“Growing up, there were moments when I genuinely feared for my safety because groups of people would intimidate and pursue me,” Shola Ameobi says. “On several occasions, I had to run from young men who targeted me simply because of my appearance.”
Ameobi is describing his childhood in Newcastle after arriving from Nigeria at the age of six in the late 1980s. He says such incidents occurred frequently. “It felt as though I needed to conceal who I was just to pursue the activity I loved. Travelling from one place to another became something I had to worry about. That was the reality around me, so I learned to pay close attention to my environment and my actions.”
One end of those journeys was often his family’s house, located only a short distance from Newcastle’s St James’ Park. The other was regularly the club’s former training facility in Benwell, where he attended academy sessions.
“Those experiences gave me tremendous resilience,” Ameobi says. “That strength supported me throughout my sporting career and shaped me personally. I came to understand that other people’s opinions mattered less than the worth I placed on myself.”
The frightened child who once had to run for safety went on to score 79 goals across 397 appearances for Newcastle, including seven against local opponents Sunderland. Some of the people who had chased him while he wore the club’s tracksuit may later have celebrated his goals.
Since July, Ameobi has served as Newcastle’s head of corporate affairs, following seven years as the club’s loans coordinator. He oversees strategic relationships outside the organisation, seeking outcomes that benefit both the football club and the wider region. His ambition is for the club to sit at the centre of city life by connecting meaningfully with civic institutions, sport and community initiatives.
His move into the position came after chief executive David Hopkinson completed a 100-day assessment. Following an initial conversation, Hopkinson suggested that Ameobi use the weekend to think about the opportunity. Although appreciative of the confidence shown in him, Ameobi wanted a clearer understanding of how the position would operate in practice. After six months of extensive discussions, he agreed to take it on.
For Ameobi, stepping into an executive post was not as dramatic a transition as it may have seemed. He began his former job during Mike Ashley’s ownership and says he created the department from the ground up. That experience taught him how to prepare business plans and assemble an effective team.
Ameobi has belonged to the Premier League’s advisory group for Black participants since its creation in 2019. Its achievements include introducing the No Room for Racism action plan in 2021 and launching a trial player-to-executive pathway in 2022. The programme aims to help people from underrepresented backgrounds enter senior management positions, and Ameobi was among its first group of seven participants.
“The programme provided me with a strong structure,” he says. “It offered a broad view of the different areas involved in executive leadership, including finance, branding, evolving workplace practices and organisational operations. More than anything, it increased my confidence by helping me recognise that many of the skills I was already using could transfer into that environment.”
“A major advantage was my experience of operating under intense pressure, something I had done for two decades. It taught me how valuable that background can be when circumstances become uncertain or plans begin to unravel.”
Finishing the programme renewed an ambition that had been developing within Ameobi for about 20 years. In November 2006, after living with a hip problem for several seasons, he underwent surgery that preserved his playing career. His spell away from football prompted him to seriously consider life beyond the pitch. With no guarantee that he would return at the same level, or even play again, he began asking how he could remain useful to his teammates and the club. That was when his thinking started to change.
“I knew football would not remain part of my life forever, so I had to work out who I was beyond being a player. During an extremely challenging period, I confronted some difficult personal questions and experienced some very bleak moments.”
Ameobi worked through that period with support from a psychologist and his family. “Leadership has interested me since I was young,” he says. “My father led a church, and no one has influenced my understanding of responsible leadership more than he has.”
He also identifies the late Sir Bobby Robson, who handed him his senior debut at 18, and Alan Pardew, his manager at Newcastle and Crystal Palace, as important figures in his football development. Robson continues to shape how he views both the sport and the individual behind the performance. Pardew, meanwhile, encouraged him to use his influence in the dressing room and across the squad to help address difficult situations facing the team.
Ameobi also has a master’s degree in strategic leadership. At an event honouring the supporters’ organisation The Black Geordie Club , his ability to connect naturally with people was clear. His warm and reassuring manner helped those around him feel comfortable.
Ameobi remains determined to use his influence to create positive social change. As a youngster, he watched Andy Cole play for Newcastle, while the memory of Tino Asprilla scoring three times against Barcelona in the 1997 Champions League still fills him with joy. “Everything seemed to pause in that moment. I remember challenging myself and thinking that I should be doing everything possible to reach that stage.”
“People need to believe they have a place and to see someone like themselves represented there. That visibility can provide vital motivation for anyone striving to achieve something exceptional, whatever their chosen field.”
“Those who reach influential positions should help others by sharing their knowledge and explaining what enabled them to progress. As a young Black person who advanced through every level of the club, from the academy and senior team to an executive position, I want people to understand that opportunities can be open to everyone.”
“I keep challenging myself because I want to succeed, but also because I hope to prove that determination can create possibilities regardless of a person’s appearance or background. My goal is to encourage and motivate the generation that follows.”
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