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Bradford City Ground Name: Coral Windows Stadium |
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Bradford City Ground Name: Coral Windows Stadium |
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| Contents | |
| What's The Ground Like? Co-operative & Carlsberg Kop Stands (photo) What Is It Like For Visiting Supporters? The Midland Road (East) & TL Dallas Stands (photo) Where To Drink? 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 2009-2010 Record & Average Attendance Fans Ground Reviews Other Places Of Interest Feedback Return To The Main Menu |
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| What's The Ground Like? | |
| The 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 Midland Road (East) 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 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? | |
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There are 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.
Otherwise it is probably wise to drink in the centre or if you are
feeling adventurous jump in a taxi and visit the Fighting Cock in Preston
St which serves excellent
real ale and is quite a mecca for CAMRA
members. Darren Middleton recommends Haigys Bar on Lumb Lane whilst
Jamie Morgan adds; 'a new pub/curry house has just opened called The
Valley. It is on Manningham Lane, only a short distance past the ground'.
Otherwise alcohol in the form of Carlsberg is available to away fans
inside the stadium. | |
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| How To Get There By Car & Where To Park | |
| 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.
For a map showing the location of the ground click here (to take you to the Street Map website). To go to a simplified page, containing the directions and pub info, which you can print out click here. | |
| 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. | |
|
Lenny The City Gent | |
|
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'. | |
| Admission Prices | |
| Home
Supporters: Co-operative Stand: Adults £20, Students £15, OAP's £14, Juveniles £12 TL Dallas Stand: Adults £20, OAP's £14, Juveniles £12. Carlsberg Stand: Adults £20, Students £15, OAP's £14, Juveniles £12 Away Supporters: Midland Road (East) Stand: Adults £20, OAP's £14, Juveniles £12 | |
| Programme & Fanzine | |
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Official Programme: £2.50. | |
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| Disabled Facilities | |
| For details of disabled facilities at the ground please visit the relevant page on the National Association Of Disabled Supporters (NADS) website. | |
| Fixtures 2009-2010 | |
| For the Bradford fixture list click here (to take 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: 2008-2009: 12,704 (League Two) 2007-2008: 13,694 (League Two) 2006-2007: 8,694 (League One) | |
| Fans Reviews Of Valley Parade | |
| 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 | |
| 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 £4'. 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. | |
| Hotel Accommodation | |
| If you require hotel accommodation in the area then first try a hotel booking service provided by Football Hotels who are powered by Activehotels, who specialise in locating accommodation near or within a short travelling distance of the football ground. They also have the added advantage over some other hotel booking services that you pay on departure. 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. To access their Bradford page click here. | |
| Feedback | |
| If anything is
incorrect or you have something to add, please e-mail
me and I'll update the guide. | |
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Return To The Main Menu | |
© Duncan Adams
2010
All rights
reserved
Last
Updated: 14 March 2010
