Bedford FC

[Winslow Boy]

On 07/02/2025 at 10:05, LondonEagle said:

I think most accept that Bedford Town can't compete with the sort of money Real have. But in return they do need the local fanbase,

I read a comment somewhere from a US Real Bedford fan saying Bedford Town have a 'dwindling fanbase." or crowds, simply not true, average attendance this season is higjhest since reforming in 1991, at over 700, and that's with the first 2 home games being played some distance from Bedford.

 

A comment from someone who really has no idea or interest (no doubt a bitcoin bro) for the club to be successful they need people in the town to be behind them. You can have as many streams and overseas ‘fans’ as you like, but if local folk don’t turn up in numbers it’s not going to work. If he wants to do something for Bedford )as he has said and I believe) and not for himself then these are the small details he really needs to listen to and put his ego aside for. 

[Rhodes]

There is some interesting feedback and comments on another Forum from the Fans Forum at The Eyrie last Wednesday:

My initial thoughts from last night: I think the ambition is shared by all and there's no doubt about Bedford Town's side of things about the current state of the club and what the people who have run it have had to sacrifice to keep it going, and fair play going above and beyond to ensure that new playing surface went ahead. However they can only go so far before more challenges appear down the line. McCormack financially can jump those hurdles that will inevitably get in the way for Eagles. A merger would make sense for financial reasons and increase the status of the club. However, Bedford Town has a huge history and local fan base, and growing fan base. Real Bedford have a growing local fan base as well as interests from abroad. Now I'm not against having interests from abroad but what I would be against is people across the world dictating what happens to the potential name changes, kit colour, badge, name of stadium etc. The people who should have most input is the local fan base. Let's face it Real have only been in existence for 2-3 years. For me the depicted badge was one example and not part of a collective, and I can understand how that would have come across to most in the room. I did find it rather awkward though that when asked how many people have lived through its history and counted 20, that automatically means it no longer matters. It does matter because it forms part of its identity. There were other statements made that made it feel like an ultimatum. We simply cannot allow everything to go HIS way. I'm sure an agreement can only be reached if you take the fans with them. BEDFORD TOWN FOREVER.

I went into last night wanting to come away pleasantly surprised but unfortunately it was a case of hearing exactly what I expected, a lot about him, Bitcoin and other comments proving little to no regard for our club. I respect his drive for the youth and the town but he just doesn’t get it does he? He doesn’t understand non league football or any of the values which make Bedford Town FC and hundreds of other small clubs what they are. A lot of credit is due to Ben, JT and Gary and I had a chat with JT who is clearly doing his upmost to preserve identity but ultimately I fear we’re going to be left with a cringeworthy American style identity more suited to a PlayStation game than a proud historical football club. That mock up of the badge was horrendous and to hear it described as ‘cool’ told me everything I needed to know about the image he wants the club to have. There’s no real reason why we couldn’t make progress through the leagues preserving a proud identity as Salford, Barrow, Harrogate etc have done but instead we’re on course to become an irreversible laughing stock akin to MK Dons.

McCormack's suggestion that a groundshare with Bedford Blues at their town centre ground could be a long-term option has already been slapped down by the rugby club:
https://www.bedfordindependent.co.uk/bedford-blues-rebuff-suggestions-of-ground-share-following-football-merger-forum/

He keeps talking about building a consensus before actually doing anything, but he seems to think his money can buy everything in the end, I get the impression he hasn't really bargained for anyone simply not accepting his ideas at any price. The first suggestion of naming a merged club Real Bedford Town would be a complete red line if I was a Town fan. Where did "Real" even come from? I'm assuming it's pronounced as in Real Madrid. Is there anything whatsoever Spanish (or royal) about the club? They've only used it for 3 or 4 years, having already undergone a previous merger and name change. It sounds like a daft Sunday league name, just ditch it. Bedford Town is the club with all the history and integrity, always using the same name and playing in the same colours, as well as a large majority of the supporters, and it's their ground that will initially be needed.

[Rhodes]

There was also a comment on another Forum about the coffee shop/Club shop that is taking shape and will be opening soon in Bedford town centre: 

Got to give the guy credit. He thinks outside the box. Coffee shops are fashionable and you can guarantee his design will appeal to his target audience. And combining it with a club shop while bringing an empty property back to use. What’s not to admire about that?

