Pools head coach Anthony Limbrick "very much" in favour of National League's 3UP campaign
Hartlepool United head coach Anthony Limbrick has said he is "very much" in favour of the National League's 3UP campaign.
The Australian has been on both sides of the divide throughout his career, having worked in the top four divisions for the likes of Southampton, West Ham, Grimsby and Peterborough as well as in the National League with Woking and Pools.
As part of Non-League Day last weekend, National League clubs came together to show their support for the initiative, with Pools and Boston posing with a banner prior to their game in a bid to force change. A recent survey conducted by the Football Supporters' Association found that a staggering 93 per cent of fans were in favour of the campaign. Remarkably, 77 per cent of fans of League Two sides - whose teams would face the additional jeopardy of a third relegation place - support calls for reform.
All 72 National League clubs have written to the Football League to demand the introduction of a third promotion place in the fifth division. Although there have been improvements - there was no automatic promotion from the National League until 1987, while a second promotion place wasn't introduced until 2003 - the competitive nature of the division means the calls for a third spot have become stronger and stronger.
A number of clubs that have won promotion from the National League have gone on to thrive in the Football League. Luton Town are perhaps the ultimate success story and managed to reach the Premier League within a decade, while Hollywood-backed Wrexham, who are currently second in League One, are pushing for a third successive promotion. Dave Challinor's Stockport are fifth in League One, while Notts County are sixth in League Two. Last season's two promoted teams have both acquitted themselves well at the level above. Chesterfield are 11th and still in with an outside chance of sneaking into the play-offs while Bromley, by no means a side with one of the biggest budgets or fanbases, are 12th. It is almost unheard of for a promoted side to go straight back down.
As Pools fans well know, there is little to no difference between the bottom end of League Two and the top end of the National League. Pools finished 17th in their first season following relegation from the Football League in 2017/18. After winning promotion in 2021 but suffering another relegation in 2023, Pools fared little better and finished an underwhelming 12th last term. While Forest Green Rovers, who invested heavily in their playing squad over the summer, are third, Sutton, the other side relegated last season, are 12th. There are 15 former Football League sides currently in the National League, while only eight of the last 19 teams relegated from League Two have won promotion back into the Football League.
There is, of course, a whole host of talent throughout non-league. The likes of Jamie Vardy, a Premier League winner, Max Kilman, who signed for West Ham for £40 million in the summer, England internationals Chris Smalling, Jordan Pickford, Jarrod Bowen, Kalvin Phillips and Callum Willson all cut their teeth in non-league. Dan Burn, who scored in Newcastle's win over Liverpool in the League Cup final and made his debut for England last week, was given his chance in the professional game by rivals Darlington.
For some, it is simply a matter of fairness - given the amount of competition in the National League, it seems about time the division is given a third promotion place - and for others it is about fostering the talent that exists in the National League and further developing English football.
Inevitably, not everyone is likely to be in favour of the proposals. Some sides in the Football League might have a hard time voting for something that increases their risk of relegation. As the argument goes, it's like asking turkeys to vote for Christmas. However, sides struggling in the League Two might also want to bear in mind that the change would work in their favour were they to lose their Football League status; rather than competing for two promotion spots, a task which can become almost impossible when the likes of Wrexham, Notts County, Stockport and Chesterfield, all big clubs with sizeable war chests, have battled it out towards the top end of the table in recent seasons. For some teams stagnating towards the bottom end of League Two survival seems to have become about being the third worst, doing the bare minimum to keep their heads above water. A change - be it a call to action or a kick up the backside - could benefit the long-term health of a number of those clubs, both on and off the pitch.
As the calls for another promotion place grow louder, fans of National League sides are becoming more and more optimistic although there are still concerns. Mark Ives, the National League's general manager, suggested that a funding dispute between the Football League and the Premier League could mean it takes years before a decision on the '3UP' campaign is reached.
"When you look at the quality of teams that are in this league and the size of some of the clubs, I think it makes sense," Limbrick said.
"A lot of teams that get relegated find it difficult to go back up. Not too long ago, you had Grimsby, Chesterfield, Wrexham, Notts County - big clubs. I think there's no doubt it makes sense.
"From our point of view, we would of course welcome that - I would of course welcome that. It would give us more chance to get ourselves up.
"With all those things going on, I go back to the same thing again - we're focusing on what we're doing because if we don't win the games, it doesn't matter how many go up.
"We would obviously be in favour of that, very much so."