Barnet will be pushing for promotion from the National League next season after finishing the 2023/2024 campaign in second place. While the Bees weren’t ever realistically in the running to depose runaway league champions, Chesterfield, they were the favourites to win the National League play-offs.
Hive expectations
That dream came to a devastating end against Solihull Moors after losing 4-0 at home in the play-off semifinal at The Hive. It was a result that sent shockwaves through the National League as Barnet had finished ten points above The Moors and recently beaten them at Damson Park during the fifth round of the FA Trophy.
While the play-offs are designed to give teams down the table a puncher’s chance, being floored to the degree they did was a bruising end to a promising campaign for Barnet.
Moreover, another season outside of the English Football League (EFL) is certain to delay Barnet’s plans to move out of The Hive. However, the reason might have more to do with status than finances as the Bees prepare to spend their seventh consecutive season in the National League.
Barnet’s healthy financial situation
The reality is that Barnet have the financial backing to see building plans come to fruition despite failing to secure promotion. This is, after all, an EFL club in waiting with sizeable endorsements already in place.
This is seen in a front-of-shirt sponsorship with personal healthcare provider TIC Health. Furthermore, the club benefits from well-heeled owners and the revenue generated from agreements that the National League has with title sponsors such as Unibet and 32Red, which are online casinos that feature prominently in this list by kingcasinobonus that names the top bonus providers in the United Kingdom.
While these are lucrative commercial deals with recognised brands, the wider point is that the club has good cash flow and the necessary resources to begin breaking ground on a new stadium.
Barnet Council’s objections
Rather, it is the local council that has objected to Barnet’s plans. You can only speculate that if the Bees had the status of an EFL team, then the council might have been more willing to compromise.
Either way, the ominous noises being made by the borough’s decision-makers will not go down well with Barnet’s fanbase.
Indeed, it is a particularly pressing matter for supporters as the Bees have been based in Harrow since 2013 after leaving Underhill Stadium. The club had previously been based at Underhill Stadium since 1907 but a dispute with the council led to the Bees taking flight to Harrow to play at The Hive which is 25 minutes outside of Barnet. The ground was soon knocked down and a school was built in its place.
This decision led to anger in the fanbase as supporters battled a loss of identity. This is why news of a potential return to their home borough was incredibly well-received after plans were unveiled in February 2024.
The proposed site would be a return home in every sense as the new ground would be built only a few metres from where Underhill Stadium once stood. As touched on though, since Barnet CEO Anthony Kleanthous made the announcement, Barnet Council have poured cold water on the idea by telling the club to be realistic about the location.
Specifically, the council raised objections about the strain a new stadium would put on nearby roads as well as environmental concerns around building on a greenbelt area.
Reading between the lines, the council is saying that it is highly unlikely that planning permission will be granted.
Give and take
If the club is to achieve its potential, it will need some assistance from the council who have to see the positive knock-on effect of having the Bees closer to home.
Of course, a nomadic existence doesn’t have to be the end of the promotion dream from the National League but it might ultimately mean an extended stay in England’s fifth tier after being relegated in 2018.
