Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club in
Bradford
Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...
,
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...
. The club competes in , the third tier of
English football, and is managed by
Graham Alexander
Graham Alexander (born 10 October 1971) is a professional football coach and former player who manages EFL League One club Bradford City. In a lengthy playing career, Alexander represented Scunthorpe United, Luton Town, Preston North End an ...
.
The club was founded in 1903 and immediately elected into the
Football League Second Division
The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...
. Promotion to the top tier followed as they won the 1907–08 Second Division title and then they went on to win the
1911 FA Cup final
The 1911 FA Cup final was the 40th FA Cup final. It was contested by Bradford City and Newcastle United. The first game resulted in a goalless draw at Crystal Palace. A single goal scored by Jimmy Speirs for Bradford won the replay at Old Traf ...
, 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 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
Roy Leslie McFarland (born 5 April 1948) is an English former football manager and player. With Derby County, he played 442 league games, helping him to earn 28 caps for England.
Born in Liverpool, McFarland developed his skills at Tranmere Ro ...
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
1996 was designated as:
* International Year for the Eradication of Poverty
Events January
* January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
, before securing another promotion in 1998–99 to reach the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
, 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
The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from ( football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was dis ...
in 2000–01 but ended the campaign with relegation from the Premier League. A succession of financial crises followed as the club entered
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people.
** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...
twice in two years and further relegations followed in 2004 and 2007 to leave the club back in 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
Valley Parade, currently known as University of Bradford Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is an all-seater association football, football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The stadium was built in 1886 as the home of Manningham F.C. ...
, which was the site of the
Bradford City stadium fire
The Bradford City stadium fire occurred during a Football League Third Division match on Saturday 11 May 1985 at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, killing 56 spectators and injuring at least 265. The stadium was k ...
on 11 May 1985, which took the lives of 56 supporters. They are the only professional football club in England to wear
claret
Bordeaux wine (; ) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city, the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the broad estuary called the Gironde; the Gir ...
and
amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...
, 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
The West Yorkshire derbies are a series of football matches or rugby league matches taking place between football or rugby league clubs from West Yorkshire.
In football History
Leeds United's relegation to League One in 2007 may have reignite ...
rivalries with
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football.
Huddersfield Town we ...
and
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
, as well as a historic
Bradford derby
The Bradford derby is a football derby match played between Bradford City and Bradford (Park Avenue).
The derby has also been called the Wool City derby, referring to Bradford
Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in We ...
rivalry with the now non-league side
Bradford (Park Avenue).
History

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
A football association, also known as a football federation, soccer federation, or soccer association, is a governing body for association football. Many of them are members of the sport's regional bodies such as UEFA and CONMEBOL and the world gov ...
representatives and officials at
Manningham F.C.
Manningham was an English rugby league football club based in Manningham, Bradford, the first champions of the Rugby Football League (then known as the Northern Rugby Football Union) in its 1895–96 Northern Rugby Football Union season, first ...
, a
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
side. The
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
saw the invitation as a chance to promote association football in the rugby league-dominated county of the
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...
. It duly elected the new club into the
Second Division, in place of
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
. 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
Valley Parade, currently known as University of Bradford Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is an all-seater association football, football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The stadium was built in 1886 as the home of Manningham F.C. ...
ground.
Robert Campbell 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
Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
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 the Second Division title in
1907–08 and with it
promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
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
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
, when a goal from captain
Jimmy Speirs won the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
replay against
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
. City's defence of the cup, which included the first
Bradford derby
The Bradford derby is a football derby match played between Bradford City and Bradford (Park Avenue).
The derby has also been called the Wool City derby, referring to Bradford
Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in We ...
against
Bradford Park Avenue, was stopped by
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
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
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
.
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 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 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 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 the following season
1961–62, but did also suffer a record 9–1 defeat to
Colchester United
Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its ea ...
.
Layne left for
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
, 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 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
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
centre back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categ ...
Roy McFarland
Roy Leslie McFarland (born 5 April 1948) is an English former football manager and player. With Derby County, he played 442 league games, helping him to earn 28 caps for England.
Born in Liverpool, McFarland developed his skills at Tranmere Ro ...
as manager in May 1981. McFarland won promotion in his first season, but was poached by his former club
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...
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 the
official receivers. The club was saved by former chairman
Stafford Heginbotham
Stafford Heginbotham (12 September 1933 – 21 April 1995) was a British businessman who was chairman of Bradford City football club at the time when 56 people died in the Bradford City stadium fire. The fire occurred immediately after the club ...
