Author of books about professional football in Bradford (Yorkshire), its origins and historical development; publisher of the Bantamspast History Revisited series. Big fan of The Stranglers and various esoteric interests sufficient to embarrass my daughters. Tweets: @jpdewhirst - DM to contact
Saturday, 11th November 2023 marks the 105th anniversary of the end of World War One. It was a conflict that has a particular poignancy for Bradford City supporters with four serving and six former players of the club having lost their lives. The fatalities included Jimmy Speirs, team captain and scorer of the winning goal in the 1911 FA Cup Final replay as well as Bob Torrance, acclaimed as man of the match in the replay.
Whilst it is important to remember the sacrifice of the club’s players we should also recognise that the so-called Great War of 1914-18 impacted greatly on the football club. Indeed, what tends to be overlooked is that numerous supporters of the club were also among the war dead and injured. In turn the war touched upon the families of Bradfordians. In the aftermath of the war nothing was quite the same for either the city of Bradford or Bradford City. Aside from the personal tragedies, the city had lost its German community and the finances of Bradford City AFC were depleted to the extent that the club lost its first division status exactly one hundred years ago in 1922.
Historic links between sport and the military in Bradford
The war also redefined the links between the football club and the local military. When I undertook my research on the origins of football in Bradford, it became apparent that the historic ties between sport and the military in the district had long since been forgotten. This is ironic given the constant reminder provided by the traditional club colours of City and Avenue / Northern having been derived from military connections. My belief is that after the carnage of the Great War the military heritage tended to be overlooked, not necessarily for ideological reasons but because it was probably seen as outdated, if not irrelevant as people looked to the future.
The early history of Manningham FC – established in 1880 and the predecessor of Bradford City AFC in 1903 – had strong links with the citizen soldiers of Bradford. The generation of men involved with establishing ‘football’ clubs in Bradford during the second half of the 1870’s was typically connected with the Volunteer – or territorial – army units in the town and ‘athleticism’ in the widest sense was considered to be a form of military training by virtue of its health benefits.
The Volunteers had been established in 1859 to provide a home defence force to protect the UK from invasion and in Bradford the principal units were the 3rd Yorkshire (West Riding) Rifle Volunteer Corps and the 2nd Yorkshire (West Riding) Artillery Volunteers Corps.
One reason for the popularity of the Volunteers was that they provided recreational opportunities and in particular access to new sporting activities such as gymnastics and ‘football’ (which in Bradford meant rugby). There was even a dedicated side, Bradford Rifles FC established in 1875 which comprised of a high proportion of Bradford Caledonian FC players (one of the oldest clubs, established in 1873 and also the biggest), a number of whom subsequently became associated with Manningham FC in leadership roles.
This connection encouraged a natural sympathy towards the military but so too did the proximity of Valley Parade to Belle Vue barracks where the 3rd YWRRVC was based. Closer still were the artillery barracks adjacent to Cottingley Terrace just off Valley Parade. Both were used on various occasions for meetings as well as changing and training facilities by Manningham FC and the infant Bradford City club. (The story of the Bradford Rifles is told here on VINCIT)
The dominant political culture at Valley Parade and Park Avenue prior to World War One was unquestionably Conservatism and it was second nature for the two clubs and their membership to espouse patriotism. A good example of this was the decision to adopt claret and amber in 1884. This came at a time of patriotic fervour associated with the Sudan crisis and the excitement that Bradford men might actually go to war. Arguably it was the same enthusiasm thirty years later with spectators at Valley Parade being actively encouraged to enlist to fight on the western front.
The traditional sporting colours of Bradford were red, amber and black whose origin can be traced to the original Bradford Volunteers of the Napoleonic era. The colours of the local West Yorkshire regiment with whom the 3rd YWRRVC was affiliated were claret and amber.
The Valley Parade War Memorial
In addition to the 1911 FA Cup heroes Jimmy Speirs and Bob Torrance, the war dead included England internationals Evelyn Lintott and Jimmy Conlin, James Comrie, George Draycott, Ernest Goodwin, Gerald Kirk and Harry Potter. Unfortunately the status of Ernest Kenworthy who played two games for the club in 1906/07 was not established until after the erection of the memorial in the Valley Parade reception in 2015. (NB George Draycott, Ernest Goodwin, Harry Potter and Bob Torrance were serving players of BCAFC at the time of being killed in action.)
Subsequent to the war, Jimmy Speirs and others with a Valley Parade connection were remembered first and foremost as fallen soldiers among comrades in arms. So many men had been killed that there was a reluctance to differentiate former professional football players as deserving of unique attention and the players would have concurred with this treatment. Nowadays the fallen players are afforded particular prominence whereas prior generations tended to remember them among countless others who never returned. The distinct commemoration of footballers killed in action has thus been a more modern phenomenon.
