County town 'can support a Premier League club'

Peter McCormack the co-owner of Real Bedford said the club was "sustainable and profitable"

The Bitcoin podcast owner of a non-league football club has said a county town where it is based can "support a team in the Premier League".

Peter McCormack, who comes from Bedford, said "patience" was needed to get "Real Bedford" into the top flight.

He took over Bedford FC in 2021 and on Tuesday secured a second successive promotion and will compete in the Southern League Division One Central next season, which is the eighth tier of the English football league pyramid.

He said with plans for Universal Studios to open a theme park in the area, the town "is only going to get bigger".

Gemini founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss are co-owners of Real Bedford

Mr McCormack said the club was "relentless about success" and "we're trying to build a club for the football league".

He said he was trying to do "something different" and create an international brand.

"We're seen as the Bitcoin club and if you're a Bitcoiner anywhere in the world you will be aware of our club," he said.

He said because of that it has access to sponsors, including Gemini founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, who have just invested $4.5m (about £3.6m) into the club, to become co-owners.

"Everything is on track... having them as co-owners is a gift to the town," he said.

"Our ambition is big; we want to approach this professionally, do it right and that means investing in the club."

He said it was making a profit and has two audiences - people in Bedford who "want to support a team and are excited by the project"

The other is its US fanbase, which he said was 60-70% of the total, who are able to watch live coverage on streaming services.

The club's McMullen Park ground, just off the A421 near Cardington and right next to Bedford Town's ground, is owned by Bedford Borough Council and the lease runs out in two years.

Mr McCormack said he was negotiating an extension, but the long-term plan was to move "somewhere bigger".

On X he said: "We're a Bedford team and will only play football in the town."

Attendance was also increasing.

When he took over in 2021, he said 30-40 watched a game, last season the average was 180, this season it was nearer to 250 on average, but at Tuesday's game the crowd was more than 1,000.

'Patience'

"Bedford [Borough] has a population of 174,000 people. Burnley, in the Premier League, has a population of 90,000," he said.

"Add to the fact Universal is coming here, Bedford is only going to get bigger.

"There's going to be more people here, the town can support a team in the Premier League.

"It needs financial backing and it needs a team that can make it happen. We've got the team and the financial backing - now it's just patience."

He said his goal was to get into the Football League within a decade and "Cameron and Tyler want us in the Premier League".