Dear Poolies,

When I became custodian of Hartlepool United in January, I pledged to communicate regularly with supporters – as and when there was meaningful information available for updates. There is plenty to update on across the club at this point, but I want to begin with the football.

Our start to the season has not been good enough. Before the opening game, I wrote with genuine optimism about the summer’s work. We invested in the squad, improved facilities and strengthened the football department. We believed we had put ourselves in a stronger position to compete, however, results and performances have not transpired, and I understand supporter frustrations – they come from a place of caring deeply and wanting our club to progress. I share those, and rest assured we are working tirelessly to rectify matters.

Following Lee Clark’s resignation, I travelled to Hartlepool personally to take a direct role in the process to appoint a successor. I am delighted with Pete Wild’s appointment as Head Coach. Pete knows the National League, has experience building competitive teams and understands the standards required. I believe he is the right person to lead us forward.

Pete, Dave Conlon and the wider football department have my full backing. We have already supported the manager with new signings, and that will continue. Investment is not the sole answer for performances, and we need to become harder to beat, more consistent and start winning games. I have full faith that Pete is the man to lead that.

You have continued to travel, turn up and stand behind Pools through a difficult period. That loyalty cannot be taken for granted, and I see and hear first-hand the impact it has on our players and staff. We need to allow Pete and his staff some time to work with the squad and to turn a corner. Now more than ever, they need your proactive support come matchdays, so do help in doing that.

Improving our position in the table is the immediate priority, but we must also continue to build a club and football operation that can serve Pools for years to come. There has been a huge amount of work going on behind the scenes over the past 6-9 months, and we will shortly begin recruiting a full-time Head of Football Operations / Director of Football.

The position will report directly to the Board and me, to provide permanent leadership and oversight across the football department with continuity in our football decisions. It will ensure our football staff and players have the structure and support they need to succeed day-in and day-out. Bromby & Partners will move from their current hands-on involvement to a strategic role supporting that transition.

Our Academy is also an important part of our football future. There are now nearly 150 young players in our system, which has grown significantly and is already a real success story.

We are further strengthening Academy staffing in line with that growth and preparing for future EFL Academy requirements. I want young players to see a genuine pathway towards our first team, as well as providing them with wholistic support including education and employment opportunities. There are some significant plans in process with the Academy that Alex Cross, our Academy Manager, is leading.

The club has a responsibility to the town beyond matchdays. Our Community Foundation, following its rebrand, continues to thrive in its work with schools and local communities. Keith Nobbs, Vicki Burton and their colleagues deserve real credit for what they are achieving. Their work reflects the positive role Hartlepool United should play in the lives of people across the town and region.

We are strengthening how the club operates. An updated working Board is being finalised, alongside committees and panels that feed into the Board, covering key commercial, facility, supporter engagement and football activities and decisions.

There will be further announcements on these in the coming weeks and months, and they will bring greater expertise and resources into our governance and processes, in order to support ambitious plans medium-to long-term.

I want people with strong connections to Hartlepool to play a greater role in shaping the club’s future. There is considerable business experience, knowledge and commitment in this town, and I am looking forward to bringing more of that into Pools.

Specifically, our new Commercial & Projects Committee will help strengthen business relationships, support a number of capital projects and develop key commercial partnerships that generate investment in the club.

Rose Stoker has stepped up in leading our commercial and operations team, and the team has been expanded with three new roles to support commercial growth, including a Head of Media, Head of Partnerships and Commercial Executive.

Supporters have responded well to our kit and retail launches with record sales, and I was personally delighted with the recent Camerons-sponsored retro third shirt. Work is also progressing on a new website and app to transform how you connect with Pools.

We are progressing opportunities to raise the club’s profile further afield. Our presence at Fanatics Fest in New York introduced Pools to new audiences, while a newly formed team in the US is helping us build relationships and explore possibilities. It is still early days, but I believe these connections and audiences will be significant longer term.

I know none of this makes disappointing results easier to accept. Nor should it. Football must remain at the heart of how we judge our progress.

However, our ambition is not simply to return Hartlepool United to the English Football League, but to build a club capable of thriving there, supported by sound decisions, responsible investment and stronger foundations. In that context, I wanted to share with you some of the work coming to fruition off-field.

Since my first visit, I have been struck by how deeply Pools matters to this town. For generations of families, the club has been a constant. I respect that connection and the responsibility that comes with looking after it.

I believe in Pete, in the people working across Pools and in what we can achieve together. There is still much to do, but I believe firmly that it will come in time and with patience.

As supporters, you have shown extraordinary commitment to this club over the years, and I share your determination to see Hartlepool United succeed. We have made important progress and accelerated plans in recent months, but there is more work ahead. My focus remains on building a stronger, more successful Pools that you can be proud of.

Up the Pools.

Landon Smith
Owner & Chairman
Hartlepool United Football Club