London Bees - The Bees Stadium

London Bees WFC

The Bees Stadium

The Hive

Camrose Avenue

London 

HA8 6AG

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1368
Sunday 27th October 2024
London Bees 3-3 Norwich City
FAWNL D1 South East

LONDON BEES FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1975 and was initially known as District Line FC after their workplace. They first entered the Hounslow & District League, before playing in various London leagues. In the early 1990s. they were admitted into the Women’s FA National League Southern Division. They joined forces with Wembley FC, changing their name to Wembley Ladies. By 1997, they had reached the Women's FA Cup Final, losing 1-0 to Millwall Lionesses in front of over 3,000 at West Ham United. They then spent a season playing at Hanwell Town before becoming Barnet FC Ladies in 1998. In 2010, they were an unsuccessful applicant for the Women's Super League.

In 2014 they changed their name to London Bees. Two years later they became the first WSL 2 club to reach the semi-finals of the FA WSL Cup, after notable wins against Chelsea and Sheffield. They were later defeated by Birmingham City. In 2018 the second tier of women’s football was rebranded as the FA Women’s Championship. The Bees finished 8th in the 2018/19 campaign and followed that up with a 5th-place finish the next season before being relegated in 2021. After three difficult National League Southern Premier Division seasons, London Bees suffered a second relegation in four seasons. They currently play in the FA Women's National League Division One South East, the 4th level of women's Football.

MY VISIT

Since my last new blog, there has been one big piece of football news: the appointment of a new England manager. I'm not the biggest follower of international football, often seeing it as more of an annoyance that gets in the way of normal football. I only get into it when nothing else is on, such as tournament time. Gareth Southgate did a great job, not always pretty on the eye but he got consistent results and the standard has not become a final or semi-final rather than the quarters if we are lucky. But that was not good enough for some entitled fans who think we are God's gift, despite not winning anything in  58 years. I'd have been begging Southgate to stay, but the FA in their infinite wisdom accepted his resignation without much of a fight to go with the general narrative of the football world. Just as a stopped clock is right once a day though, they finally came good with the appointment of Thomas Tuchel (or Tommy Tickle as I like to call him thanks to author Ian King) getting the best possible man for the job. I think only Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola would have been better suited and there was not a chance that they would consider the job.

But that was not good enough for our xenophobic media, or at least some of it. No doubt harking back to a war that ended nearly eight years ago, they were incandescent with rage that we had appointed a GERMAN and had a fit of pique that made Oz from Auf Weidersehen Pet look decidedly woke. Insisting on an Englishman taking charge of the side, despite just days previous advocating Pep Guardiola for the role, they failed to say who they wanted instead. Maybe Graham Potter who seems like a younger Roy Hodgson has seen great success in Sweden but failed miserably at Chelsea. Or Eddie Howe, a decent guy, but one who has seen little international experience, just like Graham Taylor who flopped under intense pressure from the press. All in all, it's not hard to see why the Scots and Welsh take against England, especially when the very same press mocks their sterling efforts for smaller nations. All in all, it's like a rather embarrassing bloke down the pub that spouts utter nonsense.

I finalised plans for this visit on Thursday before the game, researching the club history from what I could find. I also planned parking in a side street as not I was not able to find out what parking costs within the stadium itself. Friday saw a disappointing lack of choice for a Friday night game, so it was an early night. Saturday was a great day as I enjoyed a nice day out watching Wycombe easily beat a feeble Leyton Orient side 3-0. A few drinks were enjoyed but I was home at a reasonable hour and appreciated the extra hour in bed, less so the darker evenings. It was as expected, busy as anything on Sunday with the traditional family day out at the supermarket being as popular as it ever was. I was glad when I was offered an early finish as time would have been tight otherwise. I was glad I left early. Firstly the traffic and roads were terrible once we got into London and also the footpath I'd been expecting didn't exist. Instead, it was a ten-minute walk to get to a destination a few hundred yards away. There was also no time to get food with everything being so far away. Luckily, the cafe at the ground did the job, a cheese and ham toastie was £3.10. It was a fiver to get in, reasonable for the third tier.

