In only Hartlepools United's second season they made their first attempt to persuade the Football League members that they were a team deserving of a league place. A second visit following 12 months later and a third trip proved sucessful as the club became founder members of the new Division Three (North).

Sadly this didn't prove to be the last time that the club put their case forward at the AGM, only three years after gaining league status they had to attend their first re-election meeting. By the time that automatic promotion was introduced in 1986 the club had visited London to plead with the other members on another 13 occasions, a Football League record.

Team	Votes
Barnsley	28	Re-elected to League
Grimsby Town	18	Elected to League
Lincoln City	17	Not re-elected
Darlington	7
Chesterfield Town	6
HARTLEPOOLS UNITED	1
Rochdale	1

After the AGM, the five unsuccesful clubs met and decided to ask the Football League to reconsider the idea of a Third Division. This was backed by 34 of the 40 League clubs. The Football League advertised for new clubs stating that there would need to be a minimum of sixteen teams and that these clubs would not be given a vote at AGMs, except in the election of new clubs.
Applications were received from twenty clubs - the five unsuccessful electees, plus Port Vale, Rotherham Town, Crewe Alexandra, Walsall, Burton Town, Macclesfield, St Helen's Town, South Liverpool, Southport Central, South Shields Adelaide, Croydon Common, Portsmouth, Southend United, Cardiff City and Merthyr Town. Despite their earlier enthusiasm, when the proposal to form a Third Division with these Clubs was put to the League members, they rejected it 26-11!

It was decided to create a Division Three (North) to complement what would now be called Division Three (South) formed the previous year. The Management Committee vetted all applicants and proposed fourteen clubs for consideration en bloc. Hartlepools United and thirteen other clubs attended a meeting in March 1921 where they were called to state their case. Following this meeting they were then all elected to the new Division Three (North).

Due to the creation of Division Three (North) 14 clubs were automatically elected. These were Accrington Stanley, Ashington, Barrow, Chesterfield, Crewe Alexandra, Darlington, Durham City, HARTLEPOOLS UNITED, Lincoln City, Nelson, Rochdale, Tranmere Rovers and Walsall.

As the division was to have twenty clubs, it was decided that Grimsby would be transferred from the Southern section, and Stockport County, relegated from Division Two, would take another place. This left four places available, as in previous years the applicants would put their case for election to the league to the members of the Football League.

Team	Votes
Wigan Borough	34	Elected to League
Halifax Town	25	Elected to League
Southport	25	Elected to League
Stalybridge Celtic	25	Elected to League
Castleford Town	18
Rotherham County	13
Blyth Spartans	9
Gainsborough Trinity	5
Doncaster Rovers	6
West Stanley	6
Wakefield City	4
Lancaster Town	3
Scunthorpe & L Utd	3
South Liverpool	1

Team	Votes
Halifax Town	44	Re-elected to League
HARTLEPOOL	43	Re-elected to League
Southport	37	Re-elected to League
Wimbledon	27	Elected to League
Workington	21	Not re-elected
Altrincham	12

The Football League Management Committee examined the list of applicants and put forward just two clubs for election. This approach is taken until 1980 when the winners of the newly formed Football Conference are the only Non-League applicant.

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