FOOTBALL fans hope the legacy of their beloved club will be kept alive through a new school which will be built on the abandoned land.

The new Ark Academy could open in Underhill, the site where Barnet FC played for 106 years before they were moved to The Hive, in Edgware.

But campaigners fighting to bring the team ‘Back 2 Barnet’ hope that if the school were granted planning permission, it would be given the “Barnet FC touch”.

Olly Deed, one of the fans leading the campaign, said: “It’s about keeping Barnet FC alive in the place it began and maintaining the history of our town.

“People who come here need to know this football club was once a big part of the area, we need to keep the flame of the club alive in Barnet. This is part of our story.

“It’s part of Barnet’s heritage. We want all the kids who come through that school to know that link.”

They are now taking suggestions from people in the community on how best to honour Barnet FC through the new school.

Ideas put forward have so far included naming the school after the team, or naming different parts of the school after things related to Barnet FC.

But they are looking for more people to come forward to help them brainstorm.

The site has been bought by the Education Funding Agency who hope to open the school in 2017, if granted planning permission.

Ark say they are keen to incorporate a celebration of Barnet FC’s history into the design of the school.

They have also asked for photographs which might be used to form the basis of a display in the school building once it’s completed.

Mr Deed, 25, added: “"We are keen to hear ideas from Barnet Times readers as to how the history of Barnet FC might be integrated into the design for a new school at Underhill. Ark and the EFA have provided us with a great opportunity to maintain a link between the club and the town of Barnet, and we are calling on all Barnet fans to send in their suggestions about how we can do that.

“If and when it the school is built it would be great to think that the pupils will gain a connection with Barnet FC from an environment that has been influenced by some of the ideas and memories of the Club's supporters.”

Anyone who wants to suggest a theme, a memory or an approach to the school design, e-mail info@back2barnet.co.uk.