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Bradford
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Bradford
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| Contents | |
| What's
The Ground Like? Co-operative & Carlsberg Kop Stands (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? The Betrescue & TL Dallas Stands (photo) Where To Drink? Betrescue (Midland Road) Stand (photo) How To Get There By Car & Where To Park By Train A Closer Look At The TL Dallas Stand (photo) Local Rivals City Gent Club Mascot Admission Prices Programme & Fanzine Ground Layout Disabled Facilities Fixtures 2011-2012 Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Other Places Of Interest Valley Parade Location Map |
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
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term 'a game of two halves' is often applied to a
football game; in the case of Valley Parade, a stadium of 'two
halves' comes to mind. The ground has been now been
completely re-built since the mid 80's, but the
initial impression is that one side is twice as big as
the other. The Kop End (or now known as the
Carlsberg Stand), is a relatively new two tiered
stand, that is simply huge and looks quite superb. It
once towered over the rest of the ground, but the
addition of an additional tier to the Co-Operative Main Stand during
2001 has led to it meeting its once larger neighbour.
With the corner between these stands also being
filled, one has a truly impressive spectacle. The rest of the ground now looks somehow rather out of place. The Betrescue (Midland Road) Stand is a covered single tiered stand, which has windshields to each side. At some other grounds this would look impressive, as it is of a fair size and is free of supporting pillars. However it almost is lost in the shadow of its larger newer neighbours. At the remaining end is the TL Dallas stand which is an odd looking small 'double decker' type stand. This two tiered covered stand has the upper tier largely overhanging the lower tier, giving this 'double decker' effect. There is also an electric scoreboard in one corner of the ground. In the upper tier of the corner of the Co-operative Main Stand and Carlsberg Kop Stands is located a fans flag dedicated to the fans who lost their lives in the Bradford City fire at the ground in May 1985. |
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Co-operative & Carlsberg Kop Stands |
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| What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? | |
| After many years of being housed in the
TL Dallas Stand, away fans are now accommodated in
part of the Betrescue (Midland Road) Stand at one
side of the pitch. The Club decided to do this
following a campaign by Bradford supporters, as the
Bradford End as it was known before the commercial
sponsorship deal, has always been the traditional
home end at Valley Parade. Around 1,300 supporters can be accommodated in this area of the Midland Road Stand. For larger followings then another block can be opened, raising the allocation to 1,800. The good news is that the facilities are generally better than those of the TL Dallas Stand and there are no supporting pillars to impede your view. Roger Mulrooney a visiting Barnsley fan adds; 'On my last visit I found the home crowd friendly and non threatening. The stewards were particularly good natured and helpful. Still a very good away day for a visiting fan'. Inside the stadium food on offer includes: Cheeseburgers (£3.10), Burgers (£2.90), Hot Dogs (£2.90), Pies including the Chicken Balti Pie (£2.60) and Sausage Rolls (£2.10). Having been a student in Bradford and having watched them win the old Third Division, I have a bit of a soft spot for this club. And having been there are the day of that fateful fire in 1985, Valley Parade will always stay deep in my memory. Pleasingly I have found Bradford to have become rather more friendly towards away supporters in recent years. It is quite an enjoyable day out especially if you enjoy what the city has to offer. Make sure that you wrap up well unless the weather forecast is 80 degrees. This is because Bradford is situated at a bottom of a valley, down which a rather cold wind normally prevails. |
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| Where To Drink? | |
| Chris
O'Sullivan a visiting Bury fan recommends the
Bradford Arms on Manningham Lane; 'it is only
about two minutes from the ground and
was welcoming to away fans. It did basic food and
had a large projector showing the early
kick off match that was on'. There are also a couple of hotels with bars, that are about a ten minute walk away from the stadium. They are the Park & Cartwright hotels. Just continue to walk on the main road by the ground away from the town centre and at the traffic lights where the entrance to the park is, turn right and you will see them in a row on your right. Also about a ten minute walk away is the 'Corn Dolly' on Bolton Road, which is listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide, but has more of a home fans feel about it. If you have a bit more time on your hands then you may consider taking the 15-20 minute walk to the New Beehive Inn on Westgate. This pub which is listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide, is a throw back in time being gas lit. Otherwise alcohol in the form of Carlsberg (at £3.20 for a bottle) is available to away fans inside the stadium. |
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| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
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Leave the M62 at
Junction 26 and take the M606 for Bradford. At the
end of the motorway, keep to the right hand lane and
Valley Parade (Bradford & Bingley) is well sign
posted. If you do happen to lose track of the signs
