A Summary of the Season from a Trust Point of View

May 7, 2024

This season has been one of the most turbulent roller coaster rides a Bradford City team has given us for many years.

As we have said in previous articles, we have all been frustrated with the lack of consistency and many of us have questioned our own loyalty at witnessing at times such inept performances.

 

So quickly confidence has evaporated from the players when they have struggled against opponents over the course of the season, but it is a reflection of the weaknesses of the league we’re in.

 

Many fans simply stopped going when form dipped, however, even with such an inconsistent team and set of results as they were played out in real time, our team were never that far away from the lowest play off spot.

 

Fans have despaired, raged, left early, booed and missed games, and a minority even protested, but many fans came back for the last game of the season.

 

Concerns for the Club

This season, not since the departure of Edin Rahic, has there been lots of concern around the lack of success and a perceived lack of a plan for success, and an overall anxiety about the future of the Club and stadium under Stefan Rupp and the stewardship of Ryan Sparks. We have covered it in our perspectives article and touched on it in other recent articles too. But what we would like to bring out is that the concern for the Club has definitely brought fans together.

 

Of course, Bradford City’s came back from the last dip of 4 defeats on the trot, like a phoenix rising in spectacular fashion with an unbeaten run of 7: Six wins and one draw, has definitely helped. But the concern about the clubs’ finances and perceived lack of investment has stimulated much debate and encouragement to renew season tickets at the Early Bird price of £249. 13,571 is a great achievement for the Club, especially when there has been a real worry that many would simply not renew.

 

Finishing the season on a high

Graham Alexander must be feeling much more confident for his prospects of taking his team up next season. That will be the expectation. His approach has been questionable for much of the season, but the team rallied together, putting on a real fighting performance against Tranmere at Valley Parade back at the end of March which was the start of their unbeaten run and ended with a 4 – 1 win over Newport, the last game of the season, and we were so close to a play-off place.

 

There are so many games we could’ve won. The home game against Crawley Town in early January when we were winning 2- 1 with 11 minutes to go and then they equalized before the 90, and came out 4- 2 winners in injury time. And then there was the Grimsby away game more recently, which was poor as we couldn’t find a route to goal against a team fighting for their lives to stay up and we fortunately saved our blushes with an injury time penalty equalizer. And I’m sure there will be lots of other examples we should’ve won supporters will be able to cite from this season’s games. But at least the Bantams as a team have shown some promise in the end.

 

The late run made the Player of the Season evening a successful evening, with Brad Halliday scooping up most of the awards, and ‘he’s one of our own’ Bobby Pointon, picking up the Trust’s Young Player of the Year award.

 

Fan Engagement

What was also significant about this season is that in the background, English football has been going through a huge amount of reform via the Football Governance Bill, which is all about making the game more sustainable, with a large amount of emphasis on fan engagement. On the 23rd April, it went through its second reading in Parliament. You can see more about it here. And we will have a more detailed piece on it in the coming months.

 

What is significant about the Bill is that it comes with an independent regulator to review all aspects of how Clubs do business and engage with supporters. However there is still a lot of work to be done with regards to the Football Supporters Association (FSA) lobbying MP’s, broadly speaking in tightening up the detail of the Bill with the aim of making football clubs more accountable to match going supporters, who we feel are the most important stakeholder football clubs have.

 

Supporters have an important role

As we have said before in our previous perspectives article, there needs to be a form of fan unity in keeping abreast with the range of developments the Club has in terms of how it sees itself progressing, with regards to club identity, heritage, ticketing and loyalty points, match atmosphere, food and cost to supporters etc., and not only that, but engaging with the many groups and organisations that exist within the supporter base.

 

Without doubt, many supporters are members of many groups, however, one aim of the Trust is to communicate with as many groups or key individuals from the groups as possible in a season in an informative informal way, discussing and debating the various controversies that come up. It is remarkable how much we all have in common.

 

Working together with the Supporters Board (SB) for example in finding common ground is something to work on, and it is the same with identifying with other groups, there can be a great amount of trust and solidarity built amongst supporters, and a more united view can be found and fed back to the Club. This can be through surveys of course but also feeding directly to the Club in meetings with them.

 

The Trust is affiliated to the FSA and through its Networks we can draw out points where other Trusts have developed new ideas and strategies to improve their fan engagement with their clubs, and hopefully we can have an effect on improving our Club’s engagement with ourselves, the SB and the loyal fan base more broadly.

 

Do you want to make a difference? Join the Trust today.

