Fakenham Town FC, where to find and watch The Ghosts.

Fakenham Town’s home has evolved from shared town greens and cricket lawns to a purpose‑built non‑league ground on the edge of town, now branded as the Daly Group Stadium but still affectionately known as Clipbush Park.

Early homes: Hempton Green to Baron’s Hall Lawn

Fakenham Town FC were founded in 1884 and initially played at Hempton Green, where local reports recall crowds of over 2,000 for big holiday fixtures such as a Good Friday match against Holt. In 1889 they moved closer to town to Star Meadow, a site that has since disappeared under housing, reflecting how early grounds were often informal spaces that later gave way to development. By 1907 the club had relocated again to Baron’s Hall Lawn, sharing with the local cricket club in a classic piece of small‑town multi‑sport ground‑sharing.

At Baron’s Hall Lawn, spectator facilities gradually improved. A simple stand known as “the Shed” stood behind the Town End goal, providing cover and a focal point for home support. Floodlights were installed in 1987, a key step towards meeting modern league requirements and enabling midweek football under lights in Fakenham.

Pressure to move: league demands in the 1990s

When Fakenham Town FC were promoted to the Premier Division of the Eastern Counties League in 1992, stricter ground‑grading standards bit. The club were given three years to find a new ground that met Premier Division requirements or face relegation back down the pyramid. Baron’s Hall Lawn, with its shared cricket layout and limited scope for expansion, could not realistically be upgraded enough to satisfy those standards on a long‑term basis.

This ultimatum forced a strategic decision: either accept life lower down the leagues, or invest in a new, football‑specific stadium that would secure the club’s status and future. Fakenham chose the ambitious route, starting the process of moving out to the edge of town.

1996–1997: The move to Clipbush Park

In 1996 Fakenham Town left Baron’s Hall Lawn and moved to a new ground off Clipbush Lane, on the outskirts of the town. The new site – Clipbush Park – offered more space, better access and the potential to develop proper non‑league facilities, while still remaining close enough to the town centre to feel connected.

The first competitive match at Clipbush Park took place on 12 October 1996, when Fakenham marked the occasion in style with a 4–0 win over Tiptree United. The official opening followed the next summer: on 16 July 1997, the club hosted Watford, drawing a crowd of over 1,100 to christen the new ground with a high‑profile friendly. That opening attendance remains a reference point for what Clipbush Park can handle on a big day.

Clipbush Park / Daly Group Stadium: layout and feel

Clipbush Park quickly settled into its role as a quintessential non‑league ground. It features a seated stand on one side of the pitch, offering around 250 seats and forming the visual anchor of the stadium. Opposite sits the clubhouse, which doubles as the social heart of the club and matchday hub, with covered standing areas behind both goals giving regulars a place to congregate and follow the action under shelter.

Most sources list the overall capacity at around 2,000, with natural grass as the playing surface. The ground sits on Clipbush Lane, NR21 8SW, on the town’s edge – directly opposite a Morrisons and, as local previews like to note, famously only about 100 metres from the nearest pub, underlining its grounded, everyday character. For visiting fans, the brightly coloured gates off the roundabout on the approach road are the visual cue that they have reached the Ghosts’ home.

Recent years: rebranding and sponsorship

In 2019–20 Fakenham Town secured a naming‑rights deal, and Clipbush Park was rebranded as The Daly Group Stadium following a local sponsorship agreement. The partnership reflects the wider trend in non‑league football of using stadium naming rights to bring in vital revenue, while supporters and many external sites continue to refer to the ground by its original Clipbush Park name.

Despite the rebrand, the core character of the ground remains unchanged: one seated stand, a low‑rise clubhouse, simple covered ends and a ring of hard standing that offers multiple vantage points. Ground guides and visiting‑club previews still emphasise its classic non‑league feel, with easy access, close proximity to the pitch, and the sense that you’re never far from the players or the touchline chat.

Today: the Ghosts at the Daly Group Stadium

Today, Fakenham Town play their home fixtures in the Eastern Counties League Premier Division at the Daly Group Stadium, maintaining an unbroken presence at Clipbush Park since the mid‑1990s move. The site hosts first‑team, reserve and youth football, and is used for a range of club and community events, as reflected in the club’s own photography and history archive.

More than a quarter of a century on from that first 4–0 win over Tiptree United, Clipbush Park remains the focal point of football in Fakenham: a ground born out of league‑grading necessity that has grown into a settled, characterful home for the Ghosts on the edge of town.