 | |||
| Full name | Real Bedford Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Pirates | ||
| Founded | 2002 | ||
| Ground | McMullen Park,Bedford | ||
| Chairman | Peter McCormack | ||
| Manager | Rob Sinclair | ||
| League | Southern League Premier Division Central | ||
| 2024–25 | Southern League Division One Central, 1st of 21 (promoted) | ||
| Website | https://www.realbedford.com/ | ||
Real Bedford Football Club is afootball club inBedford,England, established in 2002 as a merger of Bedford United and US Valerio. They are members of theSouthern League Premier Division Central, the seventh tier of the English football system, and play at McMullen Park.
Bedford United were established in 1957, theworks team of the printing firm Diemer & Reynolds.[1] In 1971 the club joined Division Three of theUnited Counties League, which was renamed Division Two the following season. They remained in Division Two until leaving the league in 1979,[2] dropping into theBedfordshire County League, going on to win Division One in 1979–80.[3] In 1989 they joined Division One of theSouth Midlands League, becoming a member of the Senior Division following league reorganisation in 1993.[2] In 1995–96 they finished third in the division, earning promotion to the Premier Division.[2]
In 1997 the South Midlands League merged with the Spartan League to form the Spartan South Midlands League, with Bedford United placed in the Premier Division North.[2] After finishing fourteenth in the division in the league'sfirst season, they were placed in the Senior Division the following season.[2] A third-place finish in1999–2000 saw them promoted to the Premier Division.[2]
Unione Sportiva Valerio was formed as aSunday league club in 1985 and was named after its founder Nicola Valerio.[1]
The two clubs merged in 2002 to formBedford United & Valerio, taking Bedford United's place in the Premier Division of the Spartan South Midlands League.[4] They finished second-from-bottom of the Premier Division in2004–05 and were relegated to Division One.[4] In 2006 they were renamedBedford Valerio United, before being renamed simplyBedford in 2007.[5] In 2012–13 the club won the Bedfordshire Senior Trophy.[6] In2014–15 they finished third in Division One, earning promotion to the Premier Division.[7] However, the club finished bottom of the Premier Division thefollowing season and were relegated back to Division One.
In 2022 the club was taken over bybitcoin podcaster Peter McCormack, who became chairman, having previously stated that he intended for the club to reach thePremier League.[8][9][10] The club's name was changed toReal Bedford before the 2022–23 season,[11] which saw them win the Bedfordshire Senior Trophy and theDivision One title,[12] earning promotion to the Premier Division.
In 2024 Americancryptocurrency investors,Cameron andTyler Winklevoss invested $4.5 million in the club.[13] The club went on towin the Premier Division, securing a second successive promotion, this time to Division One Central of theSouthern League.[14] Thefollowing season saw them finish as champions of Division One Central, resulting in promotion to the Premier Division Central.[15]
Bedford United initially played on a pitch at the printers' firm, before moving to the nearby village ofCople and then returning to Bedford to play at Allen Park.[1] They subsequently played at Fairhill on Clapham Road,[1] where the club's record attendance of 1,500 was set for a South Midlands League match againstBedford Town.[16]
The land was later bought bySainsbury's, and as a result Bedford United temporarily groundshared withKempston Rovers at Hillgrounds, before moving to McMullen Park in 1996.[1] The ground was named for Jim McMullen, one of the club's founders.[1] When the merged club was formed, they continued to play at McMullen Park.
52°07′40″N0°24′54″W / 52.12778°N 0.41500°W /52.12778; -0.41500
