Report of Meeting with BCAFC

March 26, 2024

Bantams Supporters Trust met with the Club on Monday 26th February. It was a useful and productive meeting.

 

So much has happened since the last meeting. On the pitch we have seen improvement and the game against Wycombe in the semi-final of the EFL Trophy, despite losing, was widely seen as the best home performance this season so far. However, progress on the pitch has been halted due to the weather more than once this year.

 

Much of our discussion goes over our recent survey findings, and the survey itself covers some of the national picture as well, and the topics are regular features of what we discuss in these meetings. So, without further ado lets dive into it.

 

Report of the Meeting

 

Survey

The Trust reported that over 160 supporters took part in the survey and explained that 60% were non-members, and 40% were members of the Trust, and that the majority taking part were of an older age group, predominantly white male living in Bradford and west Yorkshire area, and 17% identified as Women.

 

Season tickets

The survey covers last season as well as the take up for this year, so, most supporters who took advantage of the early bird offer renewed in this way this season, and there was a slight increase on this seasons.

 

Digital

We also explained most pay in one go and most were satisfied with the process of purchasing season tickets. Breaking that down further, the levels of satisfaction are lower when it comes to digital ticketing over a physical card. It is likely that this is an age preference.

 

Matchday tickets

The vast majority, 87% strongly agree that they represent good value. 45% strongly agree with an online discount, whilst 41% strongly agree that £20 is a fair price for a matchday ticket, and 46% strongly agree that £15 is a fair price for the advance online ticket price.

 

The Club were clear that matchday prices were not going to become cheaper.

 

Bantams Membership Scheme

We explained that 70% of our participants were not members of the scheme. This may have been an age thing. 58% said that as a season ticket holder they felt they were Club members. And 49% said the benefits we not worth the price.

 

Of those that were members, there was no overall majority in terms of what enticed them. 54% said it was the loyalty points, 52% felt they wanted to contribute more to the Club and 4% said they were induced by the special offers.

 

Loyalty Points

There was no overall majority. Most people at 33% felt they didn’t have enough points to buy the away tickets they wanted. 25% said they had enough loyalty points to purchase all they wanted and 23% said they couldn’t buy any at all due to not having any points.

 

The Club found it hard to believe that some couldn’t buy any for not having enough points as most away tickets ended up being made available to season ticket holders and many went on general sale.

 

Perhaps there is a layer of supporters not constantly looking when away tickets come out with the perception they are not going to be able to get one because they don’t think they have enough points.

 

It was asked about whether the times of ticket release have changed as sometimes they’ve gone on sale at mid-day. It was said that they do sometimes resale in less than 24hr hours.

 

It was pointed out that if the team vastly improves on the pitch, the demand will be greater.

 

A point was made that smaller grounds with limited away capacity was a constant issue in the lower leagues.

 

It was pointed out that the loyalty point scheme was still fairer than the priority card. It was said that the Priority card didn’t work as it was taking money off supporters on the premise they’d get a ticket.

 

It was suggested from the Trust that the Bantam Membership Scheme acts in a similar way to the old priority card as it costs and the 100 loyalty points is an incentive in a competition to get more in order to buy away match tickets.

 

The programme

There was no overall majority view on this. No, probably not like to see it back won out at 37%. 27% did definitely want to see it back, and yes probably came in at 19%. And 15% said definitely not. So, it is likely that certainly the older age bracket would’ve liked to see it back but there is a wider reluctant acceptance that it won’t return.

 

The Club definitely said it was not cost effective to produce, and even the sponsors were not bothered about it as not many were actually bought. Colchester’s free programme was mentioned but theirs was run at a loss.

 

It was said that it was not only waste in money, and cost club money, but had an environmental impact. There was a lot of waste. 

 

The Club were committed to souvenir programmes – if we are in a glamour cup tie for example. This was felt to be a good concession.

 

Kiosks and bars

35% visit them every game and 20% rarely / occasional, 16% never, and 13% most games.

 

Value for money

The majority answer was ‘adequate’ at 37%. The second highest answer was poor at 27%. Very poor scored as much as 19%, whilst ‘good’ got over 19%, with ‘very good’ receiving over 1%.

