Lee Clark confirms Hartlepool United will compete in the National League Cup - and here is why
Hartlepool United WILL play in the National League Cup during the 2026/27 season.
Lee Clark has confirmed Hartlepool United will play in the National League Cup during the new season - and revealed he will use the competition as an opportunity to make the most of the club’s new Under-21s team.
Pools opted against playing the competition last season as they - and a number of their rivals across non-league football’s top tier - rejected invitations to face Under-21 sides from EFL and Premier League clubs. The likes of Carlisle United, Southend United and opening day opponents Barrow have all confirmed they will not participate in this season’s National League Cup - with the latter citing "travel and operational costs" as the key drivers behind their decision.
However, with the introduction of a new Under-21s team and the appointment of a full-time loans manager, Clark has stressed he sees the competition as a big opportunity to work with Pools’ new crop of young talent and look to help them ‘put building blocks in place’ for what they will hope will be a successful career.
He told BBC Tees Sport: “Obviously, the club weren’t in it last season and they had their reasons, but with the change around in the academy structure this year, with an Under-21 team coming into the club and a full-time loans manager, we felt this was necessary. It’s the next step for those young lads to get big-game experience, playing at the stadium and in front of supporters. It’s also an opportunity for our fans to see the next generation and local lads representing the club. I’m big on giving young players opportunities, so we felt it would defeat the objective of putting those building blocks in place if we didn’t take up this opportunity.
“The league, the FA Cup and the FA Trophy are competitions we’ll go into with our strongest possible team to try and win every game,” he said. This tournament is about helping develop our academy system. Of course, we want the young players to be successful in it, but its main purpose is their development.”
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‘Hugely beneficial’
However, the new Pools head coach stressed he will use the competition to hand valuable game-time to the club’s young players to ensure they are given an opportunity to force their way into his senior ranks on a more consistent basis.
“I want to be really open and honest with the fans whenever I can,” he explained. “We’ll be using this competition for young players to gain experience, but I still hope the fans will come along and support them because they’re the next generation. We’ve had a big turnover of players this summer, but you can’t keep doing that every year. You want a solid squad with a strong core, and if you’ve got academy players coming through who can help the first team, that’s hugely beneficial. It means you’re not constantly having to recruit.”
As it stands, Pools will kickstart their National League Cup campaign on Wednesday, August 15 and will face one fixture in the competition during each month until the group phase comes to a close on Wednesday, November 4.
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