The New Eyrie

A trip to the New Eyrie is a pleasant one for visiting supporters, not least because Bedford is a pleasant little town in the south of England.

At present, the club bizarelly compete in the National League North, despite the fact that Bedford is only 45 miles away from London. However, that does mean that a trip to the New Eyrie provides fans in this division with a proper day out.

As far as the stadium is concerned, it is a fairly standard non-league ground. There is a mixture of seated and standing areas and a clubhouse which welcomes away fans pre-match.

Fan segregation is not usually in place at the New Eyrie, allowing visiting supporters to swap ends at half-time as has so often been customary at non-league fixtures over the years.

Bedford Town are proud of their supporters and regularly post clips on social media of them chanting at the New Eyrie. Some of the chants you can expect to hear on a visit to the ground include:

• Eaaaaaaagles
• Marshy again ole ole
• There’s only one team in Bedford

As touched upon earlier, the New Eyrie is made up of a combination of seated and standing areas, although the standing areas do far outweigh the seated, in terms of capacity. The overall capacity of the stadium is around the 3,000 mark, but only 300 of that figure is made up of seats.

Unlike some non-league grounds, all four sides of the pitch have stands. The Main Stand is the biggest stand at the ground and runs along the clubhouse side of the pitch. It is within this stand that supporters can find the 300 seats, in addition to plenty of standing space. The seated areas are the best place to watch the match from in terms of view and comfort. The opposite side is a much smaller stand with room for just 150 fans (standing).

The South Stand behind one of the goals is a large sheltered terrace and is the second-best place to watch the match from, as this is where the atmosphere builds. On the opposite side is an open terrace, which can accommodate up to 200 standing supporters.

There are yellow lines marked on the ground all around the stadium to indicate areas unavailable to supporters.

The handiest place to grab a pre-match pint before a game at the New Eyrie is the ground’s clubhouse, which is located just to the right of the Main Stand as you enter through the turnstile. If you would rather enjoy the local area, then no pubs in Bedford operate a ‘no away fans’ policy. Some of the best pubs in Bedford include:

• The Hidden Barrel – 29 Harpur St, Bedford MK40 1LA
• The Park Pub – 98 Kimbolton Rd, Bedford MK40 2PF
• The White Horse – 84 Newnham Ave, Bedford MK41 9PX

Hot food and snacks can also be purchased from the aforementioned clubhouse, while there are typical burger vans outside the ground selling similar items. Whether you purchase food from the vans or the clubhouse, you can expect to find typical football food such as chips, pies, burger and hot dogs.

If you would rather enjoy a proper meal before or after a match at the New Eyrie, then there are plenty of nice restaurants in Bedford. Some of our recommendations include:

• Roca – 17 Castle Ln, Bedford MK40 3NT
• La Terrazza – 2a Ram Yard, Bedford MK40 1AL
• Fuego Tapas – 3b Merchant Pl, Riverside Cl, Bedford MK40 1AS

By car

The New Eyrie is located on Meadow Lane just off the A603. The ground is located just before the A421 roundabout on the right-hand side. Sat nav: MK44 3LW

There is a car park at the stadium which has room for around 120 cars. If there is demand, then the club also have a couple of overflow car parks available. One of these overflow car parks is on a full-grassed area, so it is not available in the winter. Parking costs £1 per car.

By public transport

The ground is located four miles away from Bedford Station, so walking isn’t a realistic option unless it’s a glorious day and you have plenty of time to spare. Most fans walk to Bedford Bus Station (ten minutes from the train station) and then board the 73 bus to the ground.

Online

Adults – £16
Concessions – £12
18-20 year-olds – £12
10-17 year-olds – £6
Under 10s – Free

Turnstiles

Adults – £18
Concessions – £14
18-20 year-olds – £14
10-17 year-olds – £8
Under 10s – £2

The overall capacity at the New Eyrie is 3,000. Of this capacity, only 300 is made up of seats.

In its early years, Bedford Town played at a variety of local venues before eventually establishing itself at London Road, also known as “The Eyrie.” This ground became the heart of the club, hosting some of its greatest moments, including notable FA Cup runs in the mid-20th century.

Financial problems hit the club hard in the 1970s, and they were eventually forced to sell the Eyrie in 1982. After 11 years of having no home, the club opened the New Eyrie, which effectively marked the rebirth of the club.

In recent years, the club have installed a FIFA Quality Pro 3G artificial grass pitch at the stadium, replacing the natural grass.

Record attendance

• 3,000 vs Peterborough United, friendly match, 6 August 1993.

Average attendances

• 2024/25: 867 (National League North)

Bedford Town’s biggest rivals are a team called ‘Real Bedford’ that also competes in non-league football. The financial situation of both clubs has led to suggestions that they could merge in the coming years.