 

London Bees sat in 5th place, having won three, drawn three and lost two of their eight games so far. Two weeks ago, they won 6-0 at Steyning Town in the Women's FA Cup. Norwich City finished as runners-up last year and they were looking good to go one better this season. They sat top of the table having won four and drawn three of their seven games so far. Last week, they beat second-place Actonians 2-0 although that was in the FAWNL Plate 4th Round. The game was late starting, it was 14:08 before it kicked off. It was even early on but Norwich took the lead on ten minutes, a cross from the left and close-range header by Shannon Shaw. On 16 minutes, it was all square, a deep cross and another header from around six yards out by Sam Lanza. Just before halftime, London Bees took the lead, a corner from the left was flicked on and it was another header from Lanza to make it 2-1. It was the least they deserved after dominating the first half. The second half kicked off at 15:16. On 48 minutes, it was all square, identical to the opener, another Shaw header. Despite a great save by the Bees keeper, she couldn't hold onto the ball and so Shaw completed her hat trick on 67 minutes, poking home after a goal-mouth scramble. Just as the game was entering its final stages and Norwich looked home and dry, London Bees equalised, Hailey Hoare with great control and a finish from the edge of the area.

 

The hosts even had a couple of chances to win what had been an excellent game with some physical challenges at times. It was still a ten-minute walk back to the car, but I left in a good mood and glad that I had chosen to come to the game. Though the journey home was not the quickest, it was a far more pleasant route without constant width restrictions, speed bumps and other traffic-calming measures. I listened to the Arsenal v Liverpool game and got in at 5.15. I had a busy evening with this blog, and I will eventually add some of the women's football leagues to my blog. I also had to pack up my old laptop to send after I'd sold it on eBay. Next up for me, fingers crossed, will be Holmer Green v Brook House on Tuesday, provided the hosts have solved the floodlight issues that prevented me from visiting my local side last Tuesday.

 

THE GROUND

THE BEES STADIUM is a fairly basic 3G cage although it does have a decent amount of metal terracing. There is no cover or seating officially, though you can sit down on the terrace. Overall, it's a decent facility, albeit one that is a bit bland. One notable aspect is that players take an unusual route to the pitch, walking away from the stadium and then back in again. Public transport is plentiful or it's street parking or £3 for up to four hours or £8 if it's classed as an 'event' or 'matchday'. Snacks, drinks and sandwiches are available from an adjacent cafe, as is booze.

Leamington - New Windmill Ground

Leamington FC

The New Windmill Ground

Harbury Lane

Bishops Tachbrook

Leamington Spa

Warwickshire

CV33 9QB

01926 430406

Official Website
Twitter

Ground Number: 225
Tuesday 13th November 2012
Leamington 2-1 Kettering Town
Southern League Premier Division

LEAMINGTON FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The current incarnation of Leamington FC was established in 2000, twelve years after the original club collapsed due to the loss of their ground. They started out in the Midland Combination Division 2, dropping a couple of levels from where the original team left off. Having secured land in the interim period, they had already been using it as a community facility since 1993, with the current pitch established in 1999. They won the title in their debut season and the following year finished as runners-up to Rugby Town to win promotion to the Premier Division. Three seasons were spent here where they finished as runners-up to Romulus in 2004 before winning the title and promotion the following year. After two years in the Midland Alliance, they won the title and promotion to the Southern League in 2007. They finished as runners-up to Evesham United in the Division 1 Midlands in 2008 before losing to Stourbridge in the playoff final.

Leamington put this right the next season winning the title and promotion to the Southern Premier. In 2011, they lost to Hednsesford Town in the playoffs after a 5th-place finish before winning the title in 2013. Their first season in the Conference North saw them finish 13th, their joint-best season to date. However, the next season they were relegated and spent a couple of seasons back in the Southern Premier. In 2017, Leamington finished as runners-up to Chippenham Town and beat Slough Town and Hitchin Town in the playoffs to regain their Conference North status. In 2019, the club gained another 13th-place finish but were relegated in 2023. Last season was spent back in the Southern Premier where they finished 3rd before beating Redditch United and AFC Telford United in the playoffs to return to the National North.

Leamington reached the 1st Round of the FA Cup in 2005, an impressive and rare feat for a Step 5 club. They beat Sutton United 2002, Kidsgrove Athletic, Oadby Town, Woodford Town and Ossett Town before a heavy 9-1 defeat at Colchester United. They did hold the League 1 side for 39 minutes and scored through Richard Adams but their run came to an end. The FA Trophy 5th Round was reached in 2021 and the Quarter Final of the FA Vase in 2006. Since the reformation, the club has won the Midland Alliance League Cup in 2007, the Joe McGorian Cup in 2008 and three of eight Birmingham Senior Cups that they've won across their entire history. The record attendance of 2,131 came for a 2022 friendly against Coventry City.

