David Hopkinson, the former chief operating officer at Madison Square Garden Sports Corp., has been hired as the CEO of Premier League soccer club Newcastle United.
The executive replaces Darren Eales, who announced last year he would step down after being diagnosed with a form of chronic blood cancer.
Hopkinson brings European soccer experience through a two-year stint as the global head of partnerships for Real Madrid. Before that, he worked with MLS’ Toronto FC in his position as chief commercial officer at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.
He arrives at Newcastle with the club seemingly on the upswing, even accounting for a difficult start to the 2025-26 campaign.
Since the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s takeover in 2021, Newcastle has increased its transfer spending and subsequently improved on the pitch. The Magpies are in the Champions League—Europe’s top continental competition—for the second time in the past three seasons. That’s a significant rise from prior ownership’s 14-year tenure, when the organization had more relegations (two) than European tournament qualifications (one).
During the 2025 summer transfer window, Newcastle ownership green-lighted more than $150 million in transfer spending, including a deal for attacker Anthony Elanga worth about $72 million based on current exchange rates. The Magpies are hopeful those signings can offset the deadline day exit of forward Alexander Isak to Liverpool.
Newcastle is worth $930 million and is the No. 22 most valuable soccer club in the world, per Sportico’s most recent valuations. Among the 20 Premier League teams, Newcastle trails only West Ham, Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Hopkinson will be responsible for helping translate Newcastle’s performance-driven gains into revenue opportunities at St. James’ Park, which has been the subject of renovation considerations.
Ahead of his appointment, the Magpies made global preseason trips to Singapore and South Korea in a bid to widen their Asian fan base and unlock commercial spending there.