Pre-Season:

We continued our preparations for the new season with three pre-season friendlies over the past week. All three matches against Ebbsfleet United, Braintree Town and Dulwich Hamlet took place on training pitch A at The Hive London. None of these games were advertised in advance, following agreements with the Clubs involved and were kept out of public knowledge to ensure large crowds didn’t turn up, which would have breached COVID protocols.

You can read the match report for the Ebbsfleet game by clicking here:

You can read the match report for the Braintree game by clicking here:

You can read the match report for the Dulwich Hamlet game by clicking here:

An update on the 2020/21 season:

As we’re sure you are already aware the government has paused the planned return of supporters on October 1st. This has caused some uncertainty on the status of the National League season kicking off as scheduled on October 3rd. The Club is in constant communication with both the National League and the relevant authorities and as soon as we have any clarity on the situation, we will share the information with you. 

The Hive London is prepared to host matches with supporters, as soon as the government rules change and we were hopeful this would be sooner rather than later, however, today’s announcement leaves the situation unclear. Should matches take place behind closed doors, it is in the Club’s plan to live stream matches for our supporters. 

Live Streaming:

We are now in active discussions regarding the live streaming of our home National League matches. The plan would be to stream matches on a Pay Per View basis, which would allow us to generate much-needed revenue during this difficult period, as well as ensuring our supporters do not miss a kick of the action once we get underway. As soon as we receive clarity on when we will return to competitive fixtures and we are set up to stream matches, we will communicate fully on things such as pricing, Season Ticket holders and how access to the streaming service would work. 

Of course, our preferred option is to have our fans with us in the stadium, but in the event that we have to go behind closed doors, we see streaming as a plausible alternative to ensure we can generate some revenue during this challenging period.  

Football Foundation grant:

The Club has applied for and received a financial grant from the Football Foundation.

The Matchday Support Fund grant will help Barnet FC put in place measures that will make our ground safer for when fans are able to return to our home, given the challenges caused by COVID-19. 

This grant has allowed us to put in appropriate signage, markings and systems that ensure your safety for whenever you can return to The Hive London. Furthermore, the grant has allowed us to put in further safety protocols, such as increased hand sanitising stations in and around the site and in our bars etc. All of the funds that we have gratefully received from the Football Foundation have been spent on ensuring that The Hive London is a COVID secure stadium and ready to host spectators when we are given the green light to do so.

Elite Development Programme:

The Bees Elite Development teams kick off their new seasons in the upcoming week. The two teams will be taking on PDA Bucks and Oxford City respectively and we will look to keep fans informed with their progress throughout the season.

Our college programme in partnership with Canons High School combines normal secondary education, with football training and matches. The teams play in leagues funded and in partnership with the National League.

The Bees Academy Football & Education Programme encompasses multiple squads, each training three times a week and playing matches once a week.

Fixtures are played in highly prestigious leagues such as the U19 National League Youth Alliance, the Tactic League and ECFA Women’s Premier League.

Furthermore, the EDP team will represent Barnet FC in the FA Youth Cup this season. We have been drawn to face Uxbridge away in the Second Qualifying Round, with the tie due to be played on the week commencing 5th October. 

London Bees:

London Bees have kicked off their season in the last couple of weeks and have faced some tricky matches in their opening fixtures. They rued missed chances in their opener with Coventry United where they lost out 3-1 in a game which really could have gone either way. Their first home match of the season saw them take on footballing powerhouses Liverpool WFC, in which the Bees held their own for the majority of the game, before two late goals added gloss to the 3-0 scoreline.

Lee Burch’s side will look to return to winning ways next weekend when they travel to early table-toppers Sheffield United.

Season Tickets and Memberships:

Thanks to those who have already purchased Season Tickets for the upcoming season; we will continue to communicate further information with you via email and via the Club Website. As we soon as we have full information on the return of supporters, we will communicate with you accordingly.

We have quite a few queries regarding parking memberships, we were scheduled to release full information on this at the early part of this week, however we will hold off for now until there is more clarity on the current situation. 

Season Ticket Collection:

All Barnet FC Season Ticket holders should have today (22nd Sept) received an email regarding the delay in collection of Season Tickets. As explained in the email, we have decided to hold off from collections, in order to minimise unnecessary travel to The Hive London.

As soon as we have clarity on fans returning to The Hive London and assurances that the season will start as scheduled, we will recontact you via email to let you know that your card is ready for collection. We apologise to anyone who had planned to come down and collect their Season Ticket in the upcoming days.  

Leon Catering:

The Club has recently partnered with new caterers and are delighted to announce that Leon Catering will be taking over the catering side of things at The Hive London. Leon have brought an exciting new menu and we reckon Bees fans will enjoy the food on offer in The Hive Bar. We have acquired a woodfire pizza oven and the quality of the food on offer is superb!

Kit and sponsorship:

We will look to provide an update on kits and sponsorship for the 2020/21 season in the next couple of weeks ahead of the new season. We appreciate Bees fans patience in regards to this matter.

Thank you:

On behalf of Peter and the rest of the lads, we want to thank you for your continued support and during this uncertain time we will look to communicate as and when we receive information. We urge all Bees fans to follow government guidance and we wish you all well during this continued difficult period.