{"id":171192,"date":"2025-09-30T20:32:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T20:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/171192\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T20:32:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T20:32:10","slug":"match-focus-champions-in-town-for-champ-rugby-opener-bedford-blues-rfc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/171192\/","title":{"rendered":"MATCH FOCUS | Champions in town for Champ Rugby opener : Bedford Blues RFC"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/99852c8e921dce56181f5535e1ee1792.jpg\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>    Posted: 30th September 2025<br \/>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-lead\">There\u2019s no better way to start a new campaign than a battle between last year\u2019s first and second place as Bedford Blues host champions, Ealing Trailfinders at Goldington Road this Saturday (Gates Open 12:30pm, KO 4pm). <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bedfordblues.ticketco.events\/uk\/en\/e\/bedford_blues_v_ealing_trailfinders25\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Purchase tickets online today to save a massive \u00a35 on all adult prices.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Big Game Preview <\/p>\n<p>Both sides head into the league opener off the back of some impressive results in pre-season and will be looking for a fast start in one of the showpiece fixtures to kickstart Champ Rugby.<\/p>\n<p>Ealing were the only side to taste success at Goldington Road in last year\u2019s Championship, but backed by another passionate showing of support, Mike Rayer\u2019s side will be looking to turn the tide in search of a first home win over the Trailfinders since January 2019.<\/p>\n<p>However, with Blues the winners of the previous outing between the two sides and an average of 60 points shared in recent times, expect another humdinger this Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>Hospitality \u2013 Last Chance to Book<\/p>\n<p>Make it an extra special start to the new season by upgrading into one of our numerous hospitality venues on site; enjoy the Former Players Autumn Luncheon in the CMC Marquee, the premium experience of The Dovecote Park Suite or Chicken George in The Burrow at the Blues.<\/p>\n<p>Click the button below to speak to the team and discuss all the options.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn\" href=\"https:\/\/bedfordrugby.co.uk\/news\/2025\/09\/mailto:season@bedfordrugby.co.uk\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">CONTACT BLUES COMMERCIAL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Spectacular Sporting Saturday<\/p>\n<p>Join us from gates opening at the slightly later time of 12:30pm for a packed sporting schedule, starting with Premier League football as Leeds United host Tottenham Hotspur.<\/p>\n<p>From there, it\u2019s all about the rugby with an early sighting of fellow Champ Rugby play-off aspirers, Worcester Warriors and Coventry going head-to-head at 2pm, and after the action on the hallowed turf, which will also be screened in the bars, it\u2019s Saracens v Bristol in Prem Rugby at 5:30pm. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Food, Drink and Entertainment<\/p>\n<p>Grab a matchday programme from either the Ticket Office, Shop or any of the internal bars and find your spot to sample everything Goldington Road has to offer this week.<\/p>\n<p>As well as the live sport, there\u2019s plenty of food and drink to enjoy with four hot food kiosks and six public bars to enjoy. The Mini Fan Village is again the place to be with No.7 Coffee House back in their new unit for the season.<\/p>\n<p>After the match, head to The Rebel Bar for the continuation of \u2018Final Whistle\u2019 featuring the Man of the Match interview, or straight into the marquee with live music from the returning, Goats in Trees!<\/p>\n<p>Blues Foundation Activation<\/p>\n<p>Saturday\u2019s Guard of Honour, supported by Bellway Homes, will be formed of Biggleswade U9s and U10s. Whilst on the pitch, Bedford Junior Blues Girls section will be Blues Family flag bearers as we celebrate the start of the new Champ Rugby season and England winning the Women\u2019s Rugby World Cup. Please give them all a cheer as they step out onto the pitch to welcome the teams.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t forget there\u2019s multiple places to return your Eco Cups, including at the bars. With the latest in our legends\u2019 series launching this matchday, there\u2019s no better time to support the fantastic community work Blues Foundation provide across the county.<\/p>\n<p>Club Shop \u2013 Wear Your Threads<\/p>\n<p>Our new home and alternative jerseys have been flying off the shelves in time for the new season! Pop in this matchday to view the full Gilbert range with items varying from jackets to rucksacks, t-shirts to keyrings.<\/p>\n<p>Head in at the usual time of two hours before KO, at half-time, and following the final whistle to see what\u2019s available.<\/p>\n<p>Ticketing this Matchday<\/p>\n<p>Buy tickets online before matchday and save a massive \u00a35 on all adult prices,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bedfordblues.ticketco.events\/uk\/en\/e\/bedford_blues_v_blackheath__deano_testimonial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">click here to buy.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Goldington Road Ticket Office remains a cashless facility, so if buying on matchday, be aware we cannot accept cash and this is the only place to buy them.<\/p>\n<p>Live Stream Coverage<\/p>\n<p>Can&#8217;t make it to Goldington Road on Saturday? As announced recently, Clubber TV is the new live streaming home of Champ Rugby, broadcasting all 182 regular league fixtures and the play-offs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For all the details on this exciting partnership, <a href=\"https:\/\/bedfordrugby.co.uk\/news\/2025\/09\/champ-rugby-and-clubber-tv-announce-brand-new-streaming-partnership\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">please click here<\/a>. Blues fans can still get a 20% discount on a seasonal pass by using the code BEDF20.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cmcit.tech\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Match Sponsor: CMC Technology Group<\/a><br \/>&#13;<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.multicraftservices.co.uk\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Match Ball Sponsors: Multicraft Electrical Services<\/a><br \/>&#13;<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/woodstock-foods.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Man of the Match Sponsors: Woodstock Foods<\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/bedfordrugby.co.uk\/tickets\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Banner_2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"ccm-image-block img-responsive bID-138605\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Posted: 30th September 2025\u00a0 There\u2019s no better way to start a new campaign than a battle between last&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":171193,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-171192","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-rugby","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=171192"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171192\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}