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123-695: Valley Parade , currently known as the University of Bradford Stadium is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford , West Yorkshire , England. Built in 1886, it was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they changed code from rugby football to association football and became Bradford City . It has been Bradford City's home since, although it is now owned by former chairman Gordon Gibb 's pension fund. It has also been home to Bradford (Park Avenue) for one season, and Bradford Bulls rugby league side for two seasons, as well as host to

246-511: A Division Four fixture with Hereford United . The record gate receipts that Bradford City have received are £181,990 for the Premier League game with Manchester United on 13 January 2001. Official attendance figures for league games were not kept by The Football League until 1925. City's official highest average attendance at Valley Parade since then is 18,551 for the 1928–29 promotion season from Division Three (North), although

369-462: A 1 - 1 draw with 21,642 in attendance. Valley Parade's next international came seven years later when Bradford City hosted an under-19s European Championship qualifying game, in which England defeated Slovakia 4–1. The England women's team have also played at Valley Parade, including their first home match under the auspices of The Football Association in 1994 against Spain . Bradford (Park Avenue) have played 29 games at Valley Parade, including

492-594: A 2–0 friendly victory over Swiss side AC Lugano in 1962, and all their home fixtures in 1973–74 , their last season before extinction. Bradford's rugby league side Bradford Northern played a number of fixtures at Valley Parade between 1920 and 1937, as well as three games in the 1980s, and 1990s. Bradford Northern became Bradford Bulls with the advent of the Super League , and played two seasons at Valley Parade in 2001 and 2002 during redevelopment of their home ground at Odsal . The record attendance at Valley Parade

615-541: A 2–2 draw in front of 23,000 fans. The cost of the work forced the club to sell Valley Parade to Bradford Corporation for £35,000, but it was bought back by 1979 for the same price. During the period from 1908 to 1985, the club carried out a number of other lesser work to the rest of the ground. It also included the introduction of floodlights in English football. Valley Parade's first floodlights cost £3,000 and were lamps mounted on telegraph poles running along each side of

738-434: A crowd of 11,000. As a result of alterations first implemented in 1897, City players originally changed in a shed behind one end of the ground, and visiting teams used the old rugby club dressing rooms at the back of the nearby Belle Vue Hotel. However, after City's 5–1 defeat by Manchester United on 10 February 1906, United player Bob Bonthron was attacked as he left the ground. As a result, The Football Association closed

861-519: A crowd of 11,076 attended Bradford City's final Division Three game of the 1984–85 season against Lincoln City . The Bradford side had secured the Division Three title the week before when they defeated Bolton Wanderers 2–0. The league trophy was presented to City's skipper Peter Jackson before the Lincoln game. The score was still 0–0 after 40 minutes of the game, when a small fire

984-446: A crowd of 16,572. The Bulls averaged 11,488 in 2002 for Super League VII . The highest crowd for a Bradford Northern fixture at Valley Parade was 20,973 on 13 February 1926 for a Challenge Cup game against Keighley , which finished 2–2. Bradford is served by two railway stations. They are Bradford Interchange , which is also the city's main bus terminus, and 1 mile (2 km) away from the ground, and Bradford Forster Square , which

1107-410: A ground with a capacity of 20,000, club facilities and levelling the land. When Bradford City were formed in 1903, they took over the ground at Valley Parade, which was also at this time the headquarters of The 2nd West Riding Brigade Royal Field Artillery (Territorial Force) , playing their first home game on 5 September 1903 against Gainsborough Trinity , drawing a crowd of 11,000. Five years later,

1230-628: A heart attack in training, City returned to the Third Division after getting promoted in 1968–69 . City's stay in the Third Division lasted just three years, when they finished bottom in 1971–72 . Promotion via fourth spot was won again in 1976–77 but it was instantly followed by a relegation season. City failed to win promotion for three successive seasons, until the board appointed former England centre back Roy McFarland as manager in May 1981. McFarland won promotion in his first season, but

1353-577: A number of England youth team fixtures. Football architect Archibald Leitch was commissioned to redevelop the ground when Bradford City were promoted to the First Division in 1908. The stadium underwent few changes until the fatal fire on 11 May 1985, when 56 supporters were killed and at least 265 were injured. It underwent a £ 2.6 million redevelopment and was re-opened in December 1986. The ground underwent significant changes in

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1476-501: A portion of the game from a different angle (such as the bullpen area and centerfield terrace at Seattle's T-Mobile Park ), or are admission-free (such as an area at San Francisco's Oracle Park , where the game is visible from a public waterfront walk, through a series of fenced archways which form a part of the outfield wall). Notable exceptions to this are the NFL Washington Commanders' FedExField, which contains

1599-609: A possible buyout. The offer was rejected. On 24 February 2022, Mark Hughes was appointed manager of the club on a contract until the summer of 2024. He was sacked on 4 October 2023, with player Kevin McDonald becoming player-caretaker manager. Later that month, assistant manager Mark Trueman replaced McDonald as caretaker manager. Bradford City is the only professional football club in England to wear claret and amber. The club colours were inherited from Manningham FC , when

1722-422: A pre-season friendly against Liverpool. The highest attendance for a competitive fixture is 24,321, set on 7 March 2015 in the 2015 FA Cup quarter-finals draw against Reading , surpassing the previous record of 23,971, set on 10 December 2012 in the club's 2012–13 Football League Cup quarter-finals victory over Arsenal . The lowest attendance for a league home match at Valley Parade is 1,249, on 15 May 1981, for