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 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 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
Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
. Two years later City were relegated back to the Third Division. For three seasons, City finished mid-table in the third tier, which was renamed Division Two following the formation of the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
in 1992.
In January 1994,
Geoffrey Richmond came from
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...
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
Robin Michael Lawrence, commonly known as Lennie Lawrence, (born 12 December 1947) is an English football manager. He is assistant manager and non-executive director at National League side Hartlepool United.
Lawrence was a semi-professional a ...
.
Lawrence left after little more than a year to join
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
but his successor,
Chris Kamara, took City to the
play-offs and their first game at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
. They defeated
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
2–0 in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
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
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
3–0 on the final day of the season, but Kamara 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
''Dad's Army'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard (United Kingdom), Home Guard during the World War II, Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft (TV producer), David Crof ...
'', by avoiding relegation again on the last day with a 1–0 victory over
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, 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 the end of the first season back in Division One, City were placed in
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people.
** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...
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
Andrew Stuart Murray McCall (born 10 June 1964) is a professional football coach and former player. He is currently assistant manager of Preston North End.
McCall played in a total of 763 league games and in 40 full international matche ...
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
SC United Bantams is an American soccer team based in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States c ...
.
In January 2013, City became the first club from the fourth tier of English football since
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...
in
1962
The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War.
Events January
* January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
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
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
sides en route to the final –
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, they have p ...
4–2 on penalties in the fourth round,
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
3–2 on penalties in the quarter-finals and
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
4–3 on aggregate over the two legs of the semi-final. They met Premier League side
Swansea City in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
at
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...
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, the club returned to
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...
where they defeated
Northampton Town
Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1897, the c ...
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
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
, another Premier League club, 2–0 at home in the next round on 15 February 2015. In the quarter-finals, the Bantams faced
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
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 a possible buyout. The offer was rejected.
On 24 February 2022,
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player who is the head coach of club Carlisle United F.C., Carlisle United.
During his playing career he usually operated as a Forward (asso ...
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. On 6 November,
Graham Alexander
Graham Alexander (born 10 October 1971) is a professional football coach and former player who manages EFL League One club Bradford City. In a lengthy playing career, Alexander represented Scunthorpe United, Luton Town, Preston North End an ...
was signed as manager until the end of the 2026–27 season, with
Chris Lucketti as assistant manager.
Bradford City were promoted to
League One on the last day of the 2024–25 EFL season after their victory over
Fleetwood Town.
Colours and club crest
Bradford City is the only professional football club in England to wear claret and amber. The club colours were inherited from
Manningham FC, when 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 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, 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 the centre-left.
City scarves have also sold in large numbers in recent years to fans of ''
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
'', 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
Motherwell (, ) is a List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Shires of Scotland, Historically in the p ...
, who originally wore blue and white until they wore claret and amber for the first time on 23 August 1913, against Celtic. It 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, 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.
Nickname
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 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".
The "Bantams" nickname is thought to have become popular during the First World War, when the club's stadium Valley Parade was used as a recruiting station for the West Yorkshire Regiment which was raising Pals Battalions, with some of them called "Bantams Battalions" due to the short height of many of the recruits being, between 5 ft (1.5m) tall and no more than 5 ft 3in (1.6m).
Stadium
Valley Parade
Valley Parade, currently known as University of Bradford Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is an all-seater association football, football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The stadium was built in 1886 as the home of Manningham F.C. ...
was the site of a
quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...
on the hillside below
Manningham, Bradford
Manningham is a historically industrial workers area as well as a council ward of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.
The population of the 2011 Census for the Manningham Ward was 19,983.
History
Manningham holds a wealth of industrial his ...
, 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 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
Gainsborough Trinity Football Club is a Association football, football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England. Established in 1873, the club became members of the English Football League, Football League i ...
, drawing a crowd of 11,000.
Five years later, the club won promotion to the
First Division, and so commissioned football architect
Archibald Leitch
Archibald Keir Leitch (27 April 1865 – 25 April 1939) was a Scottish architect, most famous for his work designing association football, football stadiums throughout Great Britain and Ireland.
Early work
Born in Glasgow, Leitch's early work w ...
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
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
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
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
game between Bradford City and
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
during Bradford's
FA Cup winning run.
