· 6 September 2025, 18:00
**David Hopkinson took over as Newcastle United's CEO from Darren Eales on Friday and gave an interview to the club media.**
Darren Eales was forced to step down as Newcastle's CEO for health reasons, and while it has taken a while to appoint his successor, the club feels they have the right man in place in the form of David Hopkinson.
The Canadian has been involved in various sports throughout his career, but this will be his most senior role yet as he becomes the man to guide Newcastle to global domination.
He spoke really well in his interview for [newcastleunited.com](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/video/854230), and while he said it's too early to divulge any plans, it does sound as though the man has some big ideas.
The new CEO in the famous black and white
David Hopkinson spoke very well in his first interview as CEO
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Hopkinson admitted that he has been working towards a role like this all his career and that he feels 'energised' now he's here.
> “This is a magical place, we’re at St. James’ Park, we’re on the pitch where legends have played.“We’ve got the stands here that have been filled with fans who are mad about this team, so there’s such an incredible starting place.“We’re starting from such a high place – but we’ve also got this moment of potential transformation as we get ready to play on the biggest stages imaginable, higher ambitions than maybe we have had at different points in the club’s history.“Being part of this moment is where I think there’s opportunity for even more magic.“I’ve spent my entire career trying to take on a role just like this, so it feels great.“I get energised about big opportunities – big, global opportunities – and I think that there’s an ambition that we are unlocking here at Newcastle to take an even bigger role on a global stage, in the global game.
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> “That’s energising. That’s exciting.”
How soon will Hopkinson reveal the long-awaited stadium plans?
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One of Hopkinson's first tasks is going to be to move things forward with regard to the stadium announcement, and again, while he was tight-lipped on that subject, he did hint that a decision needs to be made quickly.
Our hope is that this interview isn't the last time we hear from him. Darren Eales spoke really well when he first arrived, said all the right things and then faded into the background while unceremoniously booting out the two most popular board members.
It's the dawn of a new era on Tyneside. Let's see where it leads us.