1845-465: A promotion challenge the following season. City went top of the table in September 1987, but fell away during Christmas and missed out on promotion on the final day of the season. Instead, they entered the play-offs but were defeated in the semi-finals by Middlesbrough . Two years later City were relegated back to the Third Division. For three seasons, City finished mid-table in the third tier, which

1968-489: A relatively small section far from the playing field, and are often referred to as the "cheap seats" (in baseball stadiums, generally, the bleachers are often located along the outfield . One example of this is in San Diego , where the only ground-level bleachers are located beyond the right field corner, and others are on the top of a historic building in the left field corner). Because standing-room terraces are so uncommon,

2091-544: A result of Manningham's claret and amber hoops. Other nicknames have been the Citizens or Paraders, but the club is better known as the Bantams. Valley Parade was the site of a quarry on the hillside below Manningham, Bradford , owned by Midland Railway Company, in 1886, when Manningham RFC bought one-third of the land and leased the remainder, because they had been forced to find a new home. They spent £ 1,400 erecting

2214-734: A return to Odsal. The club and Bradford Bulls would share the new £50m complex, which would also feature cricket , cycling and athletics facilities. Valley Parade has had several other names under sponsorship naming deals. In July 2016 it became the Northern Commercials Stadium, and in July 2019 it became the Utilita Energy Stadium. This partnership came to an end in July 2022. The University of Bradford subsequently became title sponsor of Valley Parade. The club spearheaded an initiative in 2007 to slash

2337-545: A second relegation to the Third Division (North) in 1926–27 . Two seasons later, O'Rourke, who had initially retired in 1921 following the death of his son, returned and guided City to promotion with a record haul of 128 goals. O'Rourke left for a second time after one more season, and although City spent a total of eight seasons back in the Second Division, they rarely looked like earning promotion back to

2460-565: A second tier to the Midland Road stand, to increase the ground capacity to more than 35,000. However, the club went into administration in May 2002, and Richmond was replaced by new co-owners Julian Rhodes and Gordon Gibb . The following year, Valley Parade was sold to Gibb's pension fund for £5 million, with the club's offices, shop and car park sold to London-based Development Securities for an additional £2.5 million. Bradford City's annual rent bill in 2011 to Gibb's pension fund

2583-416: A short-term lease out on the rest of the land in time to play there for the 1886–87 season. The new ground and the road it was built upon both adopted the name of the local area, Valley Parade , a name deriving from the steep hillside below Manningham. The land was previously a quarry , and formed part of a greater site owned by Midland Railway Company. The club spent £ 1,400 appointing designers to oversee

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2706-469: A small part of the main stand, and all but the Midland Road Stand being two-tiered. Most of the stands are cantilever structures, and because of the ground's location on the hillside, the Midland Road Stand overhangs the road. Many of the stands have more traditional names, but have since been renamed because of sponsorship deals. The JCT600 Stand is the ground's main stand, and is often called

2829-483: A terrace-style standing room only section in the higher areas above each end zone, and the Dallas Cowboys, who sell standing-room tickets for 4 large endzone terraces and smaller terraces located in the corners of AT&T Stadium . Plans for the future Buffalo Bills stadium include a 5,000-person standing room terrace to compensate for the fact that the stadium, once complete, will be the smallest capacity in

2952-524: A tunnel leading from the rooms underneath the Kop along the main stand side of the ground. The total project cost £9,958, and raised the capacity to 40,000. The work was not completed until midway through the 1908–09 season . The first match after work was finished took place on Christmas Day 1908, when 36,000 fans saw City host Bristol City . The improvements allowed Bradford City to set their record attendance of 39,146 on 11 March 1911 against Burnley during

3075-430: A two-tier 7,500-seat capacity stand. A corner stand between the Kop and main stand was opened in December 2000, taking the capacity to 20,000 for the first time since 1970. The following summer, the main stand was also converted into a two-tier stand, taking the capacity to 24,840. Further projects were planned until the club went into administration in May 2002 so none have taken place. The following year, Valley Parade

3198-479: A year to join Luton Town but his successor, Chris Kamara , took City to the play-offs and their first game at Wembley Stadium . They defeated Notts County 2–0 in the final to earn promotion to Division One. City avoided relegation the following season by winning their last two league games, 1–0 against Charlton Athletic and then beating Queens Park Rangers 3–0 on the final day of the season, but Kamara

3321-444: A £1.46 million Government loan obtained by two Bradford MPs, Geoffrey Lawler and Max Madden . A new 5,000 all-seater main stand was built, longer than the structure which had burned down. The Kop was also covered for the first time and increased to a 7,000 capacity. Other minor work was carried out to the ground's other two stands. On 14 December 1986, 582 days after the fire, The Hon Sir Oliver Popplewell , who had conducted

3444-493: Is 0.6 miles (1 km) away from the ground. Bradford Interchange connects to Leeds railway station for London North Eastern Railway and CrossCountry train services, Grand Central provide a direct service to London, and provides First Bradford and Keighley Bus Company buses to the ground. Forster Square, which provides train services operated by Northern , also connects to Leeds. The stadium has no parking facilities available to supporters on matchdays. In 2000, as part of

3567-530: Is 39,146, for Bradford City's FA Cup fourth round tie against Burnley on 11 March 1911. The highest league attendance of 37,059, was for a Bradford derby match between Bradford City and Bradford (Park Avenue) on 17 September 1927 in Division Three (North) . The record attendance since the Valley Parade grounds were rebuilt in 1986 (all-seated attendance) is 24,343, set on 14 July 2019 during

3690-612: Is an English professional football club in Bradford , West Yorkshire . The team competes in League Two , the fourth tier of the English football league system , and is managed by Graham Alexander . The club was founded in 1903 and immediately elected into the Football League Second Division . Promotion to the top tier followed as they won the 1907–08 Second Division title and then they went on to win

