Bloomfields: Needham Market FC

From Needham Market FC

During the early years of Needham Market’s existence as a football club, the team played its matches at Young’s Meadow. Eventually, a decision was taken to relocate to Crowley Park, playing there up until a former player named Arthur Rodwell died and left some money to the club, which was combined with a grant given to them by the National Lottery in order to purchase land for a new stadium to be built on. That stadium was named after another former player, rather than Rodwell himself, when Derrick Bloomfield got the honour of having Bloomfields given his title. It took a decade for a record attendance of 750 to be set.

That, though, was small fries compared to the 1,375 people who turned up to watch the club play in the semi-final of the FA Vase against Kirkham & Wesham in 2008. That was broken five years later with the arrival of 1,748 people at the ground to see an FA Cup fourth qualifying round between Needham Market and Cambridge United. The biggest alteration to the ground came in 2018, which was when a 3G pitch and a 50-seat stand were both installed, alongside new changing rooms. These were in the wider Bloomfields complex, which is used by the Needham Market reserve team for the matches that they play.

Stats

Bloomfields Photos

Bloomfields, Terrace Behind the Goal

Bloomfields, View of the Pitch

Bloomfields, Fans Watching the Match

Bloomfields Seating Plan and Where to Sit

It is often the case with lower league clubs that their facilities are basic, but that feels as though it is taken to a whole new level when it comes to Needham Market’s stadium. Bloomfields is essentially a pitch with a covered terrace behind one goal and a covered seating area behind the other. There is also covered seating on offer along one side of the pitch, whilst the other is just open standing.

Needham Market Ticket Prices

If you’re looking to buy your tickets online then you’ll have until midday on the day of the match that you’re getting tickets for to do so. The club is also quite limited in the information that it gives out when it comes to ticket prices, but the following will give you a sense of how much you’re likely to be asked to pay:

• Adults – £15
• Concessions – £10
• Children (12-16) – £5
• Under 12 – £3

Concession tickets are offered to disabled supporters, people aged 60 and over and students, with valid ID necessary.

How To Get Needham Market Tickets

The main thing that lower league league clubs know more than anything else is that they have to work incredibly hard to compete for the attention of modern football fans. With the likes of the Premier League and Championship regularly being shown on Sky Sports, TNT Sport and the likes, clubs such as Needham Market have to make sure that their website is as simple as possible to access. With that in mind, if you’re wishing to see a Needham Market match live then the club’s site is the best place to go. You can also buy tickets on the turnstiles, if you’re not really a technology user.

Where to Buy

• Ticket Compare

Getting To Bloomfields

Train – Whilst Needham Market might be an unusual name for a football club, the good news is that it’s named after the local area and so all of the important things share its title. The closed station is Needham Market Railway Station, for example, standing about ten minutes away from the ground on foot.

Bus – There aren’t really any bus routes that take you close to the ground, but there are a couple that stop a few streets away. If the bus is how you’d like to get there then you can opt for the 88 Stowmarket Swift or the 387.

Car – Anyone hoping to drive to Needham Market will be wanting to get onto the A14 until Junction 50, which should take you onto the A1120 towards Stowmarket and Needham Market itself. Stay on that road for about a mile, turning left onto the Needham Road, which is the B1113. After a little over two miles you’ll turn right onto Barrett’s Lane and then take a left onto Quinton Road, which is where you’ll find the stadium.

By Air – Whilst it seems unlikely that you’re going to want to fly into the country in order to watch a Needham Market match, those of you that choose to do so will have an onward journey of about two hours to contend with. London Stansted is probably the nearest main one, but it is around two hours away. The same can be said of Norwich Airport, so it’s a little bit of a matter of choosing your poison.

Taxi – The train station isn’t too far from the ground, so you can expect to pay anywhere between £5 and £10 for the privilege of jumping a cab between the two.

Parking Near Bloomfields

The good news about Bloomfields is that it is essentially in the middle of nowhere. Whilst this makes it tricky to get to for those of you not driving, those of you that are in a car will be able to park in numerous locations not far from the ground.

• See Available Parking Near Bloomfields

Useful Resources

• Parking - Just Park

Pubs and Bars Near Bloomfields

About Needham Market

Unless you happen to know quite a lot about the lower leagues of English football, it’s entirely possible that Needham Market will be a club that has completely passed you by. That is entirely understandable, give the fact that the side spent the majority of its more formative years playing in the likes of the lower divisions of the Ipswich & District League. In fact, it took until 1996 before the club made it as high as Division One of the Eastern Counties League, so they won’t really have touched on the public consciousness until at least then. Those in the area might remember them as the winners of the East Anglian Cup in 2007.

Needham Market has enjoyed a fair bit of relative success over the years. Whilst it’s not the sort of thing that is likely to get the hearts of Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester United supporters racing, they won the Southern League at the end of the 2023-2024 season to gain promotion to the National League North. With wins in the likes of the Suffolk Premier Cup and the East Anglian Cup, as mentioned, the club’s supporters have certainly had plenty to enjoy over the years. They made it to the first round proper of the FA Cup in the 2022-2023 season, as well as the semi-final of the FA Vase in 2007-2008.

Bloomfields History

During the early years of Needham Market’s existence as a football club, the team played its matches at Young’s Meadow. Eventually, a decision was taken to relocate to Crowley Park, playing there up until a former player named Arthur Rodwell died and left some money to the club, which was combined with a grant given to them by the National Lottery in order to purchase land for a new stadium to be built on. That stadium was named after another former player, rather than Rodwell himself, when Derrick Bloomfield got the honour of having Bloomfields given his title. It took a decade for a record attendance of 750 to be set.

That, though, was small fries compared to the 1,375 people who turned up to watch the club play in the semi-final of the FA Vase against Kirkham & Wesham in 2008. That was broken five years later with the arrival of 1,748 people at the ground to see an FA Cup fourth qualifying round between Needham Market and Cambridge United. The biggest alteration to the ground came in 2018, which was when a 3G pitch and a 50-seat stand were both installed, alongside new changing rooms. These were in the wider Bloomfields complex, which is used by the Needham Market reserve team for the matches that they play.