 

Many popular additions to catering options Tiffins can’t do for the moment. Most supporters who took part in the survey want chips, 60%. Everything else was inconclusive. Gravy and mushy peas both scored 15%. Bitter / ale scored 18%, vegetarian alternatives scored 17% and both Bhajis and Samosas scored 21% and 20% respectively.

 

Other suggestions to improve in-stadium offerings reflected a dissatisfaction. Better quality of service, food and cheaper prices were all suggestions. Less queuing, cash sales, opening more kiosks pointed to the need to improve the services.

 

It was said that takings on the catering were on the up, and requests for things like gluten free products or vegetarian options for example were not done in general because the demand for them was not enough.

 

It had been said by Doug, the Manager of Tiffins catering that food requests could be emailed in. However, it was said that supporters who had arranged for something to be brought in would have to pick it up at a bar /kiosk.

 

Indicating levels of agreement on a range of statements/topics

The Trust doing a good job in representing supporters

Almost 24% strongly agreed, almost 37% somewhat agreed, and over 32% sat on the fence saying they neither agree or disagree, while nearly 5% somewhat disagreed and over 1% strongly disagreed.

 

The Supporters Board do a good job in representing supporters

15% strongly agreed, with 36% somewhat agreeing. 39% neither agreed nor disagreed, and 4% somewhat disagreed while nearly 5% strongly disagreed

 

Feeling that Bradford City’s supporter engagement is good

Over 15% said they strongly agreed, and over 46% somewhat agreed, and over 29% neither agreed nor disagreed. Only 6% at the time somewhat disagreed and over 1% strongly disagreed.

 

The Club felt quite pleased with this.

 

Feeling that Bradford City cares about you and your views

Only 8% strongly agreed with that statement. 40% somewhat agreed, and almost 32% neither disagreed nor agreed. Nearly 14% somewhat disagreed with over 5% strongly disagreeing with that statement.

 

Swearing and bad language is part of watching football

Over 13% strongly agree, with over 30% somewhat agreeing. Slightly less, 27% neither agreed nor disagreed with over 17% somewhat disagreed and nearly 11% strongly disagreed. There was no overall strong opinion about this.

 

We agreed with the Club on this one that swearing and bad language is widely accepted at football, and it is a society problem, and if we are trying to make football more inclusive to wider, diverse groups, then it needs to improve.

 

Importance retaining the 3pm blackout to protect lower league clubs

There was a stronger opinion felt about this one. 41% strongly agreed with this, and just over 26% somewhat agreed, with over 19% of you sat on the fence. Only 8% somewhat disagreed, and only 3% strongly disagreed.

 

This is in line with the national view of football fans.

 

The Club’s opinion was that football would be better if it was removed, saying that if fans couldn’t get to a game they should be able to have a choice of watching it on TV. They didn’t feel that smaller clubs would lose their regular footfall. They feel there is a fear that supporters may choose to be sitting at home over coming to the game.

 

It’s right to ban fans from drinking within sight of the pitch

There was no really strong view about this one. Although nearly 28% of you strongly agree and 24% somewhat agree. Just 16% sat on the fence on this with the same percentage somewhat disagreeing. Almost 13% of supporters strongly disagree.

 

It was said that fans on the continent drink on the terraces. The Club thinks it is a draconian law. The club felt current ban means that people are more likely to binge drink before a game, rather than drink slower during a game. The Trust felt it was a justifiable point.

 

Football is doing enough to encourage diversity and welcome Women, LGBTQ people and ethnic minorities to the game.

There was no strong majority opinion on this. Almost 15% strongly agree and over 35% somewhat agree. 34% are on the fence on this one, whilst only 6% somewhat disagree and 4% strongly disagreeing.

 

There should be an independent football regulator to ensure football clubs are run sustainably.

There is a stronger opinion felt about what you think this. Over 47% strongly agree that there should be an independent regulator. Over 34% somewhat agree whilst over 10% are sat on the fence. Over 4% somewhat disagree and just over 2% strongly disagree.

 

It was pointed out that time is running out before the end of parliament and it is difficult to see the White Paper (Fan-Led Review Report) being voted on at this stage

 

TV companies having too much sway in deciding kick-off times/schedules

There is definitely strength of feeling on this. Over 64% strongly agree with this whilst 28% somewhat agree. Nearly 7% are sat on the fence and only 1% strongly disagrees.