Until 1952, by which time Bradford City had bought 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
Berwick Rangers Football Club is a football team based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed in England, who play in the Scottish football system. Founded in 1881, they currently play in the , the fifth tier of Scottish football, despite being ba ...
and a replacement stand built in 1954.
Six years later, 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 the wooden main stand in just nine minutes.
The club played its home games at
Odsal Stadium
Odsal Stadium (known as Bartercard Odsal Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is a multi-purpose stadium, multipurpose stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The stadium is currently the home of Bradford Bulls rugby league football club and ...
, a rugby league ground in Bradford,
Elland Road
Elland Road, or Elland Road Stadium, is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the Home (sports), home of Leeds United F.C., Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the List of foot ...
, Leeds, and
Leeds Road
Leeds Road was a association football, football stadium in Huddersfield, England. It operated from its construction in 1908 until the Kirklees Stadium was opened nearby for the 1994–95 in English football, 1994–95 season. It was the home ...
, 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, 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 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
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people.
** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...
in May 2002 so none have taken place.
The following year, Valley Parade 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 a return to Odsal. The club and Bradford Bulls would share the new £50m complex, which would also feature
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
, cycling and
athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...
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
Utilita Energy is an electricity and gas supplier operating in the United Kingdom. Utilita began trading in 2003, specialising in pay-as-you-go metering.
Utilita had over 800,000 customers, representing a 2.6% share in the domestic market.
...
Stadium. This partnership came to an end in July 2022. The
University of Bradford
The University of Bradford is a public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be created in Britain, but ...
subsequently became title sponsor of Valley Parade.
Supporters
The club spearheaded an initiative in 2007 to slash 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
The English Football League Two, simply known as League Two and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet League Two, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League Two is the fourth division of the English Football League (EFL ...
during the 2007–08 season, attracting more than three times more than any other club. The club won 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 Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...
. 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 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 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
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...
, 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 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
Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its ea ...
, 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.
Rivalry
Bradford City have participated in the
Bradford derby
The Bradford derby is a football derby match played between Bradford City and Bradford (Park Avenue).
The derby has also been called the Wool City derby, referring to Bradford
Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in We ...
with city rivals
Bradford Park Avenue. The
West Yorkshire derby
The West Yorkshire derbies are a series of football matches or rugby league matches taking place between football or rugby league clubs from West Yorkshire.
In football History
Leeds United's relegation to League One in 2007 may have reignite ...
is held between City and local rivals
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
and
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football.
Huddersfield Town we ...
. 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
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
,
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
and
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
as rivals.
European football
Bradford City's only participation in European football to date came in the
2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup.
Players
Current squad
''Players marked with a (*) will be released by the club when their contracts expire on 30 June 2025.''
Incoming players
''The following players will join the club on 1 July 2025''
Player of the Year
Staff
Current staff
:
Former managers
*
Robert Campbell (1903–1905)
*
Peter O'Rourke (1905–1921)
*
David Menzies (1921–1926)
*
Colin Veitch (1926–1928)
*
Jack Foster (Caretaker manager) (Jan–May 1928)
*
Peter O'Rourke (1928–1930)
*
Jack Peart (1930–1935)
*
Dick Ray (1935–1937)
*
Fred Westgarth (1938–1943)
*
Bob Sharp (1943–1946)
*
Jack Barker (1946–1947)
*
Jack Milburn (1947–1948)
*
David Steele (1948–1952)
*
Albert Harris (Feb–May 1952) (interim manager)
*
Ivor Powell (1952–1955)
*
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which ar ...
(1955–1961)
*
Bob Brocklebank (1961–1964)
*
Bill Harris (1965–1966)
*
Willie Watson (1966–1967)
*
Grenville Hair (1967–1968)
*
Jim McAnearney &
Tom Hallett (Joint caretaker managers) (Mar–May 1968)
*
Jimmy Wheeler
Ernest Alfred Henry Remnant (16 September 1910 – 8 October 1973), known professionally as Jimmy Wheeler, was a British variety theatre comedian and pioneer of radio and television. Earlier in his career he worked with his father in the double ...
(1968–1971)
*
Ray Wilson (Player/caretaker manager) (Sep–November 1971)
*
Bryan Edwards (1971–1975)
*
Bobby Kennedy (1975–1978)
*
John Napier
John Napier of Merchiston ( ; Latinisation of names, Latinized as Ioannes Neper; 1 February 1550 – 4 April 1617), nicknamed Marvellous Merchiston, was a Scottish landowner known as a mathematician, physicist, and astronomer. He was the 8 ...
