History
In 2015, a Hartlepool United Ladies team was launched. [1] In their first season, they were crowned Durham FA Women's League 1 Champions and won promotion to the North East Regional Women's Football League Northern division, the sixth tier of women's football in England. [2] They also won the Durham FA League Cup, defeating Bishop Auckland 3–1 in the final. [3]
Hartlepool enjoyed an equally successful second season as the side reached the first round proper of the Women's FA Cup for the first time, narrowly losing to local rivals Middlesbrough 1–0. [4] They also made it back-to-back promotions, defeating Sheffield Wednesday 3–1 in the league's play-off promotion final. [5] Pools adapted to life in the fifth tier well and finished third in the 2017–18 season [6] and runners-up in the 2018–19 season. [7]
The team was twice denied the opportunity to gain promotion to the FA Women's National League in the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons. In the 2019–20 season, Hartlepool were in third position when the season was cancelled in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic and had the highest points-per-game record, having played fewer games than the teams above them. [8] However, a decision was made by the FA to have no promotion and relegation for tiers three to seven of women's football. [9]
In the 2020–21 season, despite leading the division before the season was cancelled and having the highest points-per-game in the division, [10] Hartlepool decided not to apply for promotion and third placed team Alnwick Town made a successful application to take the promotion spot. [11]
In the following season, Hartlepool were relegated from the Premier division having finished in tenth place. [12] While the team enjoyed good form in the FA Cup, reaching the first round for a second time where they were defeated by Leeds United, [13] the side won only four of their twenty league games. After finishing third in the 2022–23 season, Pools were granted promotion following a successful application. [14] Towards the end of the 2023–24 season, Matt Gatiss was named as the club's new manager. [15] Twelve days after Gatiss' appointment, the club were relegated on the final day of the season. [16] At the end of the 2023–24 season, it was announced that Hartlepool would no longer play home games at the Grayfields and would instead move to Metcalfe Park. [17]
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