then in the city centre, then just keep heading
towards Skipton (A650) and you will reach the
stadium on your left. Mostly street parking around
the ground. Map showing the location of Valley Parade (at the bottom of this page). |
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| By Train | |
| If going by train into Bradford Interchange, it is quite a walk to the ground (20 minutes). Either take a taxi (£3.50) or alternatively the bus station is located next to the train station (Bus No's 622, 623, 626 or 662). Chris Hawkridge suggests; 'supporters travelling via Leeds should catch the Leeds - Bradford Forster Square service (two trains per hour during the day) rather than those to Bradford Interchange. Forster Square is only 10 minutes walk from the ground'. | |
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| Local Rivals | |
| Leeds United, Huddersfield Town. | |
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Lenny The City Gent |
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Michael Wood from the Boy From Brazil website adds; 'Lenny is in essence an adult supporters mascot. Lenny is a large man sporting an impressive and frequently unveiled stomach and carrying a briefcase which contains a large pie, presented to raucous cheers from supporters before each game. Based on the club's cartoon mascot of the 1960s, then a representation of chairman Stafford Heginbotham, Lenny as an incarnation of the City supporting Gent with a case and an umbrella came as a surprise to most. As for why he was revived in the 90s, and indeed Lenny's purpose, reason is unclear, but his commitment to the mascot's function, to make the supporter feel closer to the club, is unfettered. How could one get closer to the club than by having its representative approach you in the bar before a game and drink heavily from your pint? Lenny's style is very much that of the traditional football goer. Pint and pie, there for the lads. More than a comedy mascot to be involved in japes, Lenny is a representative of the mainstay of supporters. Lenny travels with us, he drinks with us and, tellingly, while all comedy characters are banished in moments of grief, Lenny stands bowler hat bowed, during minutes silences, and mourns with us'. |
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| Admission Prices | |
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Home
Supporters: * Please note that students must become members of the Club to qualify for reduced admission. |
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| Programme & Fanzine | |
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Official Programme:
£3. |
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| Disabled Facilities | |
| For details of disabled facilities and club contact at the ground please visit the relevant page on the Level Playing Field website. | |
| Fixtures 2011-2012 | |
| Bradford City FC fixture list (takes you to the BBC Sports Website) | |
| Record & Average Attendance | |
| Record
Attendance: 39,146 v Burnley, FA Cup 4th Round, March 11th, 1911. Modern All Seated Attendance Record: 22,057 v Liverpool Premier League, May 1st, 2001. Average Attendance: 2010-2011: 11,128 (League Two) 2009-2010: 11,423 (League Two) 2008-2009: 12,704 (League Two) |
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| Fans Reviews Of Valley Parade | |
| James Grimshaw
(Gillingham) 18/9/10 Martyn Greenwood (Nottingham Forest) 10/8/10 Tony Rastelli (Cheltenham Town) 2/1/10 Chris Dutton (Bury) 28/10/08 Patrick Burke (Tranmere Rovers) 1/12/07 Stephen Hynes (Manchester City) 29/7/06 |
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| Bradford
has some excellent curry houses such as the Kashmir in
Morley St and the Mumtaz in Great Horton Road to name
but two. Omar Eliwi adds; 'The K2 Curry House on Lumb
Lane, about five minutes walk from Valley Parade,
serves great curries for under £5'. Whilst Jamie
Morgan informs me; 'By far the very best place to have
an authentic curry is the Shiraz on Oak Lane, 10
minutes walk away from the ground above where the
Cartwright Hotel is (see where to drink). Three of you
can eat for under £15, however
the Shiraz is not licenced, the nearest off
licence is at the bottom of Oak Lane by the Cartwright
Hotel'. If you have time, the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television is worth a visit, if only to see one of the short films on its huge Imax cinema screen. The museum is free to visit, but the Imax costs £5.95 adults, £4.20 concessions (there are also some discounted family tickets also available). The films are shown hourly, on the hour. |
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| Hotel Accommodation | |
| If you require hotel accommodation in the area then first try a hotel booking service provided by Late Rooms. They offer all types of accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets from; Budget Hotels, Traditional Bed & Breakfast establishments to Five Star Hotels and Serviced Apartments. Plus their booking system is straightforward and easy to use. Yes this site will earn a small commission if you book through them, but it will go to help with the running costs of keeping the Guide going. The Hotels listing also includes details of how far away the accommodation is located from the football ground. Access their Bradford Hotels and Guest Houses page. | |
| Map showing the location of Valley
Parade, Railway Stations And Listed Pubs |
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Instructions for using the map: |
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| Feedback | |
| If anything is incorrect or you have
something to add, please e-mail me duncan@footballgrounds.net and
I'll update the guide. |
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All rights
reserved
Last Updated: 5 January
2012