The original club was established in 1933 as the works team of Lockheed Borg & Beck, gaining the nickname "the Brakes" due to the products manufactured by the company. The club uses 1933 as their official formation date. They were known as Lockheed Leamington up until 1973 when they changed their name to AP (Automotive Products) Leamington to reflect the renaming of their parent company. They played in local leagues at first, joining the Birmingham & District League (now the West Midlands Regional League) in 1949. After being title winners in 1961 and 1962 they joined the Midland League which they won in 1965. In 1971, the club joined the Southern League, playing in Division 1 North. in 1976, a 3rd place finish was good enough for promotion to the Premier Division. In 1979, they were invited to join the new Alliance League, nowadays the National League. Their best finish came in 1981 when they finished 16th. They were relegated the following year and despite winning the Southern Premier title the following season, they were denied promotion due to ground grading reasons. This started the decline of the club, AP were relegated from the Premier Division after which they were renamed Leamington. The new identity failed to arrest the slide and in 1987 they were relegated to the Midland Combination League. The loss of their ground was the final straw and they played their last game on 16th April 1988, a 2–2 draw with Walsall Wood in front of 500 spectators. Other highlights included reaching the FA Cup 2nd Round in 1977, holding Southend United to a draw before losing the replay. They also reached the FA Trophy Quarter Final in 1984, losing to Bangor City. In 1951, they had a record attendance of 3,500 at their ground for their Birmingham Senior Cup Final against Hereford United in 1951.

Other clubs representing the town include Leamington Hibs who play in the Midland League Division 3. The town of Leamington Spa has a population of just under 51,000. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following the popularisation of its water which was reputed to have medicinal qualities. In the 19th century, the town experienced one of the most rapid expansions in England. It is named after the River Leam, which flows through the town. In 1838 Queen Victoria granted the town a 'Royal' prefix, and 'Leamington Priors' was renamed 'Royal Leamington Spa'. Queen Victoria had visited the town as a Princess in 1830 and as Queen in 1858. Famous people from Leamington include footballer Ben Foster whilst Anne Diamond, Russell Howard and Stormzy have lived or studied in the town.

MY FIRST VISIT

Originally on this date, I was planning to go to Biggleswade Town v Slough Town in the Southern League Division 1 Central, mainly as I had a few mates in Biggleswade that I fancied catching up with. But that was called off owing to Slough getting a shock FA Cup replay at Mansfield, a team challenging near the top of the league 3 divisions higher. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I had started going to games with my mate Anwar, who lived in Aylesbury. So I was looking for games that meant I took a route through there. There were 3 options: North Leigh v Tiverton Town, Arlesey v Bashley and Leamington v Kettering Town. I couldn't decide from the 3, so left it up to Anwar who plumped for Leamington. There was a late contender in Hinckley United v Gainsborough Trinity, which was an FA Trophy replay, but Anwar had his heart set on Leamington, and it was a bit nearer, so we settled for that one. As with most Tuesdays, I had the day off work. So I spent the day relaxing, going down to Wycombe and posting some stuff at the local post office. I had arranged to meet Anwar at 5.15. I left home at 4 as I needed to nip into the garage to sort out a problem with my headlight and the petrol station to fill up. I got to Aylesbury at 5.20 and after a fairly easy journey, first, cross country and then on the M40, we got there at 6.35 and went straight in.

Kettering Town were the night's visitors and had undergone severe financial difficulties during the season, thanks to some bad owners. They had already been exiled from their home by one owner, Imran Ladak and had been moved to Rushden and Diamonds' old Nene Park Ground. The writing was on the wall when another dodgy owner, George Rolls came in over the summer, however, his takeover never got fully completed, due to him facing a huge amount of FA charges relating to betting whilst owner of his previous clubs, Weymouth and Cambridge United. They had spent the previous season in the Blue Square Premier, having a torrid time after losing players due to being unable to pay them. This resulted in them going into a CVA at the end of the season, meaning a 'double relegation' to the Southern League Premier Division. This season had not been much better. Already they had had to field 10 players from the start of the game against Bashley, one of them being the second-choice keeper. They lost 7-0. And from Saturday they were forced to play at Corby Town's Steel Park ground, due to the high running costs of playing at Nene Park in Rushden. They had however shown improvement in recent weeks, though they were still bottom on -5 points owing to a deduction due to more financial irregularities. And they were still yet to win.