 

The Club believe this is the direction of travel for football, but at the same time there is a concern supporters could be over saturated by the power of the broadcasters.

We know that there is a heavy reliance on the expected income of TV broadcasting deals that can help clubs competing in the transfer market, but if broadcasters are dropped or fail to make a profits this could affect the continuity of expectation from club, which in turn may increase the likelihood of financial concerns.

 

Purchasing a season ticket TV package that exclusively shows all Bradford City’s away matches.

30% strongly agreed whilst 28% somewhat agreed. 23% were on the fence, and 5% somewhat disagreed while 9% strongly disagreed.

 

The difficulty with this one is in the lower leagues Clubs will always prefer bums on seats, and of course there are of course issues around the 3pm blackout which would mean none of our Saturday away fixtures would be at 3pm.

 

The bigger clubs can always not worry about bums on seats as they pretty much sell out away ends, and not worry about teatime or evening weekend kick offs as demand for tickets nearly always exceeds capacity.

 

The Club strongly agreed with wanting this. They referred to the 3pm ban saying that we have been living with the ban for so long that people have got used to it, and there is a fear of removing it because smaller clubs feel they will lose out to the armchair fan.

 

I consider myself a supporter of the Bradford City Women’s team

Only, nearly 8% strongly identified with it. 18% somewhat agree, and 44% where not that really bothered one way or another. 12% somewhat disagreed and 10% strongly disagreed.

 

It shows that despite the razzmatazz around the national women’s team and the bigger brand clubs, it has not had that transformative effect with our support base, and it is probably the case at many other clubs in League 1 and 2.

The Club agreed that the Womens’ game hasn’t really hit beyond some of the leading Premier League clubs.

 

Of the various initiatives supporters would like the Trust to focus its campaigns and communications on:

  • Improving the atmosphere came out top with 47%;
  • Linked to that was safe standing / railed seating at 34%;
  • Registering Valley Parade as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) received 38%;
  • 33% selected Working to lower ticket pricing/reciprocal deals with other clubs;
  • 28% opted for Supporting diversity initiatives such as Kick it Out and Fans for Diversity campaigns;
  • Nearly 27% want to see us working to improve the policing and stewarding at home games;
  • and 26% want to see us work with the Club and police to improve away travel and matchday experience;
  • and 24% of you want us to support local community initiatives.

 

Other suggestions were: disabled parking, catering, events, the steps up to the pavement behind the Kop get too congested and there's ample space to widen them.

 

The Club said regarding widening the steps to the pavement from the kop, that the road is the responsibility of the Council.

 

Liaison Officer developments

It was reported that they now have taken on three volunteers for the disability SLO role, and Marco Townson overseas the different SLO areas.

 

Season ticket prices and special offers for next season

It was reported that the Club hadn’t yet decided on their options, and whilst freezing the price at £198 was an option, over the last 3 seasons it had stayed the same price, but the cost of running the Club operations have increased, their overheads have increased by 32% and they may have to look at increasing cost.

 

Railed Seating

The Trust suggested using this opportunity to raise the £70 - £80 estimated cost to fund the implementation of railed seating for those wanting to create the atmosphere and who would like the choice to stand in a designated area through marketing a specific area of the ground through season tickets. So for example, the Trust suggested, if everyone paid an extra £3 over two seasons for two railed seated areas of 2,000 it would pay for itself.

 

It was explained however that the Club had more immediate pressures in maintaining fixtures and fittings within the stadium. Roof repairs was cited as an example.

 

Premier League Proposals

This largely refers to offers to the EFL from the PL money to be cascaded down where there is no agreement yet. An element of this is linked to the PL’s deal with TV Broadcasters, and linked with the TV package is FA Cup proposals which would mean no replays and rescheduling. Semi final and final ticket pricing among other things are also been discussed.

 

Improving our Structures Dialogue with the Club

It was explained that the Trust felt whilst there is much gained with the Club in terms of it’s ongoing discussion and debate through our structured dialogue, the Trust has not been on a same level playing field as the Supporters Board (SB). A Trust aim is working with the Club on projects. For example, consultation about the season tickets for next season could’ve involved both the Trust and SB. Club publicity of its structured dialogue with the Trust is another example raised.