3813-408: Is erroneously believed that Motherwell chose the claret and amber colours because they were the racing colours of Lord Hamilton; it is more likely that Motherwell were influenced by Bradford City's English FA cup win in 1911. The club's crest combines a series of logos from over the years. In 1974, City adopted a contemporary style crest incorporating the club's initials, with a B-C logo. At the time,

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3936-406: Is not documented but the colours were the same as those of The Prince of Wales's Own West Yorkshire Regiment , which was based at Belle Vue Barracks on nearby Manningham Lane. Both Manningham, from 1886, and Bradford City, from 1903 to 1908, used the barracks as changing and club rooms. Bradford City has worn claret and amber, with either white or black, since it was founded. Since the fire in 1985,

4059-467: Is unusual because it only runs three-quarters of the length of the pitch. The rest of this side is taken up by a brick building, situated in the south west corner of the stadium, which houses the club changing rooms and the security offices. The Sunwin Stand also includes the ground's 17 executive boxes and conference facilities, which have capacity for up to 700 people. A second function room, called

4182-412: Is £370,000. The total budget for the year, including other rent payments, rates , maintenance and utility bills is £1.25 million. The ground has been renamed a number of times for sponsorship reasons. Sponsors have included The Pulse radio station , Bradford & Bingley , Intersonic and Coral Windows. The ground was renamed due to sponsorship as the Northern Commercials Stadium in July 2016 but

4305-562: The 1911 FA Cup final , which remains the club's only major honour. They were relegated in 1922 and again in 1927, before winning the Third Division North title in 1928–29. Another relegation in 1937 did allow the club to go on to win the Third Division North Cup in 1939, however a further relegation followed in 1962 to leave the club in the newly created Fourth Division . They secured promotions back into

4428-552: The 2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup . Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. The following is a list of the officially appointed captains of the Bradford City first-team. In 2007 former Telegraph & Argus sports journalist David Markham released

4551-868: The 2006 FIFA World Cup ). Many cricket stadiums in South Africa , New Zealand and Australia are not all seaters, many areas of the ground provide grass banks offering cheaper entry, this means that spectators can sit on the grass. Examples of this include Adelaide Oval , the WACA Ground in Perth and the Basin Reserve in Wellington . North American stadiums rarely have standing-room terraces; rather, many stadiums have bleacher seating, which are tiered seating areas using flat benches and are usually uncovered. In most large facilities, bleachers are in

4674-559: The Bradford derby with city rivals Bradford Park Avenue . The West Yorkshire derby is held between City and local rivals Leeds United and Huddersfield Town . A "friendly" rivalry also existed with now-defunct club Halifax Town . According to a survey conducted in August 2019, Bradford City fans also see Burnley , Barnsley and Oldham Athletic as rivals. Bradford City's only participation in European football to date came in

4797-537: The Premier League , marking a return to the top-flight after a 77-year absence. They entered Europe and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2000–01 but ended the campaign with relegation from the Premier League. A succession of financial crises followed as the club entered administration twice in two years and further relegations followed in 2004 and 2007 to leave the club back in

4920-520: The Ultra fans require terraced areas for their choreography. For instance, Borussia Dortmund 's Westfalenstadion (commercially known as Signal Iduna Park) has an all-seated capacity of 65,829, but during Bundesliga games the attendance limit is set to 81,360. (If the general rule "two standing occupies the same space as one sitting" applies, then around 15,000 seats are replaced by 30,000 standing attenders at Bundesliga games.) Meadowbank Stadium ,

5043-576: The West Riding of Yorkshire . It duly elected the new club into the Second Division , in place of Doncaster Rovers . Four days later, at the 23rd annual meeting of Manningham FC, the committee decided to change codes from rugby league to association football. Bradford City Association Football Club were formed without having played a game, taking over Manningham's colours of claret and amber, and their Valley Parade ground. Robert Campbell

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5166-408: The official receivers . The club was saved by former chairman Stafford Heginbotham and former board member Jack Tordoff, but to ensure the club could start the new season, prize asset, striker Bobby Campbell was sold to Derby. City struggled but so did Campbell, and when he returned, the club went on a record run of ten successive victories. Although they missed out on promotion, City won the league

5289-400: The 1990s, and early 2000s, and now has a capacity of 25,136. The record attendance of 39,146 was set in 1911 for an FA Cup tie against Burnley , making it the oldest surviving attendance record at a Football League ground in the country. The highest attendance at Valley Parade, as it is now, is 24,343, set at a pre-season friendly against Liverpool in 2019. In 2022, the name of the stadium

5412-562: The Bantams Bar, in the Kop, has room for another 300 people. There is also more office space, a club store, ticket office and museum in the car park behind the Kop. From early 2010, the area near the store will also include a dental surgery , which will be run by NHS Bradford and Airedale in partnership with the football club. Visiting team fans sat in the TL Dallas Stand from 1995 to 2008, but have also been given other parts of

5535-529: The Bradford End for the 2009–10 season would be available for just £99 and £138 for the rest of the ground if bought in December 2008. For the 2015–16 season, the club announced its latest season ticket scheme aimed at continuing to make football affordable for fans. Season ticket prices were set at £149 for adults, senior citizens and students, while admission for under-11s was free when purchased with an adult ticket. An initial campaign target of 15,000

5658-515: The Bradford end of the ground was the next to be redeveloped and was converted into a two-tier stand with a scoreboard. In 1996, following City's promotion to Division One , club chairman Geoffrey Richmond announced the construction of a 4,500 seater stand on the Midland Road side. Ahead of promotion to the Premiership in 1999, Richmond spent another £6.5 million to convert the Kop into