Real Bedford club shop/cafe coming soon, Bedford High Street/The Arcade. Likely opening early March, obviously accepting Bitcoin.

Edited February 8 by Rhodes

[Rhodes]

On 16/12/2024 at 16:14, Rhodes said:

Please don't all rush at once folks but I see that Mr McCormack has initiated another high profile (CheatCode) Conference in April, again at the Bedford Corn Exchange on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 April and, again, cleverly coinciding with a Real Bedford fixture, the penultimate home game of the season against Kings Langley so the Southern League Division One Central Championship may well not as yet be won with three fixtures still remaining, the following Saturday (19 April), on Monday 21 April and on Saturday 26 April:

https://www.cheatcode.co.uk/

https://www.cheatcode.co.uk/tickets

https://www.cheatcode.co.uk/hotel-rooms-dirty-fiat

It's incredible isn't it, just take a look at the high profile speakers secured thus far for the Cheatcode Conference in Bedford in April. It's a 'who's who' and Winston Marshall for example is the former lead guitarist with the folk rock band Mumford and Sons who have won multiple awards including two Grammy and two Brit Awards, whilst at the Grammy Awards event in Los Angeles in 2012 Marshall performed on stage with, wait for it, Bob Dylan. Additionally Steve Baker is a former Cabinet Minister who served as Minister of State for Northern Ireland and Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, he considered running for the Conservative Party leadership following Boris Johnson's resignation:

Announcing our first batch of speakers for CheatCode, Bedford '25. Three days of Bitcoin, tech, counter-culture ideas, and football with @realbedford. April 11-13.

Edited February 8 by Rhodes

[Rhodes]

No difficulties for Rob Sinclair's men at the interval at Kidlington FC, indeed I have it on good authority that it is currently 3-0 with goals from Ben Stevens and, who else, Joey Evans with a clinical brace: 

[Rhodes]

On 07/02/2025 at 11:16, Rhodes said:

Real Bedford Ladies travel to Ashford Town (Middlesex) Ladies on Sunday (9 February), it's clearly a winnable fixture against the struggling hosts who the Ladies beat 3-0 at the Ledger Stadium on the opening day of the FA Women's National League Division One South East campaign with goals from Abbie Bensted, Trisha Gould and Milly Hayes. Top of the table Chatham Town Ladies have a difficult looking visit to Norwich City Ladies so Real Bedford Ladies should hopefully resume their rightful place at the top of the FA Women's National League Division One South East table on Sunday evening

Real Bedford Ladies FA Women's National League Division One South East fixture with Ashford Town (Middlesex) Ladies was postponed yesterday due to a waterlogged pitch. Typically all the other scheduled fixtures went ahead however fortunately Chatham Town Ladies went down 2-1 at Norwich City Ladies so although it is very tight at the top of the table between the three Club's, as well as Actonians Ladies, Real Bedford Ladies are in the driving seat with games in hand, the best goal difference and the easier looking run in on paper: 

[Rhodes]

On 08/02/2025 at 16:29, Rhodes said:

No difficulties for Rob Sinclair's men at the interval at Kidlington FC, indeed I have it on good authority that it is currently 3-0 with goals from Ben Stevens and, who else, Joey Evans with a clinical brace

Yes, a convincing 3-0 victory for Real Bedford on Saturday in rural Oxfordshire against lowly Kidlington FC, see photographs from the fixture, courtesy of photographer Duncan Eames, a match report and local press coverage:

https://www.realbedford.com/news/evans-brace-secures-comfortable-victory-over-kidlington

https://www.bedfordindependent.co.uk/another-evans-double-gives-real-bedford-win-at-kidlington/

[Rhodes]

An interesting post match interview with Kidlington FC deflated looking Manager Brad Chalmers who is very complimentary about his opposite number Rob Sinclair's men calling them 'Champions elect' and 'a very good side'. He seems a very nice guy so hopefully Kidlington FC can avoid relegation this season:

[Rhodes]

It's another quick turnaround for Real Bedford when they host Stotfold tomorrow (Tuesday 11 February) evening at the Ledger Stadium, the fixture will be livestreamed:

https://www.realbedford.com/real-bedford-v-stotfold

https://www.realbedford.com/live-stream

Edited February 15 by Rhodes

[Rhodes]

I thought LondonEagle posted about the poor attendance at The Eyrie on Saturday but can't find it, it has been picked up on another Forum with the following recent comments:

Dismal crowd of 405 yesterday at the Eyrie for the first home game since the fans forum, compared to 762 for the previous home game. Appears to be an unofficial boycott already.