 

At some clubs they publicise jointly agreed reports of meetings is another good practice example.

 

The Trust feels it is fantastic that the Club gives the amount of time it gives us, and we discuss things that are national as well as all things Bradford City in a way that is not done with the SB.

 

We meet three times a season with the Club, which is well within the recommendations for structured dialogue.

 

It is true that as we are an independent organization it is important to maintain that independence, however, building a partnership for example, being involved in any consultation exercises, being involved in a process, a community partnership, a diversity or inclusion campaign, joint work on policing and stewarding of away matches, and being part of something which raises the profile of a specific project and the Trust’s profile is something that many other Trusts have achieved and we have achieved in the past.

 

In many ways, the Trust feels that it has made progress in being able to have this structured dialogue with the Club that it hasn’t had before, however, it is always good practice for both the Trust and Club to be jointly looking at ways of improving in building on the good relationship we have.

 

Finance

Commercially the Club is growing, on the ticketing side the Club is down, and catering the Club is doing better.

 

Paperwork will be published for all to see when the accounts are done.

 

Ownership

It was asked about Stefan Rupp coming to attend. It was suggested that he didn’t have to physically attend, it could be on a Zoom call and it was suggested with both the Supporters Board and ourselves.

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 .

Burns Research Unit bucket collection volunteers appeal Reminder

April 22, 2025
It is rapidly coming to that time of year when we will all be coming together give our respects to those who tragically lost their lived in the Valley Parade fire, and this year will mark the 40 th anniversary. As such, as in any anniversary, the effort to mark the occasion will be much greater. Therefore, we would like to make that extra effort to encourage more volunteers. Last year up to 30 volunteers plus, including the help of you, our members, together with the efforts of the disabled supporters community, the collection raised £4,176.71 before the last match of the season against Newport County. It was almost double on what we raised the year before (£2,455.11) with just a handful of volunteers. This year, our last home match of the season, versus Fleetwood Town is on the 3 rd of May. At this point in time, the team is vying for an automatic spot, but there is a real possibility that automatic promotion will be determined by the end of the Fleetwood game so we are expecting a greater attendance, for this match. It is imperative therefore we will need a bigger visual presence, which will require more volunteers to help with the bucket collection before the match starts. If the game hasn’t been moved to an earlier K.O. we normally expect volunteers to arrive from 1pm outside the WD Gate entrance - the large gates opposite the club shop. Our names will be ticked off before we all receive buckets and then stand outside the various entrance points around the ground. We all need to meet back at that entrance around 2.45 to hand buckets in so you can all get back to your seats before Kick off. If you would like to be involved in the bucket collection please contact us at hello@bantamstrust.co.uk . If you don’t have a ticket for Fleetwood match you may get a free one if you are prepared to volunteer. We do need you to let us know in advance so that we can let the Club know.

