FC Hartlepool in bid to claim town's first Northern League spot in decades

FC Hartlepool recently welcomed Northern League representatives to undertake a ground grading inspection after working hard through an intensive period of facility upgrades at their Grayfields home – a site also used for Hartlepool United Women’s home fixtures.

The introduction of a new 63-seater stand and tarmac pathway providing hard standing around the perimeter of the pitch are among the big changes to have taken place in order to seek the green light from Northern League chiefs.

And a place in the semi-professional Northern League is on the cards if FC Hartlepool can finish off an impressive season with promotion to Step 6 in the football pyramid system.

FC Hartlepool Chair, Salaam Shaheen has spoken of the ‘meticulous’ planning involved following the decision to apply for promotion earlier this season and how Northern League representatives were impressed by the work done to meet regulations.

“Northern League representatives came to assess the facility to see if it meets the standards required. The feedback was exceptionally positive and they were really impressed with the work done in a short period of time,” explained Shaheen.

“When we decided in November to apply for promotion and the operative obligations that comes with that, we knew we would be exposed financially, but the collective was there from everyone: Do it.

"Meticulous, detailed financial plans were designed and implemented and we are confident in the viability of what we have set in place."

FC Hartlepool completed the work in just a few months having had an advisory visit earlier in the season.

The club has also secured a pre-approved grant from the Premier League Stadia Fund, provided promotion is achieved, that will ensure six floodlights at a cost of around £70,000 will be installed by September.

Planning applications for this and several other site upgrades have already been approved by Hartlepool Borough Council, who have been really supportive of the FC project to date.

Hart Construction, Grab and Go skips, The Breedon Group, New Road Surfacing, Planning House consultant Helen Heward, Jonathan Loughrey of architects ASP associates and Todds Highway Maintenance have all played a significant role in the facility upgrades.

Without their respective efforts, diligence and commitment to help their local and wider communities prosper, FC Hartlepool could not have ensured Grayfields would meet the promotion criteria in the tight timescales that are imposed by the governing bodies.

Having worked so hard in a short space of time to get the ground ready if a Northern League spot can be achieved, FC Hartlepool are looking for one final push from the players and greater support from fans.

FC are in a three-way battle for promotion with Gateshead Leam Rangers and Darlington Town. Terry Hill’s men are due to face Darlington on Wednesday, April 26 at Grayfields following the visit of Durham Corinthians on Saturday, April 22.

The Hartlepool side finish the league season with a third and final home game against South Moor on Saturday, April 29 before two cup finals against Gateshead on Monday, May 8 and Darlington (date to be confirmed).

Club Vice-Chair Jon Gould has suggested the decision to implement the changes at such financial cost shows how much they back the staff to achieve promotion.

“As a club we felt we would be letting everyone down if we didn’t have things in place if we did achieve promotion. As administrators we wanted to back the coaches and the players,” said Gould.

“We were not intending to do it this year, but we felt we would kick ourselves if we finished top and didn’t do the work.”

The club’s other trustees Terry Hill, Mark Loynes, Chris Birkbeck, Paul Hackwell and the committee have all worked tirelessly and they would love the town’s huge football community to buy into it now ahead of the promotion run-in.

Club secretary Chris Murray said: “It is a really good position to be in. We want the fans here supporting us. We have had 500 people here for a match with Pools Youth, showing that grassroots football is thriving in our area.

“Lots of Hartlepool people go out of town to play Northern League football. The town has never had the platform to accommodate those talented players - and now it is about getting the points over the final games to provide just that.

“We have had this site for 18 months and the transformation, so far, has been unbelievable. It’s exciting and we are way ahead of schedule.

“Now we have a Northern League-ready facility, we want as many people as possible to back the players for the final games. If we go up, we have even bigger plans, this is a fantastic time for FC and for Hartlepool.”

Other than West Hartlepool more than a century ago playing in the Northern League, there was West Hartlepool St Joseph's in 1919-20, finishing fourth bottom in their only season before joining the Palatine League. They played at Caledonian Road.

Hartlepool Town had a short-lived membership in 1994-95. They were initially refused membership at the AGM but appealed to the FA and were allowed to ground share at Ferryhill Athletic.

Hartlepool United Reserves (1982-83 - 1986-87) also had three seasons in the inaugural second division and two in the first before quitting, playing at Victoria Park.