Toon CEO confirms progress on ‘transparent ticketing’ – so what needs to happen next?

Newcastle United chief executive David Hopkinson in the stands at St James’ Park.

Newcastle United chief executive David Hopkinson has confirmed that progress is being made towards more transparency over the sale of tickets.

The club’s Supporters Trust has released a statement confirming that they are working with the Magpies to find a solution.

It comes after the Tyneside outfit cancelled 103 season tickets before the 2-1 defeat to Barcelona, when it was discovered that tickets were being sold via third-party sellers.

Following further investigation into unauthorised re-selling of tickets for matches at St. James’ Park, we have now cancelled a total of 103 season tickets in recent days for breaching terms and conditions.

Read more here ⤵️

— Newcastle United (@NUFC) September 15, 2025

Via a statement by the Supporters Trust, Hopkinson said: “I’ve really valued the conversations I’ve had with Lisa Mole from the Newcastle United Supporters Trust.

“As CEO, it’s been incredibly important for me to understand the deep connection between this club and its supporters, and Lisa has been instrumental in helping me appreciate the vital role the Trust plays in representing our fan community.

“These discussions have given me genuine insight into what Newcastle United means to so many people, and they’ve been built on a foundation of mutual trust and openness.

“I’m committed to ensuring that supporter voices remain at the heart of everything we do as we move forward together, and I believe that trust between the club and our fans is essential to our success.”

Newcastle’s ticketing issues have been an issue for several seasons now, since the Saudi Arabian takeover in October 2021.

The main problems stem from the introduction of ballots for members’ sales, which allow successful supporters to guarantee their seats for individual games.

A great idea in theory, but one which many fans feel has been executed badly.

Previously, memberships were limited in number, to allow supporters a fair opportunity to secure their tickets.

However, in 2023, it was announced that memberships were unlimited, which meant the ballots became over-subscribed.

The change also allowed bot accounts to clear up the remaining seats in the members’ sales, which began to appear on third-party seller sites.

In light of ongoing ticketing issues, NUST now feels the need to publicly ask #NUFC for full ticketing data transparency in our open letter to the club that you can read here: pic.twitter.com/kCmoNDDECE

— Newcastle United Supporters Trust (@nufctrust) September 22, 2025

Now that the CEO’s statement on ticket transparency is public, what else do Newcastle fans want to see change?

Shopworker Callum Jackson, 22, from Blyth, said: “The system is terrible. Access to tickets, especially this season, has been extremely hard, and the ballots don’t offer much of a chance either.

“In my opinion, the whole system needs a reboot, with a fairer system in place, such as loyalty points, like other clubs in the Premier League do.”

Planning assistant Leah Reed-Evans, 22, from North Shields, said: “It’s a really nice statement and I’m glad that the new CEO seems to be on board with the fans’ opinions.

“I think the fans make Newcastle the club that it is, so it’s important to me that we have a CEO that cares, but we’ll wait and see if anything comes out of it. 

“As for improving the ticketing site, usability would be a good start. The website is relatively smooth to use, but it’s hard to navigate, and I couldn’t find anywhere to view your tickets. If they’re looking to be more transparent, they could start there.

“When buying tickets, it kicks you out sometimes with refreshing or site glitches. It would be good if they could address that issue.”

By comparison, for example, Liverpool continuously provide supporters with clarity over ticketing, while having a credit system in place for top category games against the ‘big six’ and Everton, while Arsenal also make their ticket information public.