{"id":46206,"date":"2025-08-05T21:08:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T21:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/46206\/"},"modified":"2025-08-05T21:08:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T21:08:09","slug":"hartlepool-chair-calls-on-clubs-to-ban-jeff-stelling-from-boardrooms-as-row-escalates-hartlepool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/46206\/","title":{"rendered":"Hartlepool chair calls on clubs to ban Jeff Stelling from boardrooms as row escalates | Hartlepool"},"content":{"rendered":"

The broadcaster Jeff Stelling\u2019s dispute with Hartlepool<\/a> United has escalated, with the chair, Raj Singh, writing to the other National League clubs asking them to ban the former Sky Sports presenter from their boardrooms.<\/p>\n

Stelling resigned as honorary president of Hartlepool in May in protest at Singh\u2019s handling of negotiations over the sale of the club, which Singh had put on the market more than two years earlier. Singh appears to have hit back by seeking to ensure that Stelling is denied hospitality at Hartlepool\u2019s away matches, which begin at Yeovil on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou may be aware from media coverage that Jeff Stelling has resigned as Honorary President of Hartlepool United Football Club,\u201d Singh wrote in a letter sent last week. \u201cAs Chairman of Hartlepool United Football Club I would kindly and considerately ask that Mr Stelling is therefore not provided with official HUFC dignitary spaces in your board room, or equivalent, for any Hartlepool United fixture at your home ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the unlikely event that Mr Stelling independently attends any Hartlepool United fixture at your home ground, I\u2019d further request that you consider to seat Mr Stelling separately to any HUFC dignitaries or staff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stelling resigned after it became clear that a consortium\u2019s proposed takeover was not progressing. The group led by the local businesswoman Shirley Hammond is understood to have grown frustrated that talks have stalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know this is only an honorary role, but it is the best way I felt I could protest against the treatment of the party trying to take control of the club,\u201d Stelling said when he resigned. \u201cSupporters have been left in an intolerable position with a perceived threat to the future of the club should they not support the current owner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Singh has since proposed holding a vote among season-ticket holders over whether he should stay in charge, although that has yet to take place.<\/p>\n

Stelling is a lifelong Hartlepool fan who often used his position as host of Sky Sports\u2019 live scores and results programme, Soccer Saturday, which he presented for 29 years until 2023, to promote the club<\/a>. In 2016 he was appointed as the club\u2019s honorary president in place of Peter Mandelson, who was MP for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004.<\/p>\n

Singh saved Hartlepool from liquidation when buying the then League Two club and investing \u00a31.8m, but the club have struggled in recent seasons. The Teesside-based care-home owner put the club up for sale after their relegation from the Football League at the end of the 2022-23 season.<\/p>\n

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Singh declined to comment, but a Hartlepool spokesperson said: \u201cSince Mr Stelling no longer holds any position \u2013 honorary or otherwise \u2013 in the club, but has indicated his intention to attend away games, the club has informed other clubs in the league that he is not attending on behalf of Hartlepool United Football Club.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stelling declined to comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The broadcaster Jeff Stelling\u2019s dispute with Hartlepool United has escalated, with the chair, Raj Singh, writing to the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":46207,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[64,63,596,85],"class_list":["post-46206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-football","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46206\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}