After paying £9 to get in and £2 for a programme, we had a quick look around the club shop, picking up a free fanzine, sadly they had no pennants though. After getting some chips, we found out that the programme shop would not be open till later, so we went for a drink in their smart-looking bar. I had a pint of Stowford Press cider, one that I have had several times before, but not for a while. I enjoyed it and it was £3.10 well spent. After sitting in the warm and checking Facebook and replying to messages, I went out and took some pictures of the ground, working my way around the ground until I reached the programme shop that was now open. It turned out to be one of the best I have been to, fairly small in size, but full of great stock at good value prices. I got 3 books, a whole load of fanzines, plus a Merthyr Tydfil pennant and keyring for £3.80 - bargain! By now the ground was filling up. So after getting some more chips - this time with some of the nicest curry sauce I have tasted, we took a decent spot along the side, in a crowd which turned out to be 420, a decent turnout for midweek in the Southern Premier. Leamington had always got fantastic attendances, for one game in the Midland Combination Division 2 (that's step 7 of non-league, or 11 overall) they pulled in 1,200 for that game when three-figure attendances for that level are very rare.



During the warm-up, I was amused to spot that the Kettering keeper Yannick Nlate looked a bit like Mr T from the A-Team. The Leamington fans agreed and were singing the theme tune all night, amongst other songs. They were pretty vocal, but I didn't hear much from the Kettering fans. You can read a copy of the Leamington match report here but to sum it up.... It was a decent game. Kettering were a team of youngsters hastily thrown together, following yet more player losses. And they gave a pretty good account of themselves. They started slightly the brighter side and took the lead early on. However, it was all square at the break. Leamington were the better side during the second half, perhaps due to Kettering tiring. And it was the home side that won 2-1, though in truth it could have been more, despite a brave resistance from Kettering, their keeper making several good saves.



So another enjoyable footballing night in good company. On the way home, we wanted to listen to the Slough v Mansfield game which had gone to extra time. But we were too far north to pick up BBC Radio Berkshire. So we made do with the Lincoln v Walsall match which finished 3-2 to Lincoln after extra time. After much searching, we finally got the game in its final stages before hearing the disappointing news that Slough lost on penalties. After dropping Anwar off just before 11, I was back in at 11.15. I watched a bit of TV before going to bed, my mind planning where our next game would be.

MY SECOND VISIT

22/10/24 v Southport, National North

In the last week, there had been a plethora of revisits. Firstly the FA Cup at Maidenhead where Taunton Town matched them for large parts but then lost two late goals to lose 3-0. York Road is always a pleasure to visit and I'd not been for five years. Saturday was epic, an early kickoff at Wycombe meant radically different pre-match plans. I was at the ground bang on kickoff but it was an entertaining game and we looked to be under the cosh after going 1-0 down. But Richard Kone, less than a year ago turning out for Athletic Newham in the Essex Senior League came on as a sub and pulled us out of the mire with a hat trick in less than ten minutes. That was remarkable, so my second game of the day at Penn & Tylers Green seemed insignificant by comparison. However, they put up a good flight against higher league Bedfont Sports who despite showing their class on occasions, only sealed the game with a last-minute goal. Completing the weekend was a fairly dull 0-0 between Burnham and Eastbourne United. The hosts looked better and eventually won 5-3 on penalties.

It was intended to be a revisit with no blog on this day, as I'd intended to go up to my local club Holmer Green for their game against Windsor. However, I woke up to a notification on the Football Web Pages app that the game had been postponed. With the Windsor FC tweet advertising the game, I assumed the problem was at their end and after checking the FA Full Time website, it was not being played. No reason was given, but I later learned that it was an issue with Holmer Green's floodlights, news I found out from another hopper. There were no new grounds within a sensible distance, nor any other local revisits I fancied. I saw Leamington were at home and originally had them pencilled in for a revisit on 26th November. However, the Wycombe Wanderers v Mansfield Town game had been scheduled for then, so it was ideal timing for a revisit. I fancied a revisit to check out the club shop and update my blog and Colin had wanted to pay his first visit for ages. When I originally went to Leamington in November 2012, it was only the third time I'd given Anwar a lift but at present, we have been to 335 grounds together. I'd be taking Colin this time, the 157th time I'd taken him.

