Gateshead have had an agreement signed off by the local council that would grant them an English Football League licence.
The club finished sixth in the National League last season, but were barred from the play-offs, and possible promotion to League Two, because they did not have a ’10-year security of tenure’ at the International Stadium.
Negotiations have taken place where Gateshead have reached an agreeable ‘form of wording’ with the EFL.
This was agreed with the local authority, Gateshead Council, and then rubber-stamped before a full council meeting where a 10-year security on the stadium was approved in the event of promotion.
Gateshead were thrown out of the play-offs with no team replacing them last season, although they did go on to win the FA Trophy at Wembley for the first time in the club’s history.
This season, they are currently fifth in the National League after 18 games and would need the licence, if they were to finish in that position at the end of the campaign, to compete in the play-offs.
The Heed will remain tenants at the International Stadium when the running of the venue switches from the local authority to Greenwich Leisure Limited in April 2025.
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