5781-652: The Bradford end, because it is nearest to the city centre. The total capacity of Valley Parade is 24,840. The largest stand is the Morrisons Family Stand, which holds 9,004 supporters, followed by the Kop, which has a capacity of 7,392. The Bradford Lifts Stand holds 4,500, and the North West Corner 2,300. The TL Dallas Stand is the smallest of the five stands with a capacity of 1,644. The stadium includes 134 seats for media representatives. The Sunwin Stand has further room for expansion, and

5904-448: The NFL. The Boston Red Sox baseball team offers standing room tickets when a game is sold out. The Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers both offer standing room only seating. There are no major standing room terraces; rather, people stand along the edges of the concourses directly at the back of the seating areas. Bradford City A.F.C. Bradford City Association Football Club

6027-705: The Perform Best Fan Marketing campaign category in The Football League Awards for the scheme and earned them an invitation to the Houses of Parliament . The club aimed to attract 20,000 fans for the 2008–09 by offering a free season ticket to anyone buying a season ticket as long as 9,000 adults sign up, but they fell 704 short of the target. Joint-chairman Mark Lawn announced in November 2008 that season tickets in

6150-565: The Second Division title in 1907–08 and with it promotion to the First Division . Having narrowly avoided relegation in their first season in the top flight, City recorded their highest finish of 5th in 1910–11 . The same season they won the FA Cup , when a goal from captain Jimmy Speirs won the final replay against Newcastle United . City's defence of the cup, which included the first Bradford derby against Bradford Park Avenue ,

6273-487: The accident happened due to the weight of spectators leaning on the barrier. The takings from the game totalling £115 were distributed to Coyle's family and the families of other boys injured in the incident. Manningham RFC continued playing until 1903, when financial difficulties, caused by relegation at the turn of the century, prompted club officials to change codes from rugby football to association football. The first association football game to be played at Valley Parade

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6396-507: The bottom half of the Third Division (North) table until 1955–56 . After three successive top half finishes, City were placed in the new national Third Division in 1958–59 . Bradford spent just three seasons in the Third Division, but during their relegation season in 1960–61 , they upset First Division side Manchester United in the inaugural season of the League Cup . With 34 goals from David Layne , City nearly earned promotion

6519-419: The centre-left. City scarves have also sold in large numbers in recent years to fans of Harry Potter , because the colours are the same as Harry's house scarf at Hogwarts School . A number of other clubs across the world wear claret and amber. They include Scottish club Motherwell , who originally wore blue and white until they wore claret and amber for the first time on 23 August 1913, against Celtic. It

6642-459: The club converted to football upon Bradford City's foundation in 1903. However, whereas Manningham played in hoops, the new football club adopted claret and amber stripes. Manningham RFC adopted the colours in 1884 before the move to Valley Parade in 1886. Having originally worn black shirts with white shorts, the club's first game in claret and amber was against Hull on 20 September 1884, at Carlisle Road. The reason Manningham chose claret and amber

6765-404: The club has used black on the kit as a memorial to the 56 supporters who died. The club's away shirt has traditionally been white and to a lesser extent also blue, but there has been a profusion of other colours and designs particularly in more recent years. The away kit for the 2008–09 season was all white. For the 2009–10 season, the away kit was all black with a thin claret and amber stripe down

6888-477: The club reported an average of 22,585 in 1920–21 . It was not until City were promoted to the Premier League in 1999 that the club again recorded average attendances of higher than 18,000. City recorded an average of 18,030 in 1999–2000 , and 18,511 the following season. During their two years at Valley Parade, the Bradford Bulls recorded their highest attendance on 4 March 2001 against St. Helens with

7011-603: The club returned to Wembley where they defeated Northampton Town 3–0 in the League Two play-off final to secure a place in League One for 2013–14. On 24 January 2015, Bradford City caused an upset by beating Premiership leaders Chelsea 4–2 away in the FA Cup. The victory sent Bradford through to the fifth round for the first time in eighteen years. They beat Sunderland , another Premier League club, 2–0 at home in

7134-614: The club won promotion to the First Division , and so commissioned football architect Archibald Leitch to redevelop the ground. The capacity was increased to 40,000 by December 1908 with a 5,300-seater main stand, a terraced paddock in front, a Spion Kop , and an 8,000-capacity Midland Road stand. Its first game against Bristol City on Christmas Day attracted a crowd of 36,000. On 11 March 1911, Valley Parade attracted its highest attendance 39,146, for an FA Cup game between Bradford City and Burnley during Bradford's FA Cup winning run . Until 1952, by which time Bradford City had bought

7257-401: The club's FA Cup winning run . It is the longest surviving attendance record at any league ground in the country. On 17 March 1932, Bradford City paid Midland Railway Company £3,750 for the remaining two-thirds of the site to become outright owners of the ground, which was now 45 years old. The stadium had remained virtually unchanged since 1908, and did so until 1952, when the capacity of

7380-494: The club. It surpassed the previous fourth-tier season-ticket sales record of 13,614 in 2019–20. On 4 March 2023, Bradford City set a new attendance record for Football League Two at a 2–0 victory against Colchester United , with an attendance of 20,383, including 345 away fans. The Bantams then broke this record again in a home fixture on 8 May 2023 against Leyton Orient , with 22,576 supporters in attendance, including 1,902 Leyton Orient fans. Bradford City have participated in

7503-559: The consequences of the Luton Town vs Millwall hooligan riot during their FA Cup sixth round match on 13 March 1985. The first English professional football club to convert to all-seats following the watershed of the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster was Ipswich Town's Portman Road in 1992. The other ground often cited as all-seated in Britain before 1990 was Ibrox , home of Rangers . However, although Ibrox had no terracing after

