We aim to inspire a lifelong interest in sport, promoting enjoyment, teamwork, well-being and fitness. 

SPORT FOR ALL 

From beginner to elite athlete, we offer every boy the opportunity to participate and develop in a wide range of sporting activities. We value sport not only for the health and fitness benefits it provides but also for the values of enjoyment, discipline, independence, camaraderie and teamwork. Our team of dedicated and passionate specialist teachers and professional coaches, are on hand to provide high-quality tuition and guidance, helping each boy fulfil their potential. 

Many of our boys excel at sport, and we are very proud that the vast majority of our sports compete at the highest national level. Current sporting alumni include Alastair Cook, Phelan Hill, Fraser Dingwall and George Furbank, which also bears testament to the school’s sporting success. 

UNRIVALLED CHOICE 

The school’s ‘major’ sports are rugby, hockey, rowing and cricket but the range on offer extends to athletics, badminton, basketball, canoeing, cross-country, fencing, fives, golf, horse riding, sailing, soccer, squash, swimming, table tennis, tennis, water polo and weight training/conditioning. 

With so much scope, every boy can find something they enjoy, whatever their ability. Indeed, many students find themselves excelling in a sport they would not otherwise have thought to try. 

SUPERB FACILITIES 

Our first-class facilities include a twin AstroTurf complex with floodlights, an indoor 25m swimming pool, 28 tennis courts, 4 squash courts, a climbing wall, a superbly equipped fitness suite and immaculate grass pitches. 

In addition, the school enjoys strong links with several local sports clubs, including Northampton Saints Rugby Club, Bedford Blues Rugby Club, Bedford Hockey Club, Bedford and Star Rowing Clubs, Northants County Cricket Club, Woburn Golf Club and Bedford and County Athletics Club. 

OPPORTUNITIES 

The majority of the boys take part in the school’s major sports of cricket, hockey, rowing and rugby for their games sessions. However, there is also a multitude of opportunities each week for boys to try out a wide range of other physical activities within the co-curricular programme. 

With a range that includes athletics, badminton, basketball, canoeing, cross-country, fencing, fives, golf, sailing, soccer, squash, swimming, table tennis, tennis, water polo and weight training/conditioning, we encourage every boy to find something they enjoy. 

MAJOR SPORTS 

Bedford School is renowned for its four major sports of cricket, hockey, rowing and rugby, at which boys consistently compete at the highest level of school sport. 

Cricket

Cricket has a long and established history at Bedford School with records dating back to 1866, and it continues to be one of the school’s four major sports.
Cricket

Hockey

Hockey has developed over the years to become one of the major sports offered at Bedford School. With excellent coaches and facilities, boys are encouraged to reach the limits of their potential in the sport.
Hockey

Rowing

The Bedford School Boat Club (BSBC) is the sixth oldest school boat club in the country, with a history dating back to 1861.
Rowing

Rugby

Rugby is one of the major sports at Bedford School. Records suggest that the first team to represent the school took the field in 1870, and the familiar red jerseys of the 1st XV are mentioned as far back as 1881.
Rugby