Darren Eales verdict is ‘brilliant’ – As Newcastle United CEO and others meet NUFC fans | OneFootball

Darren Eales did a remarkable job at Atlanta United.

As President of the MLS club he helped them achieve success both on and off the pitch.

Then this summer he was headhunted by Newcastle United.

The club’s new owners, after a long process, headhunting Darren Eales for the key role of CEO at St James’ Park.

Ahead of starting the job in August, Darren Eales declaring:

“Newcastle United is both a giant of a club, and the heartbeat of its community. Every time I have visited St. James’ Park, I’ve been overwhelmed by the passion of the fans.

“This is a club with an amazingly rich heritage, and I am delighted to be joining for this new chapter in its long history.

“I am grateful for the opportunity, and look forward to working with the rest of the team to help this storied club fulfil its potential.”

These past four months have seen ever increasing progress on and off the pitch, with this current Saudi Arabia trip simply the latest stepping stone to the club becoming ever more successful.

As part of the new look Newcastle United, leaving the Mike Ashley days well behind, Wednesday brought about a meeting in Saudi Arabia, where Eddie Howe, Jamaal Lascelles, Jacob Murphy and Sean Longstaff joined Amanda Staveley, Jamie Reuben, CEO Darren Eales, Shola Ameobi and first team coach Simon Weatherstone at a special fan engagement event in Riyadh.

Newcastle United official review of the club’s fan engagement event during this week’s visit to Saudi Arabia:

Newcastle United has held a special supporter engagement event in Riyadh as part of the club’s winter tour in the Saudi Arabian capital.

Fans from several cities in the Middle East, along with a number of supporters who flew in for this Thursday’s match with Asian champions Al Hilal, were joined at the event by a range of club representatives.

After an introduction from Amanda Staveley, CEO Darren Eales took questions in front of around 90 supporters before club legend Shola Ameobi chatted about his playing days and current role as the club’s loan player manager.

That was followed by a supporter feedback opportunity around the room, before head coach Eddie Howe and first team coach Simon Weatherstone dropped in fresh from training alongside captain Jamaal Lascelles and teammates Sean Longstaff and Jacob Murphy.

The event in central Riyadh, which was also attended by co-owner Jamie Reuben, gave supporters the opportunity to take part in question-and-answer sessions on a host of football topics, along with an informal quiz and discussions on what it means to be a fan of the club living overseas.

The event will help Newcastle United’s work on its revised plans for fan engagement which will be published next year, highlighting a commitment to further strengthen relationships with fans in the UK and overseas.

(Our thanks to Tony Mallabar for sending over this photo of some of the Newcastle United fans who were at Wednesday’s event)

Commenting at the event in Riyadh, Newcastle United CEO Darren Eales, said:

“This event was brilliant for everybody involved.

“Our supporters, many of whom live thousands of miles away from us in Newcastle, yet still follow us passionately every week, have been able to spend time with Eddie Howe and the players and this means so much to everybody.

“For Eddie and the team to receive a warm welcome and incredible support wherever they play is what makes this club so special.

“We have a fantastic fanbase throughout the world and to be able to thank our supporters, take the time to listen to their ideas and strengthen our relationships with fans overseas so something that we are all incredibly excited about.”