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7626-410: The construction of a 4,500 seater stand on the Midland Road side. It was first used for a Yorkshire derby against Sheffield United on Boxing Day 1996, before being officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 27 March 1997. Richmond continued his plans to redevelop the ground as City continued to rise through the league. The roof of the Kop, which was the largest safe-standing terrace in the country at

7749-508: The end of the first season back in Division One, City were placed in administration with debts of nearly £13 million. Two years later, the club suffered a second spell in administration and a second relegation. Two top-half finishes followed, but the club were relegated for a third time in seven seasons in 2006–07 meaning the following season would be their first in the bottom tier for 26 seasons. Former player Stuart McCall

7872-440: The excavation and levelling of the land, and moved a one-year-old stand from Carlisle Road to the highest part of the new ground. The original ground comprised the relocated stand, a 2,000-capacity stepped enclosure with the players' changing rooms beneath the stand, the playing area, a cinder athletics track and fencing to limit the total capacity to 18,000. The playing field was made of ballast , ashes, soil and sods. The ground

7995-518: The expansion of Valley Parade, the club drew up a green transport plan in a bid to ease traffic congestion around the ground. Proposals included a new railway station on the line between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square, and a discounted bus service. No station has ever been built, and a discounted bus route was withdrawn because of low patronage. All-seater Some European countries do not have all-seater stadiums. In Germany for example standing places are priced more reasonably than seats and

8118-400: The few narrow escape routes led to locked doors, and the only escape for most spectators was directly onto the field. The match was abandoned and never replayed, with The Football League ordering the scoreline at the time of abandonment to stand. "All of a sudden, a sheet of flame went up to the roof and along the entire length of the stand. Within five minutes of it starting, the whole stand

8241-438: The fire was a discarded cigarette or match, which had dropped through gaps between the seating to a void below the stand where rubbish had built up. A number of police officers and 22 spectators were later awarded bravery awards for their deeds on the day. The old wooden roof of the stand was due to be replaced the day after the Lincoln match, because it did not meet the safety regulations required for Division Two , in which

8364-448: The first time since 1970. A suite of offices and a shop were added at the same time. Once the work was completed, a second tier was added to the main stand at the cost of £6.5 million. It was opened in 2001, increasing the main stand's capacity to 11,000, and the ground's capacity to 25,000. Richmond also planned to increase the main stand's capacity by a further 1,800 seats by building new changing rooms and office blocks, and add

8487-522: The following season 1961–62 , but did also suffer a record 9–1 defeat to Colchester United . Layne left for Sheffield Wednesday , and without him City finished second from bottom of the league and had to apply for re-election. Bradford City just failed to win promotion in 1963–64 , winning more games than any other team in the division that season, twenty five, with Rodney Green top scoring with 29 league goals. There followed three difficult seasons during which time manager Grenville Hair died following

8610-542: The following season 1984–85 , to return to the second tier of the Football League. However, City's triumph was overshadowed when the main stand at Valley Parade caught fire during the final game of the season, killing 56 people. City played games away from Valley Parade for 19 months. But just ten days after the new £2.6 million ground was opened, Cherry was sacked. His replacement, Terry Dolan , steered City away from possible relegation, before he mounted

8733-399: The fourth tier of English football since Rochdale in 1962 to reach the League Cup final, and the first fourth tier club ever to reach a major Wembley Cup final. They defeated three Premier League sides en route to the final – Wigan Athletic 4–2 on penalties in the fourth round, Arsenal 3–2 on penalties in the quarter-finals and Aston Villa 4–3 on aggregate over the two legs of

8856-473: The fourth tier. They found success under the management of Phil Parkinson by reaching the 2013 League Cup final and then going on to win that year's League Two play-off final but were relegated from League One in 2019. The club's home ground is the 24,840-capacity Valley Parade , which was the site of the Bradford City stadium fire on 11 May 1985, which took the lives of 56 supporters. They are

8979-603: The game and famous all over the world. The first such notable casualties were Manchester United's Stretford End and Arsenal's North Bank, both of which were demolished in 1992 to be replaced by new all-seated stands. Two years later, Liverpool demolished their iconic Spion Kop and replaced it with an all-seater stand, while a similar redevelopment occurred with Aston Villa's Holte End. FIFA , UEFA , and CONCACAF also mandate that all matches in competitions that they control be held in all-seater stadiums. This means that in countries where standing terraces are commonplace, either

9102-541: The ground for 14 days, ordering City to switch its changing rooms to the nearby Artillery Barracks for the 1906–07 season. Several supporters faced criminal proceedings for the incident. After Bradford City won the Division Two championship in 1907–08 , the club hurried through a reconstruction programme of the ground to prepare for the club's first season in Division One . Football architect Archibald Leitch

9225-482: The ground for larger matches. In March 2008, the club announced that the TL Dallas Stand would be made available for home fans for the 2008–09 season. The decision came after an overwhelmingly positive text message poll from the club's supporters to use the Bradford End of the ground. Visiting team fans have been accommodated in the end blocks of the East Stand since the start of the 2008–09 season. On 11 May 1985,

9348-439: The ground hosted another international when England under-18s drew 1–1 with Switzerland . Other under-18 fixtures have been played since, the last of which was between England and Belgium in November 2000. It hosted two England under-21 international friendlies. The first was against Denmark's under-21s on 8 October 1999. The hosts thrashed the visitors 4–1. The other was against Italy's under-21s 26 March 2002. it ended in