City players at the Cenotaph, New Year’s Day 1921
A memorial to the war dead of Bradford City was not erected at Valley Parade until 2015 and this hangs in the Valley Parade reception. (The person who made this possible was supporter John Barker of Farsley who arranged its production.) The memorial was funded by a badge sale that I helped organise through Bantamspast and the proceeds also helped fund a stone memorial to the Bradford Pals at Serre near the Somme battlefield in France.
Further detail of Bradford’s military history is told my book ROOM AT THE TOP, available from Waterstones and Salts Mill or direct from BANTAMSPAST HISTORY REVISITED BOOKS.
The drop down menu above provides links to features published in the BCAFC programme, book reviews and sundry articles about the history of Bradford and its sport.
If you are interested in local sporting history, visit the dedicated online journal VINCIT where you will find further background about the military heritage at Valley Parade.
I am delighted to have been appointed on a voluntary, pro bono basis and without political affiliation to the advisory board of the Bradford Place Marketing & Investment Partnership, working alongside officers of Bradford Met District Council to promote the district.
I am an eighth generation Bradfordian, familiar with the city’s history and committed to it emotionally and financially as a homeowner and ratepayer. I recognise that Bradford is on its knees and needs imagination, support and energy to drive its future. I am not planning to move to the countryside or the coast, opine from afar and visit Bradford only to watch BCAFC. I have reached the stage where I thought I should give something back to the place I consider to be home and play my part in its recovery. In that context I make no apology for encouraging a celebration of the history of the district as well as sporting activity and participation as themes shaping our identity.
No-one can pretend otherwise that Bradford has a poor image and suffers negative headlines on an almost daily basis. This has impacted on confidence and a sense of despondency among residents that is invariably given expression on social media. There is no denying that the district has its problems and faces considerable challenges. Yet whilst that may be stating the obvious, what has tended to be overlooked is that there are various initiatives being undertaken across the district which are beginning to develop a positive momentum. The 2025 City of Culture award represents a massive opportunity to drive change and improvement across the district, not only to drive that momentum but also to ensure a legacy for future years and it is vital that the opportunity is grasped and exploited.
My appointment is without fear or favour and I am committed to play a part in helping to shape programmes to both improve and promote the district as a place to live / work, invest, study or just to visit. I believe that everyone committed to the future of Bradford can contribute in different ways because we all have a vested interest. I pledge to do what I can for the benefit of the Bradford district and if I feel that I am unable to make a contribution or if I lose the confidence of fellow board members I shall step aside.
I was invited to write a feature about Bradford City for Zeitspiel magazine. Independently published, it is the equivalent of When Saturday Comes in the UK but with a lot more content although less regular. It is an impressive publication with a great variety of features and excellent design (which is fine if you speak German). https://zeitspiel-magazin.jimdosite.com/
The following is the English translation of my contribution published in the current issue (#30 May, 2023).
A place at the top table. The trials of Bradford City AFC
Bradford in Yorkshire, northern England is a city of the industrial revolution and the rapid expansion of the textile trade in the nineteenth century. The rate of growth of the city was staggering – from a population of 13,264 in 1801 to 145,830 in 1871 – and the surviving Victorian architecture bears witness to its historic wealth. (It should be mentioned that immigrants from Germany played a big part in the development of the city and its cultural life.)
Over-reliance upon the textile trade ultimately dictated the economic fate of Bradford which is nowadays better known as a depressed city with barely disguised poverty. For good reason Bradford has been compared to Detroit (although the circumstances of industrial decline is not uncommon in northern England and Scotland as the examples of Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow attest).
The sporting record in Bradford has inevitably been shaped by the economic fortunes of the city and the loss of wealth although sadly, that is where comparison with the experience in Liverpool tends to differ. Whereas Liverpool and Everton grace the Premier League, Bradford’s surviving representative in the English Football League – Bradford City AFC – suffers the glamour of the basement division, League Division Two.
Rewind to 1999-2001 and you would have found BCAFC in the English Premier League. Yet of the subsequent 22 seasons, all but three have been contested in the lower divisions. The only notable achievement in the current century was to have been losing finalists in the Football League Cup at Wembley, defeated 0-5 by Swansea City ten years ago. (An achievement that was nonetheless notable for the fact that BCAFC became the first ever basement club to have played in a major Wembley cup final.)
1999-01 Premier League
2001-04 second tier
2004-07 third tier
2007-13 fourth tier (League Division Two)
2013-19 third tier (League Division One)
2019-23 fourth tier (League Division Two)
However, life at the wrong end of the Football League has not been unique to this century, and in fact 68 of City’s 109 peacetime seasons in the League have been spent outside the top two divisions of English football. For example, when the club was promoted to the second division in 1985 it was the first time since 1937 that it had played at this level. And when the club was promoted to the Premier League in 1999 it was the first time since 1922 that Bradford City had competed in the top division.