The Clubs’ Season Ticket offer consultation meeting with the Trust

April 10, 2025
In attendance from the Club were, Ryan Sparks (RS) – Club CEO and Brett Cullen (BC) Head of Marketing Representing the Trust was, Manny Dominguez (MD) – Chair Bantams Supporters Trust met with the Club on Monday 10 th March. This meeting discussed the season proposed ticket offer and matchday prices only. Rising Season Tickets and Matchday tickets The Club’s explanation was that they want to keep the football accessible and affordable to ordinary fans, but they need to ensure the viability of the business. They said that they had to raise the prices, because of rising costs of between £350,000 to £400,000 while working to protect the players’ budget. Examples of rising costs were given as; increases in utility prices, rates, policing, stewarding, the National Living Wage and National Insurance contributions from the employer. Examples of the offer for the Early Bird prices were shown: Adult £299 – A rise of £50 on last years’, and to the value of £13 per game and £24.92 per month on Direct Debit for 12months. Over 64’s and Under 24’s £263 – A rise of £44 on last years’, and to the value of £11.63 per game and £21.92 per month on Direct Debit for 12months. Prices are frozen for Youth and Juniors to encourage families. Match day tickets were are also intending to go up from £20 to £24 in advance and from £25 to £28 on the day. The Trust’s position We understand that money is tight amongst many of our supporters due to the continued cost of living crisis, and therefore it has always been our position that the Club should keep season ticket prices as low and affordable as possible. Freezing prices for all after an increase last year was our ideal scenario. The Club’s position The Club understood how hard it is for many people and they reiterated that being affordable for the supporters was always going to be part of Bradford City’s identity. They also showed a table of where we are in terms of offering the best value in both League Two and indeed League One. In those league tables, those at the top represented the clubs with the most expensive ticket prices, so it showed our Club as one of the lowest in both leagues, which show us as being amongst the most affordable. They said they were fighting a trend of rising costs of season tickets at other clubs. At the time of this discussion, not all Clubs had revealed their prices for next season. The Trust asked about perhaps re-introducing an updated, modern day version of the flexi-card. This will not be re-introduced, as the direct debit scheme in effect, replaces it. The Trust asked about an ‘Unwaged’ category price, but it was felt that the Community Foundation does a lot of work drawing in supporters from deprived areas with community tickets. The Trust commended the Club on introducing the £5 offer for the Colchester game they had recently, and suggested that they do more of them. At that point they were undecided about a future offer like that given the desire to protect the overall value of season tickets. It was asked about trends regarding age groups that bought season tickets for this current season, and they gave us a rough breakdown: Adults 24 – 64: 6,500 Seniors: 2,000 Young adults: 1,000 Youth: 1,600 Junior: 2,000 Consultation The Trust asked about a consultation period, and the Club’s response was that the intention was to put out publicity about the offer in April so it was suggested we could ask our members what they would be prepared to pay. More generally, from a Trust point of view, it was explained that consultation should really be at a formative stage, where a proposal or offer can be at a stage of intention by the proposer but there should be adequate time to digest, and respond – a consultation period, where a membership based organisation like ours, can gauge how their members feel about something and respond based on what that view is. The view of the Club is that they are always pressed by time constrains during the course of a football season and that they do the best that they can to engage with supporters groups. The Trust was grateful it was invited to discuss the season ticket offer. We always value and appreciate the Club’s time and effort to engage with us.

Foodbank at Accrington was a Big Success

April 3, 2025
Accrington Stanley's food bank collection for Maundy Relief welcomed hundreds of donations before the lunchtime Kick Off last Saturday. The collection took place outside the ground, with both Accrington Stanley Bradford fans donating food items, while over £300 was also raised on the day. Supported by The Official Accrington Stanley Supporters Trust (OASST) the food bank collection has become an extremely popular initiative. Maundy Relief are well known in the Hyndburn community for being a frontline response team who immediately help anyone in need. Their services are open to all and include help with physical, mental and emotional health. Here is a link to Accrington Stanley’s Facebook post about it…

Vote for your Young Player of the Year

March 26, 2025
It is that time of year again, as Bantams Supporters’ Trust Members you have the opportunity to vote for the 2024-25 Bradford City Young Player of the Year. This season, especially in this year, has been probably the most exciting we have had in years. And we have seen City win 10 home games in a row, a Club record. We have also broke our biggest home attendance record in modern times with over 23,000 watching us beat Colchester Utd 4-1 on March 22nd. This season, from the first team we have 5 young players making an appearance as defender, midfielder and forwards. Tayo Adaramola , signed on loan in February from Premier League side from Crystal Palace and has made 8 appearances in a City shirt, and played a crucial part in the most recent 4-1 win over Colchester. The Dublin born defender has also played in 6 matches for the Republic of Ireland under 21’s. Brandon Khela signed on loan In January from Birmingham City until the end of the season. The promising 19 year-old from Coventry was the first South Asian player to sign for Birmingham City in 2022. He has made 9 appearances for City and got an assist against Colchester. Calum Kavanagh , signed for us on a two-and-a-half year deal from Middlesbrough on deadline day of the 2024 January window, and has made 30 appearances in a City shirt this season, scoring 5 goals (including the 3 rd goal against Colchester) and has assisted on a further 4. The Welsh born forward has had a number of appearances in a Republic of Ireland shirt. He is certainly firm fixture in the City squad. Bobby Pointon , He was voted your Young Player of the Year by a country mile last season. The super sub who is ‘one of our own’ has established himself in the starting line up much more this season He has made 42 appearances, scored 6 and has assisted on 6. He came on as substituted for the Colchester game Michael Melon , is on loan from Burnley from January this year until the end of the season. The 21 year-old Scottish youth international, born in England has had 9 appearances for City, and scored 2 goals with 1 assist. His last goal was the third one in our 3-1 win over Cheltenham. All five candidates eligible for the Bradford City Young Player of the Year 2024-25 have all made valuable contributions, but who has been your stand out performer? As with previous years this award includes current players under the age of 23 with at least 5 first team appearances in all competitions: Tayo Adaramola (Defender) Brandon Khela (Central Midfielder) Calum Kavanagh (Forward) Bobby Pointon (Forward) Michael Mellon (Forward) Voting starts today, Friday, March 28 th and end Friday 16th April. The Player Of The Year Dinner and results announcements will be on Wednesday, 30 th April 2025. To vote, simply email us your number 1 Young player at hello@bantamstrust.co.uk . You can also let us know via our Facebook Group and Likes page as well as our Twitter page.