9471-471: The ground not being up to standard. An estimated 20,000 spectators attended the match on 10 October 1903, which the English League won 2–1. Over the next 20 years the ground hosted a number of other representative games, including an England international trial, the 1904 FA Amateur Cup Final and an under-15s schoolboy international between England and Scotland. But it was not until 6 April 1987 that

9594-439: The ground was reduced after examinations of the foundations were ordered following the 1946 Burnden Park disaster . The investigation resulted in the closure of half the Midland Road stand. The stand's steel frame was then sold to Berwick Rangers for £450 and a smaller replacement stand was built at Valley Parade in 1954. Six years later, the stand had to be demolished for a second time because of continuing foundation problems. It

9717-401: The ground. They were originally used against Hull City on 20 December 1954. The floodlights were replaced in 1960 and again used for the first time against Hull City, but when one fell over in 1962, an FA Cup game with Gateshead had to go ahead with only three pylons, prompting an FA inquiry. In 1985, football ground writer Simon Inglis described the view from the main stand, which was still

9840-512: The home of Meadowbank Thistle from 1974 until 1995, was the first all-seated football ground in the United Kingdom. Aberdeen reconstructed Pittodrie in 1978, putting benches on the open south terrace as the final part of a longer-term plan to make the ground all-seated. Subsequent to this, the south side of the ground was covered over, and Pittodrie Stadium was proclaimed as the country's first all-seated, all-covered ground, although

9963-493: The inquiry into the fire, opened the new stadium before an exhibition match against an England international XI. It was first used for a league game on Boxing Day when City lost 1–0 to Derby County . The two stands which were not altered after the fire were both improved during the 1990s. The Bradford end of the ground was made a double-decker, all-seater stand, with a new scoreboard, in 1991. City's promotion to Division One in 1996 meant that chairman Geoffrey Richmond announced

10086-405: The last day with a 1–0 victory over Liverpool , with a goal from David Wetherall . However, Jewell left shortly afterwards. His assistant Chris Hutchings was promoted to the manager's position, and despite a series of new expensive signings, he was sacked by November 2000, with City second from bottom of the league. Jim Jefferies took over but could not save the club from relegation. At

10209-504: The latter by fans, but is also known as the Sunwin stand owing to the former sponsor. The Kop , was the former standing area, and its name was derived, like at many stadia across the country, from the Battle of Spion Kop . The East Stand, sponsored by Northern Commercials, is also named the Midland Road stand, because of the road on that side of the ground. The TL Dallas Stand is also known as

10332-457: The main stand in just nine minutes. For the next season and the first five months of the 1986–87 season, Bradford City played home games at Leeds United's Elland Road , Huddersfield Town's Leeds Road and Bradford Northern's Odsal Stadium , while Valley Parade was rebuilt. Huddersfield-based firm J Wimpenny carried out the £2.6 million work, which included funding from insurance pay-outs, Football League stadium grants, club funds and

10455-539: The new logo maintained the previous nickname of the Paraders. By December 1981, the club relaunched the Bantams as the official identity with a bantam on the new crest. The crest maintains the club colours and also includes the words The Bantams. Bradford City have had a number of nicknames during their history. In their early years, they were referred to as the Robins or Wasps, taking over the nickname of Manningham FC, as

10578-444: The new stand was itself demolished, and Valley Parade remained a three-sided ground until 1966, when the pitch was moved, and a new stand built. On 11 May 1985, Valley Parade was the scene of a fatal fire , during which 56 supporters were killed and at least 265 were injured. The game was the final match of the 1984–85 season, before which City were presented with the Third Division championship trophy. The fire destroyed

10701-495: The next round on 15 February 2015. In the quarter-finals, the Bantams faced Reading at home, in a game that ended in a goalless draw. The replay was played on 16 March 2015 at the Madejski Stadium, where Reading won 3–0. The club was relegated to League Two at the end of the 2018–19 season. In December 2021, the club was approached by American investors known as WAGMI United (who use cryptocurrency and NFTs) about

10824-481: The now non-league side Bradford (Park Avenue) . Bradford City were formed in 1903 as a result of a series of meetings called by James Whyte, a sub-editor of the Bradford Observer , with Football Association representatives and officials at Manningham F.C. , a rugby league side. The Football League saw the invitation as a chance to promote association football in the rugby league-dominated county of

10947-426: The only professional football club in England to wear claret and amber , and have worn these colours throughout their history. They have though been known by various nicknames, with the " Bantams " being the most commonly used nickname as it appears on the current club crest. Supporters hold West Yorkshire derby rivalries with Huddersfield Town and Leeds United , as well as a historic Bradford derby rivalry with

11070-474: The price of watching professional football for the 2007–08 season. As a result, season tickets to watch Bradford City were the cheapest in England at £138, the equivalent of £6 per match. When the offer finished, the club confirmed the amount of season tickets sold was 12,019. The scheme enabled the club to top the average league attendances for Football League Two during the 2007–08 season, attracting more than three times more than any other club. The club won

11193-428: The proposals in 1992 saw non-Premiership and second tier clubs retain the option to have standing areas. From time to time there are calls for Premiership stadiums to be allowed to have standing areas, but these have always been rejected. The compulsory introduction of all-seated stadiums in the upper reaches of English football saw the demolition of several famous terraced standing areas which had been iconic throughout

11316-551: The redevelopment which was completed in 1981, there was still a significant standing area in the 'Enclosure', the front portion of the old Main Stand. St Johnstone opened the first purpose-built all-seater football stadium in the United Kingdom weeks after the Hillsborough disaster, with the opening of McDiarmid Park in August 1989. All-seater stadiums have been compulsory in the English Premiership since

