· 11 September 2025, 14:30
**Newcastle United announced the arrival of their new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) last week as David Hopkinson officially joined the club to take over from Darren Eales, who has stepped down for health reasons.**
While the club media released a Q&A with the new CEO, which gave fans a good insight into the type of man who is running the club, David Hopkinson has taken it upon himself to address the fans more personally via an open letter.
Hopefully, this is the start of a new era of communication between the top of the club and the fans.
When Darren Eales came in, he spoke about the importance of communicating with the fans and getting the supporters' opinions on club matters, and given his background, having created Atlanta United from nothing to a well-supported MLS side, taking fans' opinions on board, we had no reason to doubt him.
> [](https://twitter.com/NUFC/status/1966049478823293077)
David Hopkinson has penned an open letter to fans
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Unfortunately, that communication dropped off pretty rapidly, especially following the departure of Amanda Staveley. Obviously, later on, Eales had health problems to deal with, so he does have an excuse there, but now that we have a new CEO, he's getting things off to a good start with this letter:
> To all Newcastle United fans,As I settle into my new role, I wanted to take a moment to extend a heartfelt thanks for the warm welcome I have received.Since arriving last week, I have had so many conversations with people inside and outside the club. I’ve gained invaluable insights, and I’m looking forward to connecting and engaging with more of you in the weeks and months to come.I’m also looking forward to getting out into the community in the coming weeks to meet more of you and understand what makes this region so special.My first impression is this is one united family, on and off the pitch. It is the people who make this football club so special and it is a privilege for me and my family to now be a part of it.I’m also truly excited about the future that lies ahead of us. My aim is to build on the tremendous work that preceded me with a renewed sense of alignment for everyone, helping us to grow and win together.While I have seen, heard and felt your pride and passion at close hand in recent days, I strongly suspect it will be nothing compared to what I will experience at St. James’ Park in the coming days.I can’t wait to be with you for my first game as CEO on Saturday and to be alongside you for the phenomenal journey ahead of us. The best is yet to come.
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> David
The letter suggests that not everyone was pulling in the right direction
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We can't help but wonder what exactly he meant by 'My aim is to build on the tremendous work that preceded me with a renewed sense of alignment for everyone". That suggests to us that there's division in the camp that he needs to iron out.
Hopefully, that's something he can do pretty quickly, because if not, everybody is pulling in the right direction, how can they ever get things done?
David Hopkinson will be in the stands on Saturday, so let's show him exactly what makes the Toon Army so special!