Bradford City season ticket consultation

March 25, 2025
We are writing to you to gauge your view about the cost of season tickets. The Club have released its’ ‘Early Bird’ Season ticket prices and have increased them for adults by £50 and for Over 64 year olds by £44, and by £100 after the earlybird discount ends. Under 24’s have also had an increase. We understand that money is tight amongst many of our supporters due to the continued cost of living crisis, and therefore it has always been our position that the club should keep season ticket prices as low and affordable as possible. Freezing prices for all after an increase last year was our ideal scenario. The team on the pitch has been doing extremely well with promotion a real possibility. In the scenario we do get promoted, it is likely we will see a greater demand for season tickets. We have been consulted on the offer, and when we have engaged with the Club on recent occasions, they have always cited rising costs they must contend with, such as increases in rates, utilities and the cost of implementing the minimum wage, and greater National Insurance contributions etc. – overall between £350,000 and £400,000. The increase may not be appreciated by everyone, but at least supporters can spread the cost over 12 months. It’s much easier than paying all at once. Based on the Clubs’ offer, how do you feel about the increase? Please complete the following short survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/bcfc-season-tickets

Foodbank Collection

March 23, 2025
There will be a Food Bank Collection at the Crown Ground on the 29 th March, ahead of our away 12.30 lunchtime fixture with Accrington Stanley from 11am in aid of Maundy Relief , a relief aid charity serving the needs of the local community in Accrington. The most sought after goods include UHT mil, coffee, biscuits, tinned meat/fish, soups, tinned beans and veg, pasta, rice and pasta sauces. They do also take cash financial donations. If you want to say hello and make a donation please head for the bottom of the Crown steps at the corner of the main stand and Clayton End.

Burns Research Unit bucket collection volunteers appeal

March 20, 2025
It is coming round to that time of year when we will all be coming together give our respects to those who tragically lost their lived in the Valley Parade fire, 40 years ago now. This year, our last home match of the season, versus Fleetwood Town is on the 3 rd of May, and as always there will be a bucket collection on that last home fixture. The bucket collection is a way of allowing all supporters to help participate in raising vital funds for Bradford’s Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit (PSBRU). This collective practice helps adds to the impact of the remembrance as well as the one-minute silence we have just before Kick off. If you would like to be involved in the bucket collection please contact us at hello@bantamstrust.co.uk . Last year with earlier planning, up to 30 volunteers plus, including the help of you, our members, together with the efforts of the disabled supporters community, the collection raised £4,176.71 before the last match of the season against Newport County. It was almost double on what we raised the year before (£2,455.11) with just a handful of volunteers. Hopefully with the earlier notice, and the occasion being the 40 th anniversary, we can hopefully get a higher turn out of supporters that are willing to volunteer, which should transpire into raising more vital funds for something we all care deeply about. We’ll be putting out more reminders in the run up to this last match of the season with details of the time and where to meet to sign out the buckets from the Club for the collection.