11439-467: The remaining two-thirds of the ground to own it outright, the ground remained virtually unchanged. However, twice during the next decade, the club's Midland Road stand had to be demolished. Club officials first closed part of the stand in 1952, as a result of the Burnden Park disaster six years earlier. Its frame was sold to Berwick Rangers and a replacement stand built in 1954. Six years later,

11562-450: The same as when it was developed in 1908, as "like watching football from the cockpit of a Sopwith Camel " because of its antiquated supports and struts. On 11 May 1985, one of the worst sporting disasters occurred at Valley Parade, 56 people died and at least 265 were injured when the main stand was engulfed by fire . The fire started 40 minutes into the club's final game of the 1984–85 season against Lincoln City and destroyed

11685-399: The semi-final. They met Premier League side Swansea City in the final at Wembley but lost 5–0. The run to the final is thought to have been worth at least £1.3 million to the club, with joint chairman Mark Lawn stating that the final itself could be worth an additional £1 million, taking the club's total earnings to £2.3 million during their cup campaign . On 18 May 2013,

11808-442: The southern corners of the ground remained open to the skies. In 1981, Coventry City converted Highfield Road to all-seating, the first club in England to do so, at the instigation of the then chairman, Jimmy Hill . This move, forced on the fans, proved unpopular, with attendances declining, and terracing was reinstated at one end by 1985. In 1986, Luton Town converted their Kenilworth Road stadium to all-seater status as one of

11931-604: The stadiums cannot be used at all, or the standing areas must be closed to spectators. Either temporary seats have to be installed (as is the case with Croke Park , home to the Republic of Ireland national team during the Lansdowne Road redevelopment), or the standing areas must be converted to seating (as is the case with several of the larger stadiums in Germany, many of which were used in an all-seater configuration for

12054-467: The start of the 1994–95 season as a result of the Taylor Report , which gave recommendations to improve stadium safety after the Hillsborough disaster. The initial plan, drawn up in 1990, had recommended that standing areas should be banned from stadiums in the upper two tiers of the league from 1994 onwards, while stadiums in the lower two tiers had until 1999 to meet these requirements. A review of

12177-512: The team would be playing in the following season. However, it took until July 1986 for rebuilding work to begin. The ground was used for reserve team fixtures from September 1985, but only journalists and club officials were able to watch. Bradford City's senior team played home games at other grounds in West Yorkshire for 19 months while Valley Parade was rebuilt. The new ground cost £2.6 million (£9.6 million today) to rebuild, and

12300-645: The term "all-seater" is not generally used. A trend that has emerged, particularly in Europe, is to have convertible seats in parts of the stadium. This means that certain sections can easily be converted between seating and standing capacity, allowing for standing spectators in domestic games while also meeting the requirements for seating-only capacity during European fixtures, as well as other fixtures that require seating-only capacity. When standing-room areas do exist, they are generally not sold separately from seats, but rather are provided for spectators who wish to view

12423-466: The third tier in 1969 and 1977, but were relegated in 1972 and 1978. They found success in the 1980s under the stewardship of first Roy McFarland and then Trevor Cherry , winning promotion in 1981–82 and following this up with the Third Division title in 1984–85, though they were relegated out of the Second Division in 1990. Bradford were promoted back into the second tier via the play-offs in 1996 , before securing another promotion in 1998–99 to reach

12546-427: The time, was removed and the capacity reduced during City's 1998–99 promotion season, to prepare for a summer £6.5 million rebuilding programme. The Kop was converted into a two-tier 7,500-seat capacity stand. An additional 2,300-seat capacity corner section was built, which filled in the corner between the main stand and Kop. When opened in December 2000 it took the capacity of Valley Parade to more than 20,000 for

12669-586: The top flight. Instead in 1936–37 , the club were relegated back to the Third Division (North). City won their third piece of silverware two seasons later, when they lifted the Third Division North Challenge Cup , but they were unable to defend the trophy because competitive football was suspended for the Second World War. After the war, City went through two managers in the first two seasons, and were consistently in

12792-470: The wooden main stand in just nine minutes. The club played its home games at Odsal Stadium , a rugby league ground in Bradford, Elland Road , Leeds, and Leeds Road , the former home of Huddersfield Town, until December 1986, while Valley Parade was redeveloped. The club spent £2.6 million building a new main stand and improving the Kop and reopened the new ground on 14 December 1986 for an exhibition match against an England international XI. In 1991,

12915-465: Was a promotional fixture on 6 April 1903 between a side of West Yorkshire footballers and Sheffield United 's 1903 FA Cup winning side. The game had been organised to stimulate interest in the sport in Bradford and attracted 8,000 fans. The new football club, Bradford City , were elected to The Football League 's Division Two the following month. Bradford City's first game at Valley Parade came on 5 September 1903 against Gainsborough Trinity , drawing

13038-486: Was another six years before all four stands at Valley Parade were able to be opened for the first time. To enable construction of a new stand on the Midland Road side of the ground, the club directors moved the pitch 3 yards (2.7 m) closer to the main stand. The new stand was then the narrowest stand in the league. Further improvements were made to the stand in 1969, ready for the club's FA Cup tie with Division One side Tottenham Hotspur on 3 January 1970, which ended in

13161-417: Was appointed the club's first manager and with the help of the new committee, he assembled a playing squad at the cost of £ 917 10 s  0 d . City's first game was a 2–0 defeat at Grimsby Town on 1 September 1903, six days before their first home game attracted 11,000 fans. The club finished 10th in their first season. Peter O'Rourke took over as manager in November 1905, and he led City to