(Feb–October 1978)
*
George Mulhall
George Mulhall (8 May 1936 – 27 April 2018) was a Scottish football player and manager. Born in Falkirk, Mulhall played as an outside left for Aberdeen and Sunderland. He was capped three times for Scotland. He became the manager of Bradford C ...
(1978–1981)
*
Roy McFarland
Roy Leslie McFarland (born 5 April 1948) is an English former football manager and player. With Derby County, he played 442 league games, helping him to earn 28 caps for England.
Born in Liverpool, McFarland developed his skills at Tranmere Ro ...
(1981–1982)
*
Trevor Cherry (1982–1987)
*
Terry Dolan (1987–1989)
*
Terry Yorath (1989–1990)
*
John Docherty (1990–1991)
*
Frank Stapleton (1991–1994)
*
Lennie Lawrence
Robin Michael Lawrence, commonly known as Lennie Lawrence, (born 12 December 1947) is an English football manager. He is assistant manager and non-executive director at National League side Hartlepool United.
Lawrence was a semi-professional a ...
(1994–1995)
*
Chris Kamara (1995–1998)
*
Paul Jewell (1998–2000)
*
Chris Hutchings (June–Nov 2000)
*
Stuart McCall
Andrew Stuart Murray McCall (born 10 June 1964) is a professional football coach and former player. He is currently assistant manager of Preston North End.
McCall played in a total of 763 league games and in 40 full international matche ...
(Player/caretaker manager) (Nov 2000)
*
Jim Jefferies (2000–2001)
*
Steve Smith (Caretaker manager) (December 2001)
*
Nicky Law (2002–2003)
*
Peter Atherton,
Wayne Jacobs,
David Wetherall and
Dean Windass (player/caretaker managers) (November 2003)
*
Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson (born 11 January 1957) is an English association football, football manager and former player. He began his career with West Bromwich Albion F.C., West Bromwich Albion in 1972, where he amassed over 200 appearances and was club ca ...
(2003–2004)
*
Colin Todd
Colin Todd (born 12 December 1948) is an English football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Esbjerg fB. As a player, he made more than 600 appearances in the Football League, playing as a defender for Sunderland, ...
(2004–2007)
*
David Wetherall (Player/caretaker manager) (Feb–May 2007)
*
Stuart McCall
Andrew Stuart Murray McCall (born 10 June 1964) is a professional football coach and former player. He is currently assistant manager of Preston North End.
McCall played in a total of 763 league games and in 40 full international matche ...
(2007–2010)
*
Wayne Jacobs (Caretaker manager) (February 2010)
*
Peter Taylor (February 2010 – February 2011)
*
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which ar ...
(March 2011 – August 2011)
*
Colin Cooper (Caretaker manager) (August 2011)
*
Phil Parkinson (August 2011 – June 2016)
*
Stuart McCall
Andrew Stuart Murray McCall (born 10 June 1964) is a professional football coach and former player. He is currently assistant manager of Preston North End.
McCall played in a total of 763 league games and in 40 full international matche ...
(June 2016 – February 2018)
*
Greg Abbott
Gregory Wayne Abbott ( ; born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and jurist who has served since 2015 as the 48th governor of Texas. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served from 2002 to ...
(Caretaker manager) (February 2018)
*
Simon Grayson
Simon Nicholas Grayson (born 16 December 1969) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who is head coach of National League (division), National League club Hartlepool ...
(February 2018 – May 2018)
*
Michael Collins (June 2018 – September 2018)
*
David Hopkin (September 2018 – February 2019)
*
Martin Drury (Caretaker manager) (February 2019 – March 2019)
*
Gary Bowyer (March 2019 – February 2020)
*
Stuart McCall
Andrew Stuart Murray McCall (born 10 June 1964) is a professional football coach and former player. He is currently assistant manager of Preston North End.
McCall played in a total of 763 league games and in 40 full international matche ...
(February 2020 – December 2020)
*
Mark Trueman and
Connor Sellars (caretaker managers; December 2020–February 2021)
*
Mark Trueman and
Connor Sellars (February 2021 – May 2021)
*
Derek Adams (June 2021 - February 2022)
*
Mark Trueman (caretaker manager; February 2022)
*
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player who is the head coach of club Carlisle United F.C., Carlisle United.
