• Barnet FC is entering their 14th years at The Hive
  • The Bees continue success under Manager Dean Brennan
  • Supporters are questioning where Barnet FC is situated at the moment
  • There is belief the club remain away from its true home
  • Debate over a potential return is not going to disappear.

For more than a decade, Barnet FC supporters have debated whether coming back to the Borough of Barnet would ever happen.

Since relocating from the historic Underhill Stadium where they were for 106 years to The Hive in Harrow in 2013, the Bees have enjoyed the improved training pitches, gym, medical centre, and pitches.

Everything sound so positive doesn't it? Yet there are continued debates over the clubs identity since leaving Underhill.

Why Underhill Still Holds A Special Place In Barnet Hearts

The club was in Barnet for over a century and it was an iconic football ground.

The stadium hosted countless memories, including playing Arsenal in a friendly in 2004 and losing 10-1, winning the The Conference in 2005, and Edgar Davids being announced as player manager.

These are only a stand out few of so many good times at Underhill.

Why A Return To Barnet Is So Difficult

Any potential return would face significant obstacles. Finding suitable land within the Borough is becoming increasingly difficult.

A group of Barnet FC supporters called Bring Back Barnet, whose sole focus is to get the club back to Borough, recently were faced with some worrying news last year that could stop them in their tracks.

On July 14th in 2025, plans for a move back were rejected at a strategic planning meeting. The location proposed was on the Barnet Playing Fields, near the location of Barnet FC's previous stadium.

There were concerns over the development as the site would be built on a Green Belt and would reduce public open space for local residents, which was further supported by the creation of Save Barnet Playing Fields,

Comments made on July 8th at a full council meeting were voiced about there being an overarching misunderstanding about the potential of alternative sites.

There were suggestions made and three or four sites were put forward to the club. During the meeting, Conservative Councillor David Longstaff asked what the council's "preferred" sites would be, with which council leader Barry Rawlings explained they were waiting for a response.

Just two days later the council withdrew their decision stating they had "never offered" Barnet others sites, backtracking and reversing their position. A perfect way to leave the club's future in limbo.

A move back to the Borough remains complex and it seems a more long-term possibility now rather than a more immediate reality.

What Do The Fans Want?

While opinions differ on the future of current Harrow-based club, many supporters share a common desire: a stronger connection between club and the community it represents.

For some it means a return to the London Borough of Barnet. They believe bringing the club back into the Borough, will boost attendances, attract new supporters, and help restore that identity.

I was able to catch up with a few fans at last home game against Gillingham as the Bees cruised to a 6-2 win.

One supporter told me "If we were back in Barnet, more people would come. It would feel like us again." Others pointed to the sense of community that had been lost over the past 14 years. "It used to feel like a tight community. Now it is like everyone is just passing through."

The term "topophilia", which is the love of place becomes particularly relevant here as it is clear to see these fans feel as if their identity has been stripped away since moving away from Barnet.

When looking at other North London clubs like Arsenal and Tottenham they are situated right in the heart of their local communities and you can see how that allows their club identity to be clear and strong.

This is something the club need back.

What Comes Next For The Bees

Fourteen years after leaving Underhill, Barnet FC's still remains as sharp as ever on the pitch with Dean Brennan at the wheel finishing just outside the playoffs in their first year back in the Football League.

The concept of liminality describes a state of being caught between two places or identities. This perfectly captures the club's position since moving to The Hive.

Successful and settled, yet still searching for the sense of true belonging once associated with Underhill and their original home Borough.

Where Barnet FC goes or remains is still up for question, but few clubs have faced a journey quite like this one.