I noticed that too, although most of their early season attendances were also around the 400 mark or below. Some bumper mid-season crowds have pushed the average up to 700 or so, compared to 400-500 for the recent yo-yo seasons. The first league attendance in August (on a Tuesday evening) was below 200. Bedford is often referred to as "a rugby town", so presumably an England 6 Nations match kicking off at 4.45pm live on television might account for a segment of fairweather fans going missing. I don't doubt that some will also have stayed away to make a point regarding their dissatisfaction with a potential loss of identity from the proposed merger. Personally I'd have thought it would reinforce the case for retaining most if not all of Bedford Town's elements in a merger if attendances remain as big as possible, relative to the noisy neighbours.

Every club should compete at a level they can afford. If that means relegation after promotion to a league that is beyond their means to compete at, then so be it. Clubs shouldn't be losing money that the board aren't prepared to subsidise. That's just bad management at any level, whether in the professional game or semi-pro, certainly those figures.
Every club has a natural ceiling. If they want to merge for Real Bedford's money then so be it, but what happens if/when the maverick looking to take them over, and change the club's name and identity, decides he doesn't want to subsidise 6 figure annual losses? They might take the chance of being the next Rushden and Diamonds if it means they get a few promotions first but many would rather live within their means rather than become a circus act to to some Crypto-bro trying to reinvent the wheel with their stadium and club.

Bedford Town only have 1 Director and a couple of other investors though. It's not really 'they,' Bedford Town, wanting to merger and lose their identity, but more the decision of those 3 individuals and Real Bedford's owner. Don't forget a lot of the Real fans probably do not want to merge either.

In this instance no one's proposing to move a club 20 miles to another town in another county, as there will still be a club playing at the same ground in the same town. so it's not the same problem.
As for boycotting Luton over the proposed relocation to Milton Keynes, I vaguely remember this saga and googled it. I found a reference to a boycott of the opening game of the 1984/85 season against Stoke City. The official attendance was 8,600+, during an era when Football League attendances were generally much lower than today and Luton's seasonal average during the 1980s was in the region of 10-12,000 for the First Division, so clearly quite a lot of regular supporters were not minded to boycott matches.
I certainly wouldn't be amenable to any merger involving my own club, but each and every club has its own peculiarities, and so do the various crises they encounter. If I'd supported Bedford Town for the same length of time I'd have endured a hiatus of almost a decade with no club at all, before it re-emerged and re-established itself at the current ground in an outlying village. Would I have switched allegiance to someone else in the meantime? I've no idea.
I've always had considerable antipathy for brash self made millionaires like McCormack. When people like him promise something that sounds too good to be true, it usually is, and cryptocurrency has always seemed like a massive scam to me.
The current Bedford directors sound like genuine long-term supporters, so my first instinct would probably be to lobby them to seek alternative new owners/investment and to avoid committing to anything involving McCormack.
Real Bedford are on course for a third consecutive promotion as champions and clearly don't have the ground to match the owners ambitions, so they don't hold all the aces by any means. They also appear to have a sunk a fortune into their newly promoted women's team, who are currently unbeaten leaders of their Level 4 division, having poached 10 players from Level 3 MK Dons last summer.

I disagree - the Bedford "merger" is a takeover, and for some Town supporters still amounts to their club being stolen. That's very much the same.

Edited February 11 by Rhodes

[Rhodes]

On 10/02/2025 at 09:24, Rhodes said:

Real Bedford Ladies FA Women's National League Division One South East fixture with Ashford Town (Middlesex) Ladies was postponed yesterday due to a waterlogged pitch. Typically all the other scheduled fixtures went ahead however fortunately Chatham Town Ladies went down 2-1 at Norwich City Ladies so although it is very tight at the top of the table between the three Club's, as well as Actonians Ladies, Real Bedford Ladies are in the driving seat with games in hand, the best goal difference and the easier looking run in on paper

Real Bedford Ladies have a rare midweek fixture  on Thursday (13 February) and it is an opportunity for sweet revenge against a Cambridge United Ladies side who knocked Real Bedford Ladies out of the Women's FA Cup in October at the Third Qualifying Round stage when a good run in the competition was fully expected this season:

