A football team’s new owners have thanked supporters via an open letter in a regional daily which has praised the club’s fresh attitude to local media access.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, has reached out to fans of Newcastle United after succeeding in a takeover of the club.

HTFP reported on Friday how The Chronicle had welcomed the deal after campaigning for a change in ownership, but also pledged not to shy away from “uncomfortable questions” regarding Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.

Helen Dalby, audience and content director for Reach’s titles in the North East, also welcomed United’s new attitude to local media access after a number of battles involving journalists from The Chronicle and its sister titles in recent years.

The letter appeared in Saturday’s Chronicle

Speaking on Friday, Helen told HTFP: “Newcastle is a welcoming and friendly city and it’s incredibly heartening to have lines of communication opened between the new club regime and local media right from the start, and to hear pledges to listen and to talk to fans right away.”

The reign of previous owner Mike Ashley was punctuated by frequent media access rows, with journalists from the Chronicle and its sister titles The Journal and Sunday Sun barred from club press conferences and matches for more than a year between 2013 and 2014.

In his letter, published on Saturday, Mr Al-Rumayyan, who will serve as the club’s non-executive chairman, said: “Thank you to all the fans for the messages of support and encouragement that we have received as the new owners of Newcastle United FC.

“There has been a lot written about the investment we have made in the club and we know you are keen to know more from us about this important stage in your club’s history.”

He added: “As the new owners, we will listen to the community.

“Owning this club is not a responsibility we have taken on lightly and we will never lose sight of what it means to be part of Newcastle United.”

The Premier League says it received “legally binding assurances” that the Saudi state would not control the club, despite Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman being listed as the chair of the Public Investment Fund.

Earlier this year, a US intelligence report found it was likely the prince had approved the murder of exiled Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

Saudi Arabia rejected the report, calling it “negative, false and unacceptable”, and the prince himself has denied any role in the journalist’s killing, while five people were sentenced to death over what was described as a “rogue operation by a rendition squad”.