Non-league football calendars for the 2025/26 season are being finalised across the country, and both Bedford Town and Real Bedford have learnt of their destinations for the new campaign.
Bedford Town are confirmed in National League North after winning Southern League Premier Central last season, while Real Bedford are promoted into that division after winning Southern League Central Division One.
Bedford Town are at step two of the non-league pyramid for the first time since 2006/07 after a miraculous title victory last season, secured on the final day with a 2-0 win at The Eyrie against Stourbridge.
Read: Bedford Town beat Stourbridge to win Southern League Premier Central
Real Bedford continued their merciless rise up the non-league pyramid with a third straight title success; secured in far more comfortable fashion with three games to go, in front of their new American investors, the Winklevoss twins against relegated Kings Langley.
Read: Evans penalty seals Real Bedford’s third straight league title
Now at steps two and three in the pyramid, both teams have different challenges ahead.
Bedford Town’s target will surely be to stay in the National League, where they have unexpectedly ended up after targeting survival at the step below last season. For Real and their management, a fourth straight league title may well enter their thinking.
Treks ahead for Town
A new league setup equals new challenges for Bedford Town.
Step three is regionalised to the tune of four different divisions, but at step two – the sixth tier of English football – there are only two divisions. National League North and National League South.
Bedford Town would have faced some monster trips in either division, but will face far more in National League North, including to sides like South Shields near Newcastle, Spennymoor Town in County Durham and Darlington.
This team are of course still part-time, so there are logistical challenges for the board and management at The Eyrie who have already been busy courting new sponsorship and personnel ahead of the new campaign.
Spare a thought for the likes of Oxford City who – despite being further south than the Eagles – are also in this division while Merthyr Town in South Wales are also in National League North despite winning Southern League Premier South last term.
There is only one relegated side from the National League in the North setup; AFC Fylde, while the other three go into National League South.
Four in a row for Real?
Real Bedford have now won consecutive league titles at steps six, five and four and now face the challenge of step three, with some big, established clubs who their near neighbours beat to the Southern League Premier Central title in 2024/25.
Step three is considered a far bigger jump than the ones already navigated by Rob Sinclair’s side but confidence at the Ledger Stadium will be high after filling their trophy cabinet in the past few campaigns.
Fans of local football will already be familiar with a lot of the teams in Southern League Premier Central, but perhaps the biggest surprise is that Kettering Town are still there after losing the play-off final 4-2 against AFC Telford United.
Joining Real in this division are Quorn FC after they won the Northern Premier League Midlands with 103 points, Worcester City who beat Corby Town 2-1 in that division’s play-off final and Bury Town, who also won a play-off to reach step three.
Needham Market join them after relegation from National League North.
Another quirk of the non-league system is that relegated teams can also be given reprieves, given for a whole host of reasons, and Barwell are the lucky recipients this season and stay in Southern League Premier Central despite getting relegated last season.
Focus for Real Bedford will be towards the top of the division however, despite chairman and co-owner, Peter McCormack acknowledging that the challenge will be harder than ever in a recent interview with the club’s media team.
Elsewhere, Kempston Rovers remain at step five after narrowly avoiding relegation from Spartans South Midlands Premier Division, where they will remain for the new season.
Attention now turns to the pre-season schedule, where both sides will be busy arranging friendlies to ready them for new challenges ahead, but before you know it, it will be August where the slog of non-league football starts again.
The full list of confirmed divisions from step two to step six of the non-league pyramid can be found via the FA’s website here.
