National Library
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/108007687
This is from all places the Melbourne Argus in 1887:
This is from 1888 when Victoria defeated the combined Northern district "3 points to 1"!
This is from 1888
Trove is a marvellous resource for anyone wanting to research the game's history. If you are interested get in and have a look around. But be careful as it's addictive!
If anyone wants more suggestions just ask.
Cheers