13284-408: Was appointed the new manager, and although he said anything less than promotion would be a failure, he finally led the team to a 10th-place finish. McCall eventually left Bradford City on 8 February 2010 following a board meeting after a run of poor results. In September 2011, the club became linked with American amateur side SC United Bantams . In January 2013, City became the first club from

13407-399: Was burnt down. In fact, I think it was timed at 4min 35sec. The strong wind was fanning it from the end where the blaze had started." Steve Smith , former club official Sir Oliver Popplewell published his inquiry into the fire in 1986, which led to the introduction of new safety legislation for sports grounds across the country. Forensic scientist David Woolley believed the cause of

13530-520: Was changed because of sponsorship reasons University of Bradford . Manningham Rugby Football Club , formed in 1876, originally played games at Cardigan Fields, in the Carlisle Road area of Bradford . When their ground was sold to facilitate the construction of Drummond School, the club required a new home. Consequently, they bought one-third of the Valley Parade site in Manningham , taking

13653-420: Was commissioned to design new terracing in the paddock—a standing area in front of the 5,300-seater main stand which was built in 1908—and build a Spion Kop at the north side of the ground and an 8,000-capacity stand at the Midland Road end opposite the main stand. Further work was performed to lower the railings, erect barriers, move the pitch and add extra turnstiles . The changing rooms were also moved, with

13776-429: Was noticed three rows from the back near one end of the main stand. The flames became more visible within minutes, and police started to evacuate people in the stand less than six minutes later. Club chairman, Stafford Heginbotham , who was in the main stand, described the effect and his reaction to the disaster: "The fire just spread along the length of the stand in seconds. The smoke was choking. We couldn't breathe. It

13899-404: Was officially opened on 27 September 1886 for a game against Wakefield Trinity which was watched by a capacity crowd, but construction work meant most of Manningham's early games were away fixtures. On Christmas Day 1888, 12-year old Thomas Coyle was killed at the ground when the barrier under which he was sitting collapsed on him breaking his neck. An inquest decided the death was accidental and

14022-427: Was poached by his former club Derby County just six months later. City won compensation from Derby and installed another England international Trevor Cherry as McFarland's replacement. Cherry, with former teammate Terry Yorath as his assistant manager, failed to win for two months, but eventually the pair guided City to safety from relegation. During the summer, however, the club chairman Bob Martin had to call in

14145-400: Was renamed Division Two following the formation of the Premier League in 1992. In January 1994, Geoffrey Richmond came from Scarborough to take over as chairman, and promised to guide City to the Premier League within five years. He cleared the debts and after four months sacked manager Frank Stapleton to appoint his own manager, Lennie Lawrence . Lawrence left after little more than

14268-642: Was reopened in December 1986. More than £3.5 million (£13.4 million today) was raised for victims of the fire and their families through the Bradford Disaster Appeal Fund. Memorials have been erected at the ground and at Bradford City Hall, the latter of which was provided by Bradford's twin town of Hamm , in Germany. The disaster is also marked by an annual remembrance ceremony on 11 May at Bradford City Hall, and an annual Easter-weekend youth tournament, contested between Bradford, Lincoln and other teams from across Europe. Valley Parade

14391-501: Was sacked in January 1998. Paul Jewell took over, initially on a temporary basis, before he was given a permanent contract. He bought the club's first £1 million signings and guided the club to the Premier League — the first time they had been in the top flight for 77 years — with a second-place finish. The following season, Jewell continued to defy the critics, who labelled his team Dad's Army , by avoiding relegation again on

14514-420: Was set. On 6 July, the club announced a record-breaking 18,000 tickets had been sold following a successful campaign. The campaign was repeated for the 2016–17 season , where the club sold in excess of 17,000 tickets. Bradford City have one official mascot , Billy Bantam. Bradford City announced 'Own The Moment' 2022–23 season ticket sales of 14,190 in September 2022. The figure was a League Two record for

14637-411: Was sold to Gibb's pension fund for £5 million, with the club's offices, the shop and car park sold to London-based Development Securities for £2.5 million, but these (club offices, shop and car park) were bought back by the club's joint chairmen in the summer of 2011. The club's annual rent and maintenance costs to Gibb's pension fund is £1.2m, and so as of February 2009, the club is considering

14760-577: Was still commonly known throughout football as Valley Parade. In July 2019 it was re-sponsored and renamed the Utilita Energy Stadium. This deal concluded in July 2022 and the stadium was subsequently renamed the University of Bradford Stadium. The stadium is divided into five all-seater stands, the JCT600 Stand, the Kop, the Midland Road Stand, the North West Corner and the TL Dallas Stand. All five stands are covered except for

14883-472: Was stopped by Barnsley after a run of 12 consecutive clean sheets. City remained in the top flight in the period up to the First World War and for three seasons afterwards, but were relegated in 1921–22 along with Manchester United . Back in the Second Division, attendances dropped and City struggled for form, with five consecutive finishes in the bottom half of the table. They suffered

15006-408: Was the headquarters of The 2nd West Riding Brigade Royal Field Artillery (Territorial Force) . The ground also hosted its first international football game just two months after its first Football League match. The game's governing bodies wanted to promote the sport in the West Riding of Yorkshire , so chose Valley Parade to host a game between an English League side and an Irish League side, despite

15129-448: Was to be our day." The game was stopped, and the wooden roof caught fire. The fire spread the length of the stand, and timber and the roof began to fall onto the crowds. Black smoke enveloped the rear passageways, where fans were trying to escape. Ultimately, the fire killed 56 spectators, ranging from 11-year-old children to the 86-year-old former chairman of the club, Sam Firth. At least 265  supporters were injured. In some cases,

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