Home of Bedford Town FC
Opened 1993
Capacity 3,000
★★★★★
★★★★★
I was in attendance at Bedford Town v Barnet yesterday, and really enjoyed my first visit to The New Eyrie.
I must say, I was impressed with the structure of the ground. Especially with how great the seated stands and terraces were. No matter where you sit/stand, the perspective is fantastic and the surroundings of trees certainly enhances the scenery.
The facilities at The New Eyrie were brilliant, in particular the bar. I was very impressive as to how there were plenty of old & recent matchday programmes to buy at the shop. To those who collect football memorabilia, this is the ideal club to groundhop at- if you are an avid programme collector!
Conveniently, there are parking spaces available for a pound at the stadium car park. Best to arrive early to avoid any disappointment.
Groundhoppers, if you plan to tick The New Eyrie off your list- then you do certainly have a choice of watching either Bedford Town or Biggleswade FC.
My visit was memorable, predominantly due to my beloved Barnet winning 4-0 (regardless if it was a Pre-Season Friendly) and overall having enjoyed the groundhop experience!
2 years ago
History (from Wikipedia)
The original Bedford Town played at London Road in 1886, before playing most of its matches at Bedford Park between 1887 and 1890.[2] They then moved to a ground located off London Road.[2]
After being reformed in 1908, the club started playing at a site off London Road, before moving to the Queens Park football ground in Queens Park during October.[10] The pitch was originally between Havelock Street and Lawrence Street, before they moved to one at the end of Nelson Street.[10] There were initially no spectator facilities, with duckboards only put down in November 1911.[10] During World War I the ground was used by the Army, and it was still in use in 1919 when the club started playing again. As a result, they played on the playing fields of County School until being able to return to Queens Park in December 1919.[10]
The club started to develop the ground in the 1920s, with banking created and a new 300-seat stand installed on the western side of the ground in 1922 at a cost of £250.[10] With the extension of the roof, the seating capacity was later increased to about 400.[10] However, players still changed in the nearby Horse and Groom pub. A covered terrace was installed in 1930 and dressing rooms built the following year.[10] Another covered stand was installed at the Ford End Road end of the ground in 1935, which was replaced by a more modern stand in 1953.[10] The capacity had reached at least 6,000, and a new record attendance of 5,667 was set for the FA Cup match against Dartford in 1934–35.[10] The roof of the stand built in 1930 was destroyed in late 1938 and was replaced by the start of the 1939–40 season.[10] Further ground developments in the 1950s raised the capacity to 18,500,[11] with the record attendance of 18,407 set for an FA Cup game against Everton in 1965–66.[4]
In 1982 the club's lease on Queens Park was terminated and after a proposed new ground in the Barkers Lane area failed to come to fruition, the club folded.[9] When the club re-formed in 1989, they initially played on public pitches in Queens Park, before finding a site in Cardington to build a new ground. The New Eyrie opened on 6 August 1993 with a friendly match against Peterborough United attracting what remains the ground's record attendance of 3,000.[9][12] It has a capacity of 3,000, of which 300 is seated and 1,000 covered.[12] The ground is located next to McMullen Park, the home ground of local rivals Bedford.
After being reformed in 1908, the club started playing at a site off London Road, before moving to the Queens Park football ground in Queens Park during October.[10] The pitch was originally between Havelock Street and Lawrence Street, before they moved to one at the end of Nelson Street.[10] There were initially no spectator facilities, with duckboards only put down in November 1911.[10] During World War I the ground was used by the Army, and it was still in use in 1919 when the club started playing again. As a result, they played on the playing fields of County School until being able to return to Queens Park in December 1919.[10]
The club started to develop the ground in the 1920s, with banking created and a new 300-seat stand installed on the western side of the ground in 1922 at a cost of £250.[10] With the extension of the roof, the seating capacity was later increased to about 400.[10] However, players still changed in the nearby Horse and Groom pub. A covered terrace was installed in 1930 and dressing rooms built the following year.[10] Another covered stand was installed at the Ford End Road end of the ground in 1935, which was replaced by a more modern stand in 1953.[10] The capacity had reached at least 6,000, and a new record attendance of 5,667 was set for the FA Cup match against Dartford in 1934–35.[10] The roof of the stand built in 1930 was destroyed in late 1938 and was replaced by the start of the 1939–40 season.[10] Further ground developments in the 1950s raised the capacity to 18,500,[11] with the record attendance of 18,407 set for an FA Cup game against Everton in 1965–66.[4]
In 1982 the club's lease on Queens Park was terminated and after a proposed new ground in the Barkers Lane area failed to come to fruition, the club folded.[9] When the club re-formed in 1989, they initially played on public pitches in Queens Park, before finding a site in Cardington to build a new ground. The New Eyrie opened on 6 August 1993 with a friendly match against Peterborough United attracting what remains the ground's record attendance of 3,000.[9][12] It has a capacity of 3,000, of which 300 is seated and 1,000 covered.[12] The ground is located next to McMullen Park, the home ground of local rivals Bedford.
Things to do nearby.