Total Amount Raised from Bucket Collection

May 23, 2025
On the 23 rd May the Club announced the total amount raised from the bucket collection before the last game of the season on the 3 rd May. Supporters donated an amazing £7,387.70 during the matchday bucket collection – almost double last year’s total – where volunteers gave up their time to help raise funds around Valley Parade ahead of the game against Fleetwood .  Those volunteers were you, who did an absolutely fantastic job! There were approximately 15 or so volunteers, mostly Trust members, but also from the Disability Club and Shipley Bantams. It is something that has been traditionally been done every year since the fateful tragedy and should be continued as a way of paying our respects to those who we should always remember. A phenomenal £18,580.74 has been raised for the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit (PSBRU) since our game against Fleetwood Town. For more of a breakdown of what was raised when, please see the Club article here. The Trust would like to give a special thank you to all involved in the collection .

Fans Forum

May 22, 2025
There will be a Fans Forum at the Club on Wednesday 11 th June, where fans can ask questions to Chairman, Stefan Rupp, CEO, Ryan Sparks, First Team Manager, Graham Alexander, Head of Recruitment, Stephan Gent and Head of Football Operations, David Sharpe. The event is free but there is limited capacity of 450, and tickets will be available on a first come first served basis to fans that already have next seasons’ season tickets. It will be in the McCall and Hendrie suites, starting at 7pm. For more details and tickets here . Book early to avoid disappointment.

Your Stories from Valley Parade Community Event June 22nd

May 22, 2025
Bantams Supporters Trust have been supporting a community project led by Chris Gaffney, a professor of Archaeological Science at the University of Bradford, with his team at the University of Bradford, by promoting a survey , City supporters have been asked to fill in that asks you about your best memories of being a City fan when you have been at Valley Parade. Your stories will come to life by local artists and shown through the University's immersive technology at an event at City on Sunday 22 nd June, from 10am till 2pm. “Using their technology and your stories, they will be making the unimaginable imaginable. Enter the immersive igloo, explore the digital copy of the University of Bradford Stadium and watch as supporters’ stories are brought to life by artists from across the city.” The survey is still live so if you haven’t taken part yet, now is your chance. Find out more about the day’s event and to register here .

Share Your Stories from Valley Parade for Virtual Reality (VR) Project

May 13, 2025
Were you at Valley Parade on the 3 rd May 2025 to witness incredible scenes of joy as Bradford City clinched automatic promotion in the 96 th minute? Was this your best and most memorable experience ever? We, as Bradford City fans are being asked to participate in telling our stories of being at Valley Parade by answering online survey questions about your experiences of Supporting City at Valley Parade. You can choose which questions you want to answer and your stories / memories can be told anonymously. The questions include sharing memories of their first Bantams match, most memorable game, how they started supporting the club, family members’ memories of following the Bantams, where they sit at the University of Bradford Stadium and what it means to be a Bradford City supporter. The stories will be shared with artists who will turn them into different art forms e.g. paintings, film, poetry. The different artists interpretations of the stories will be embedded into a digital copy of the stadium that Chris Gaffney, (Professor of Archaeological Science at the University of Bradford) and his team are creating, and people will be able to explore using VR. There is an intention to embed the stories in the physical stadium that people will be able to access using a QR code when attending matches. They will be revealed during the Bradford 2025 City of Culture celebrations. The stories may also feature in a book being written to tell people about the different innovations that have been created by the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit as a result of fans donations. Any profits from the book will be go towards the future research of the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit. For further reading please go to the University of Bradford’s press release about the project. 

Voice of the Fans Exhibition

May 13, 2025
A new exhibition looking at fanzine culture in English football from the British Library and the Leeds Library service opened just recently on Friday 9 th May and runs until Sunday 10th August. The “Voice of the Fans” exhibition examines the world of long-standing – and some FSA award-winning – fanzines such our own City Gent, the Square Ball ran by supporters east of Pudsey, national indie title When Saturday Comes, and much more. Charting the rise of “fan self-publishing” from the 1960s into today’s digital-era, Voice of the Fans explores more than 60 years of fan-made media, with highlights from the collections of the British Library and Leeds Libraries – a period that has defined the beautiful game. Born out of the DIY ethos of the music and punk scenes, the raw creativity of football zines remains inspiring and relevant in today’s global game. The exhibition showcases fan-driven creativity from the UK and Ireland, and features some of the longest running and most influential football zines, alongside stories of well-known names who started their careers writing for these grassroots publications. 14 th June Show Our very own City Gent Editor, Mike Harrison will be among other writers and editors including Daniel Chapman of Leedsista and formerly The Square Ball, Felicia Pennant from SEASON Zine and Zoë Hitchen from Girlfans who will be discussing fan-driven publishing in the present moment, including its role in the wider media landscape, what it offers audiences, why it’s important and how it has endured despite changes in the globalised game. The discussion will be chaired by Ffion Thomas, Deputy Editor of When Saturday Comes and co-editor of Along Come Norwich zine. See more about this event here . This is part of the ‘Voice of the Fans’ Exhibition. The exhibition is free to all members of the public and there is no need to book in advance. “Voice of the Fans” will run at Leeds Central Library, Municipal Buildings, Calverley Street Leeds, LS1 3AB.