During his playing career he usually operated as a Forward (asso ...
(February 2022 – October 2023)
*
Kevin McDonald (caretaker manager; October 2023)
*
Mark Trueman (caretaker manager; October 2023 – November 2023)
*
Graham Alexander
Graham Alexander (born 10 October 1971) is a professional football coach and former player who manages EFL League One club Bradford City. In a lengthy playing career, Alexander represented Scunthorpe United, Luton Town, Preston North End an ...
(November 2023 to present)
Honours and records
League
*
Second Division /
First Division (level 2)
**Champions:
1907–08
**Runners-up:
1998–99
*
Third Division North /
Third Division / Second Division (level 3)
**Champions:
1928–29,
1984–85
**Play-off winners:
1996
1996 was designated as:
* International Year for the Eradication of Poverty
Events January
* January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
*
Fourth Division /
League Two (level 4)
**Runners-up:
1981–82
**Promoted:
1968–69,
1976–77,
2024–25
**Play-off winners:
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
Cup
*
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
**Winners:
1910–11
*
Football League Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
**Runners-up:
2012–13
*
Third Division North Challenge Cup
**Winners:
1938–39
*
West Riding County FA Challenge Cup
**Winners: 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909
Records
* Record league victory: 11–1 v
Rotherham United
Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional association football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The team plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, after suffering relegation fr ...
, Third Division (North), 25 August 1928
* Record FA Cup victory: 11–3 v Walker Celtic, first round replay, 1 December 1937
* Record League Cup victory: 7–2 v
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...
, Second Round Second Leg, 25 September 2000
* Record league defeat: 0–8 v
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
, Second Division, 7 May 1927 / 1–9 v
Colchester United
Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its ea ...
, Fourth Division, 30 December 1961
* Record FA Cup defeat: 1–6 v
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
, third round, 7 March 1963 / 0–5 v
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
, fifth round replay, 3 February 1960 / 0–5 v
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
, third round, 7 January 1970
* Record home attendance: 39,146 v
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
, FA Cup fourth round, 11 March 1911
* Record gate receipts: £300,000 v
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, Football League Cup quarter-final, 11 December 2012
* Longest unbeaten run : 21 1968 to 1969
* Longest run of wins: 10 1983 to 1984
* Most appearances : 574
Ces Podd
* Most league appearances: 502 –
Ces Podd
* Most goals scored : 143 –
Bobby Campbell
* Most league goals: 121 –
Bobby Campbell
* Most goals in a season: 36 –
David Layne,
1961–62
* Most goals scored in a match: 7 –
Albert Whitehurst v
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ...
, Third Division (North), 6 March 1929
* Highest transfer fee paid: £2.5 million –
David Hopkin, from
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
, July 2000
* Highest transfer fee received: £2 million –
Des Hamilton, to
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
, March 1997 /
Andy O'Brien, to
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
, March 2001
* Most team league goals in a season: 128 – Third Division (North),
1928–29
* Most points (three points for a win): 94 – Third Division,
1984–85
* Most points (two points for a win): 63 – Third Division (North),
1928–29
''All records from Bradford City F.C. official website''.
Sponsors
Kit and main sponsors
Tables of kit suppliers and shirt sponsors appear below:
Stadium
* 1995–1999
The Pulse
* 2005–2007
Bradford & Bingley
Bradford & Bingley plc was a British bank with headquarters in the West Yorkshire town of Bingley.
The bank was formed in December 2000 by demutualisation of the Bradford & Bingley Building Society following a vote of the building society's me ...
* 2007 Intersonic
* 2007–2016 Coral Windows
* 2016–2019 Northern Commercials
* 2019–2022
Utilita Energy
Utilita Energy is an electricity and gas supplier operating in the United Kingdom. Utilita began trading in 2003, specialising in pay-as-you-go metering.
Utilita had over 800,000 customers, representing a 2.6% share in the domestic market.
...
* 2022–present
University of Bradford
The University of Bradford is a public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be created in Britain, but ...
See also
*
Football in Yorkshire
References
External links
*
Site of Bradford City's bantamspast museumPlay-off record .
{{Authority control
Association football clubs established in 1903
1903 establishments in England
Football clubs in England
Premier League clubs
English Football League clubs
Football clubs in West Yorkshire
FA Cup winners
Sport in Bradford
Companies that have entered administration in the United Kingdom