[Rhodes]

On 10/02/2025 at 11:36, Rhodes said:

It's another quick turnaround for Real Bedford when they host Stotfold tomorrow (Tuesday 11 February) evening at the Ledger Stadium, the fixture will be livestreamed:

https://www.realbedford.com/real-bedford-v-stotfold

https://www.realbedford.com/live-stream

Disappointingly the fixture with Stotfold this evening has been postponed as the Ledger Stadium has been deemed unplayable, no doubt by a 'jobsworth' inspecting Official earlier today:

Edited February 12 by Rhodes

[RallyInRaleigh]

I hate this time of year when the weather interferes with a good time. Was looking forward to a double feature of home games this week but alas, I'll have to settle for one this weekend. Nothing stops this train...

[Winslow Boy]

It’s one of the reasons why more and more teams at these levels are going down the artificial pitch route. 

Edited February 12 by Winslow Boy

[Rhodes]

On 12/02/2025 at 14:32, RallyInRaleigh said:

I hate this time of year when the weather interferes with a good time. Was looking forward to a double feature of home games this week but alas, I'll have to settle for one this weekend. Nothing stops this train...

RallyInRaleigh - At least there is a Real Bedford Ladies fixture this evening (Thursday 13 February) to look forward to at Cambridge United Ladies who are very much a bogey side aren't they, even in a pre-season Friendly fixture last season Cambridge United Ladies won 5-1:

https://www.cambridgeunited.com/news/matchday-guide-cambridge-united-women-vs-real-bedford-fc

Edited February 13 by Rhodes

[LondonEagle]

22 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

It’s one of the reasons why more and more teams at these levels are going down the artificial pitch route. 

Including Real Bedford next season.

[LondonEagle]

[Rhodes]

On 11/02/2025 at 10:25, Rhodes said:

Real Bedford Ladies have a rare midweek fixture  on Thursday (13 February) and it is an opportunity for sweet revenge against a Cambridge United Ladies side who knocked Real Bedford Ladies out of the Women's FA Cup in October at the Third Qualifying Round stage when a good run in the competition was fully expected this season

What a win for Real Bedford Ladies last night breaking the Cambridge United hoodoo just when it mattered with Norwich City Ladies and Chatham Town Ladies on their knees at home all evening praying for a home victory. In an eventful FA Women's National League Division One South East clash, Real Bedford Ladies led 2-0 at the interval through a clinical Layla O'Brien brace however it was a nervy last twenty minutes after the hosts pulled a goal back (see link below) and all credit to a well marshalled defence, led by Captain fantastic Gemma Biggadike, who stood firm, also see a match report:  

https://www.realbedford.com/news/obrien-brace-clinches-hard-fought-away-victoryover-cambridge-united

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga3r4zYIAzo

Edited February 15 by Rhodes

[Rhodes]

Let's hope for another three points tomorrow (Saturday 15 February) afternoon at the Ledger Stadium against Enfield FC, the fixture will be livestreamed:

https://www.realbedford.com/real-bedford-v-enfield

https://www.realbedford.com/live-stream

[Rhodes]

On 03/02/2025 at 17:30, Rhodes said:

A hard fought 1-1 draw for Real Bedford Ladies yesterday afternoon at The Eyrie whereby they trailed after half an hour and at the interval however, who else, Abbie Bensted equalised on the 75 minute mark in clinical style, receiving a pinpoint pass from Breon Grant before lashing a fearsome shot into the net giving the hapless Norwich City Ladies, and former Arsenal and Chelsea Ladies, custodian Sarah Quantrill no chance whatsoever. The Ladies could well have won the top of the FA Women's National League Division One South East table clash with boss Charlie Bill introducing Milly Hayes and Amy McLean from the bench following the equalising goal however the very well marshalled Norwich City Ladies defence held firm, see both Club's match reports and highlights from the action:

https://www.realbedford.com/news/bensted-brilliance-secures-important-home-point-for-the-pirates

https://www.canaries.co.uk/content/womens-report-real-bedford-1-1-norwich-city

The belated 28 page match programme from the Real Bedford Ladies against Norwich City Ladies FA Women's National League Division One South East fixture at the Eyrie on Sunday 2 February:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/619758344d16e93725c39d0a/t/67a0e963374e0d09e238ef16/1738598773590/%2311+v+Norwich-compressed_1.pdf