The Trust Always Remembers

May 9, 2025
Remembering the 54 Bradford City supporters and two Lincoln City supporters who went to watch a game of football but never returned home. We stand with everyone at the Memorial Service in Centenary Square and those that join us from all parts of the UK and the world to mark the 40th anniversary of the Valley Parade Fire Disaster.

Memorial Service on May 11

May 8, 2025
This Sunday, the annual memorial service will take place at the Bradford City Fire Disaster sculpture, in Centenary Square from 11am, marking 40 years of the anniversary. The service, jointly organized by Bradford Metropolitan District Council and Bradford City will be attended by relatives and friends of the 56 people who lost their lives and were affected in 1985, as well as Club and Council officials and members of the public. The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Cllr Beverley Mullaney, will host a Civic Party from Lincoln who will also attend the service together, with City’s men’s first team players and staff in attendance alongside representatives from the Club, and from Lincoln City. The disaster claimed the lives of 54 Bradford City supporters and two travelling Lincoln supporters, injuring hundreds more, in one of the world’s most devastating sporting tragedies. Bantams Supporters Trust representatives will be laying a wreath on behalf of the Trust.

How we remember the events of 40 years ago

May 6, 2025
An article written four years ago, aimed at perhaps a younger audience of football fans, who may not be aware of the terrible tragedy witnessed at Valley Parade 40 years ago now, is a valuable educational resource. Written by Simon Lloyd of the online magazine www.joe.co.uk , he interviews Mohammed Ibrahim, who recalls his experience of the events of May 11 th , 1985. Simon Lloyd also interviews the Chair of Bantams Supporters Trust, Manny Dominguez how he remembers it too. The article features a short documentary called ‘Unheard Voices’, which is a series of interviews with Humayun Islam from Bangla Bantams, and others, predominantly from the Bangladeshi community who live in the locality around Valley Parade and how they remember too. You can see the article here .

The winner of the Young Player of the Year is...

May 1, 2025
We would like to thank all of you who voted for the Supporters Trusts’ Young Player of the Year 2024/25. They say that football is a game of two halves, and it is, but it needs to be said that our whole season has almost been like a season of two different ones. It was really our home record, a succession of 10 back-to-back home wins that began just before Christmas that propelled the Bantams into the position we are in today. And the future of where we are next season is still to be determined at the last match of what feels like a very long exhilarating rollercoaster ride for the long suffering fans. This season there has been a real team effort on the pitch, a team that has grown in confidence over the course of the season. Congratulations goes to the gaffer, Graham Alexander who picked up the EFL Manager of League Two, while the skipper, Ritchie Smallwood was named in the EFL League Two Team of the Season at the recent EFL awards. And well done to Ritchie Smallwood who picked up the Player of the Year Award from the Club’s main sponsor, JCT600, and most the supporters travel clubs, and from the team itself. Young Player of the Year The winner of the Trust’s Young Player of the Year is of course, Bobby Pointon! He was voted as Trust members’ Young Player of the Year for the second time running! We would also like to give a special thanks to Tony Deacon, who gave Bobby the award. Once again, a big thank you to all of you for taking part. You know who you are and we very much appreciate your involvement in this event and making it a success.

FSA Annual General Meeting Invite 2025

April 29, 2025
The role of supporters in our game is growing ever larger, and it is important that as many fans as possible get involved in fan-related activity both at a local and a national level. From ticket pricing to VAR, governance to broadcasting and fixture scheduling, there are issues in our game that need supporter input. It’s vital. If you have a keen interest in these areas, this is the perfect event to attend. The Trust are affiliate members of the Football Supporters’ Association, and therefore we would like to extend our invite to their Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Manchester on Saturday June 14th. The FSA will be welcoming Martyn Henderson, the interim chief operating officer for the incoming independent football regulator (IREF), to discuss his work in building the organisation before the Football Governance Bill achieves royal assent later this year. The FSA will have representatives of PGMOL (Referee officials body) in attendance, as well as an opportunity to have a go at the VAR systems currently in place in the Premier League. As well as that, there will be workshops for members throughout the day on the following topics: Ticketing Supporter engagement Broadcasting/3pm blackout Fans for Diversity Women’s Voice in the Men’s Game Young supporters Governance and Finance in the Women’s game Football and the climate crisis The AGM will take place at Manchester Metropolitan University on Saturday 14 th June, starting at 10:00 am, finishing up at 5:00pm. You can register for the AGM here . More information can be found here .
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