All in all, I've given out 618 lifts but only got back 38. After walking to town and back in the morning, I spent the afternoon researching the club which took me far longer than expected but was enjoyable learning new things. I left at 5.30, meeting Colin on the way. We were at the ground by 6.50 after a good journey. It was £15 entry, fairly reasonable. Food had shot up in price due to being handled by a greedy external vendor. Curry sauce and chips were excellent last time for £1.80 sold by the club. A no doubt inferior product was now £5, so with me not being hungry, I decided not to bother. The programme shop was still superb though and I got a load of fanzines for £3. The guy running it had changed, now coming from Newport in Shropshire, one of many dedicated non-league volunteers worth their weight in gold. The bar now had a unique Warwickshire cider but due to driving and my midweek abstinence, I decided against it. Certainly, one to look for in the future. 

3-0 to Leamington after an hour, not a great evening for Southport as they are down to ten men. Excellent vocal support and numbers for midweek from them, daft distance in a local league for a Tuesday game. pic.twitter.com/Qn6cuGSC0d

— ⚽Russell Cox💙 (@RussWWFC) October 22, 2024

Leamington were 11th and had won four, drawn four and lost three of their games so far. They were unbeaten at home, but not so good away. On Saturday, they lost 1-0 at South Shields. Southport were 8th and had won five, drawn three and lost four so far. They were unbeaten in three and on Saturday had won 2-1 at Scarborough Athletic. Both sides had chances early on. Southport had bought a good amount of fans for midweek and they were in superb voice. Sadly our mate Ollie Booth wasn't in attendance but the fans sang a song in his honour. Leamington took the lead on 23 minutes, a great header by Rob Evans from a left-sided corner. This killed Southport's momentum for a while but they came close from a free kick just before halftime. I went to the programme shop and got another load of fanzines. Leamington went further ahead on 48 minutes, Callum Stewart poking home from a corner for his eighth goal of the season. On the hour, Leamington were awarded a penalty for a foul, Quansah was sent off for the offence and the keeper was also booked for the offence. When play resumed, Stewart stepped up to score his second of the game. The attendance was announced as 507 including two fans very happy that Wycombe Wanderers had won 3-2 at Burton Albion. The home fans were also delighted and in great voice as they potentially had their best season since reforming. 

THE GROUND

THE NEW WINDMILL GROUND has been Leamington's home since 2001. It's a modern ground, but fairly basic, having been improved over the years to meet criteria for the level they are playing at. They started off life at this ground in the 2nd Division of the Midland Combination, rising up 4 leagues to their current standing in the Southern League Premier Division. A fantastic feat, but made a bit easier thanks to their fantastic support that reached well into 4 figures at a level where 3 figure attendances are noteworthy. I had previously visited the ground on the way to a Wycombe away game, as you can tell from the daylight and different sponsor signs in some of the photos.

The bar was really bright and flash, with lots of shirts on the walls and a big-screen TV. They also do their own beer - Brakes Fluid. Prices are reasonable too The tea bar is also good, they have a really well-stocked sweet shop, as well as a good range of hot food. The programme shop is my favourite feature, having a great selection of books, programmes, fanzines and other random stuff. The person who runs it, Craig, is a regular poster on Tony's Non League Forum There is also a club shop for your club merchandise. At the time of my first visit, there was a cover on 2 sides - seating along the side and covered terracing behind one goal. On today's visit, however, the capacity had risen to 2300. There was additional seating along one side, with 2 new stands along the side, one covered, one uncovered. And larger terraces behind each goal.

2024 GROUND UPDATE

A fair bit had changed since my last visit. A new seated stand had been added on the far side and the existing stand looked like it had been extended. Other cosmetic changes had also happened. Both shops were still very similar, the programme shop was the highlight though it was a bit of a squeeze with many in there. The clubhouse had improved with drinks from a local brewery. The tuck shop had moved into the tea bar, as I remember it as some tables. The only downgrade was the hot food as it was run by an outside caterer and wasn't the great value place it once was.