Club Statement

Bishop’s Stortford Football Club Statement

Following recent speculation regarding a potential stadium move for the club, we would like to offer supporters some clarity on the situation.

The club has made a six-figure investment in the R&D Advisors UK Stadium during the close season that will be enjoyed by the community for many years to come.

The stadium now benefits from upgraded catering facilities and improved hospitality areas including covered outdoor food space, together with upgraded WC facilities (with thanks to the £10k bursary the club successfully applied for from the Buildbase Non-League Renovation Programme).

In addition, significant pitch and drainage works have been carried out to maintain the standard that has always been very well received by visiting teams.  During the season the stadium continues to be regularly used by visiting Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League clubs.

Director and Manager Steve Smith said “At the beginning of this year it was agreed by the Board that we would remain at the current stadium following a disappointing public consultation held by Birchwood School last summer regarding plans for their detached playing field. The consultation did provide some very useful feedback, including many positive comments and support, whilst some raised understandable concerns.

One of the options considered was to build a community sports facility that the school would hire to Bishop’s Stortford Football Club for use as their home ground.  Birchwood School and Bishop’s Stortford FC have enjoyed a long and successful association through the football academy and other joint community initiatives, so it was deemed to be an option well worth exploring.

The club and the school were disappointed with some of the negative feedback received during the consultation, but fully accept that this is a democratic society that we all live in and hugely value.

As a result of this consultation, it was decided that the collaboration between Bishop’s Stortford FC and Birchwood School would not be one of the potential options taken forward in the next stage of the school’s evaluation.  The decision was not taken lightly and was made with the full understanding of the football club”.

The Blues are now looking forward at the R&D Advisors UK Stadium, with the new Pitching In Isthmian Premier League season beginning with a home fixture against Haringey Borough on Saturday 13th August, with a 3pm kick off.

After finishing 2nd in the 2021/22 season, the club are looking to push for promotion again this season.  Director Of Football Ronnie Irani said “We are fortunate to have a fantastic stadium, a very capable squad, a top-class team of backroom staff and volunteers and incredibly strong support from our supports and sponsors.  Our fantastic sponsors continue to invest significant sums into the club for which we are externally grateful. We are also delighted to see an increase in families attending home games, especially young ladies, which will hopefully continue to grow following the tremendous achievement of the England Lionesses in winning Euro 2022”.

For further information, or to arrange an interview, please contact Shan Toms (Director & General Manager, Bishop’s Stortford FC) on 01279 306456 or email generalmanager@bsfc.co.uk