In 2016, Biggleswade Town’s successful Under-18 side had come to the end of its youth-team journey.Back-to-back league titles in the Thurlow Nunn youth circuit prompted the question: Could we be successful in senior football?
The youth side was filled with bright talent, none more so than Keinan Davis, who went on to secure a five-year deal in the West Midlands with Aston Villa. Davis is now plying his trade in Serie A with Udinese, having achieved milestones such as helping Nottingham Forest win promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs — achievements that no doubt fill the Bedfordshire club with pride.
After a ground-share agreement was reached with Biggleswade Town at Langford Road, and their application to enter the Spartan South Midlands Division One (Step 6 of non-league) was approved, Biggleswade FC were formed in the summer of 2016.
There were, of course, question marks raised by many. Biggleswade, a small Bedfordshire town of 15,000 people, already had two senior non-league teams: Biggleswade Town (FC’s “home”) and Biggleswade United, who had recently benefited from the involvement of Spanish media personality Guillem Balagué.
However, the people on and off the pitch at Biggleswade FC believed that a third senior non-league club was viable — and ultimately, they were proved right.
After an appeal and multiple meetings with the FA, Biggleswade FC demonstrated that approving their application was justified. The senior debutants won the league in their first season, missing out on a century of points by just one.
That success earned FC promotion to the Spartan South Midlands Premier Division, where they faced established sides such as Berkhamsted, previous winners London Colney (who had declined promotion), and Leighton Town.
In their first Step 5 campaign, FC finished 5th, generating optimism for the future after an impressive FA Vase run and several big league results.
It was the 2018/19 season, however, when Biggleswade FC truly put themselves on the map. They enjoyed a treble-winning campaign, clinching the league title by six points.It was an entertaining season at Step 5 in the Home Counties, with the title contested by FC, Hadley, Tring and local rivals Biggleswade United.
FC added to their league title with victories in the Dudley Latham Cup and the North Beds Charity Cup, rounding off their first three years in senior football in style.
That year also saw FC reach the Quarter-Finals of the FA Vase, narrowly losing 2–1 away to Canterbury City. The Vase run galvanised the community, with home crowds of over 500 against Stowmarket and Windsor.
Since earning promotion to Step 4 in 2019, FC have neither moved up nor down, firmly cementing themselves in the Southern League Division One Central. Impressively, they have not finished outside the top ten in six seasons and narrowly missed out on the play-offs in their debut Step 4 campaign.
However, FC no longer call Langford Road in Biggleswade their home. The club relocated ten miles away to The Eyrie — the home of Bedford Town, who at the time were also a Step 4 side.The move came after FC failed to reach a new agreement with their landlords, Biggleswade Town, forcing the club away from their own town.
With FC playing outside Biggleswade, the familiar question resurfaces: Is Biggleswade too small for three non-league clubs?
The answer is arguably yes — but it remains an incredible feat that all three clubs continue to compete despite the challenges of operating so close together.
This season, Biggleswade United are chasing promotion from Step 5, sitting second in the Spartan Premier Division, while Biggleswade Town and Biggleswade FC battle in Step 4, sitting seventh and fifth respectively.
FC may not have changed divisions in the past six years, but success has still come their way. They finished runners-up in the league in 2022/23 and were runners-up in the Beds Senior Cup before winning the trophy the following year at Luton Town’s Kenilworth Road.
Now, with their landlords competing in Step 2, Biggleswade FC have a real opportunity for promotion. With a squad still featuring several early-era players — including twins Alex and Lawrie Marsh — the 2025/26 campaign could add another promotion to the résumé of long-serving manager Dave Northfield, who has guided this group since their Under-18 days.
With play-off positions in the Southern League Division One Central hotly contested this season, there’s every chance Biggleswade FC could finally make the step up to Tier 7 of the English football pyramid.
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