Margaret Hainsworth - Rest in Peace

March 11, 2025
You know, sometimes in life you must take a moment to pause and reflect when someone you consider to be a good friend passes away. I felt compelled to do just that recently when Richard Hainsworth (son of Margaret) contacted me via Messenger to let me know of the sad news that Margaret had died. If you are a devoted Bradford City fan like me, then I would simply ask that you take a couple of minutes to read this short, but heartfelt, tribute to Margaret and in doing so recognize the immense and invaluable contribution, Margaret made to saving our football club for future generations to come. The financial crisis facing Bradford City and the very real threat of liquidation in 2002 is well documented and it is at that time that the Bradford City Supporters’ Trust (BCST) was formed. Margaret was one of the founder members. I think this was the first time I met, Margaret as we both volunteered to help set up and become members of the Supporters’ Trust – something that neither of us really knew anything about. That said, we were both willing volunteers and our Trust was swiftly in the headlights. There was a real and distinct possibility that Bradford City FC could be one of the first football league clubs to go out of business. No sooner was the Supporters’ Trust established that the Trust Board members (all unpaid and volunteers) met with Kroll the administrators appointed by Bradford City FC. Kroll gave us a simple (!) task, raise £250,000 in six weeks or lose your football club. It was as stark as that. With the significant help of the Telegraph and Argus, the football club’s supporters, and the public of Bradford that amount was raised before the end of the six weeks and the rest as they say is history. It would be simple to consign all this to one paragraph in the club’s history but the efforts of a small group of people to arrange, lead and deliver on this fundraising effort was an incredible story and chapter in the history of our beloved Football Club. At the very heart of this was Margaret. Margaret was appointed our volunteer treasurer. At the height of the fund-raising activity, Margaret was literally counting and banking thousands of pounds from donations daily. We always joked about the reception Margaret received when she went to the bank in Cleckheaton. Margaret literally took a couple of hours a day of a cashier’s time over a five-week period to bank the cash and cheque donations - £250,000 was raised by the Trust and this was supported by the Telegraph and Argus. You can see the size of the banking task Margaret was faced with. When you talk about an unsung hero, someone who worked incredibly hard behind the scenes, was kind, humble and generous with their time, then Margaret was all these things and more. Margaret was an intelligent lady with a great business acumen. Margaret never wanted to occupy any of the roles that were public and media facing preferring others on the Board to take on these roles. I owe so much to Margaret during my time as vice-chair and then chair of BCST. Margaret was always there for all of us, with her wise words of counsel, her obvious intellect, her sense of humor which we all relied on but equally her unwavering support to ensure Bradford City was saved from liquidation and to remain at Valley Parade. We had some difficult decisions to make and actions to take in our fund-raising efforts, including presenting to Bradford Council, speaking with MPs, arranging gatherings in Centenary Square and at St George’s Hall but Margaret helped us make these decisions in everyone’s best interests. She was a tour de force and a great ally as well as having those wonderful qualities of being kind, caring and compassionate. After the club was saved Margaret and the rest of the Trust Board members grew apart but I was fortunate to remain in touch with a few of them on social media. It was fitting that Margaret’s work was referenced in a book written by David Markham and Lindsay Sutton. “The Trust’s hardcore of volunteers, fronted by chairman Mark Boocock and vice chairman Phillip Marshall, suddenly found themselves in charge of a major fundraising drive. Margaret Hainsworth, the Trust’s secretary, devoted herself to the cause, collecting and banking scores if not hundreds of cheques every day.” David Markham and Lindsay Sutton, The Bradford City Story: The Pain and the Glory I will miss Margaret – I’m still fortunate to be able to travel to many away games and I always post about them on Facebook. We all enjoy receiving a ‘Like’ on our Facebook postings and despite not been in contact for several years I always enjoyed a ‘Like’ from Margaret with the most recent having been the Birmingham City away game. I also enjoyed putting a ‘Like’ on Margaret’s postings. We always wished each other happy birthday and it is clear Margaret was a much-loved Mum and Grandma. It was fitting that I shared with her son that it would be wonderful if City could beat Cheltenham on 4 March very soon after her death as a tribute to her, and the team duly delivered with a resounding win. I went home with a big smile on my face – that one was for Margaret. So, please do raise a glass to Margaret when you have read this and just say a quick thank you to her - Margaret did more for Bradford City FC than many of you will ever know. Rest in Peace Margaret and I really do hope we get promotion for you this 2024/25 season. Phill Marshall
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