Ultimately you have to go back into the long and distant past for evidence of when Bradford City AFC could rightfully say that it was a ‘big club’. And to be fair, immediately before World War One BCAFC was recognised as one of the leading sides in the country, known for its FA Cup success in 1911. The rise of BCAFC had indeed been swift. Elected to the Football League in 1903, by 1908 the club had secured promotion to Division One.
The early success of the club was consistent with the city’s reputation in the late nineteenth century as a centre of sporting excellence. In 1893 for instance, Bradford FC at Park Avenue was known as the wealthiest football club in England. The significance however was that Bradford’s reputation was based around rugby football. Crucially, the popularity of rugby in Bradford crowded out the development of association football in the district and hence the city did not get its first Football League club until 15 years after the origins of the competition. Arguably this delay handicapped BCAFC in that it could not rely upon established local networks or feeder clubs and throughout its history the club has faced competition from rugby. Had Bradford FC opted to play soccer and join the Football League in 1888 there is every reason to believe that the city of Bradford could have had a leading side with financial clout.
Bradford City AFC was formed in 1903 as a result of Manningham FC abandoning rugby and converting to association football. Local rivals, Bradford FC followed in 1907 and were elected to the Football League in 1908. Known as Bradford (Park Avenue), by 1914 they had joined City in Division One. Manningham and Bradford had been fierce rivals and with the rejection of merger in 1907 that competition was renewed as soccer clubs. Hence BCAFC was denied the monopoly advantage of having the city to itself and its potential support was further fragmented by the launch of a new successor rugby club, Bradford Northern in 1907.
Bradford was relegated from Division One in 1921 and Bradford City in 1922. By this time the economy of Bradford was in difficulty and both clubs struggled to attract financial backing such that in 1927 Bradford and City were third division rivals. The fall from the top was compounded by financial weakness and thereafter Bradford football was defined by the struggle of its two clubs to stay afloat. Thus, whilst Bradford and City had both enjoyed a moment in the sun, they were never able to consolidate themselves at that level.
BCAFC ultimately benefited from the demise of Bradford (Park Avenue) who lost League membership in 1970 but the club remained handicapped by financial weakness. The fire tragedy in 1985 when 56 people lost their lives at Valley Parade came to symbolise the impoverishment of Bradford City. A decrepit stadium that had not been modernised since it was originally developed in 1908 spoke of the club’s failings and under-investment.
The resurgence of BCAFC in the late 1990s that culminated in promotion to the Premier League was driven by a combination of astute leadership (or what might also be described as opportunism) and the injection of new money. The revival of the club encouraged new supporters and attendances averaging fifteen thousand were virtually unprecedented by modern standards.
Having defied gravity by avoiding relegation in 2000 the club gambled heavily on team strengthening in that close season. Whilst gambling on expensive transfers is part and parcel of life in the Premier League, the key difference is that established clubs are better able to absorb losses when the transfers don’t work out. Needless to say, what happened during the club’s second, final season in the Premier League was that the new signings could not prevent relegation. Like the desperate gambler in the casino, the club lost the shirt on its back and faced financial ruin.
The consequence of two ruinous bouts of insolvency meant that the club lost its assets and became burdened not only with a commitment to repay its creditors, but also the obligation of significant rental payments and the upkeep of its 25,000 capacity rebuilt Valley Parade stadium. In the absence of new investment, the club relied upon player sales and cup campaigns to remain solvent. On the field the club benefited from the stability provided by the five-year reign of manager, Phil Parkinson between 2011-16.
Ironically in 2016 the sale of Bradford City to a pair of German investors led by Stefan Rupp was viewed as an opportunity to break the cycle and realise the club’s potential. Nevertheless, new ownership proved anything but the magic ingredient. Rupp delegated operational control to his partner, Edin Rahic which proved disastrous in terms of undermining the enthusiasm and morale of all involved with the club. Remarkably attendances proved resilient, helped by the fact that ticket prices are heavily subsidised to make them affordable in what is a predominantly low-wage local economy.
Rupp inherited a club where lack of funds had forced it to be run on the cheap. He could not be faulted for his financial commitment and his attempt to make good past economies, for instance to upgrade training facilities and back-office infrastructure. However, no amount of investment in the club could compensate for the instability that came from as many as 11 different managerial appointments (including three caretakers) between 2016-22. Sackings became the default option, for example in the dark month of February in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022.
New-found stability has come from the appointment of former Welsh international and Premier League manager, Mark Hughes in the last year. That instant transformation has not occurred has meant that he has not been immune from criticism. There tends to be a polarity between fans. Younger converts on the one hand point to the club as a former member of the Premier League. On the other, older supporters tend to be mindful that the glory of the Premier League was very much the exception as opposed to the rule of City’s modern history.
The club has the benefit of strong financial control but cannot afford to defy financial gravity and the fact that it does not own its stadium limits the financial options. Bradford City remains the victim of its history having lost its place at the high table a hundred years ago and suffered the cost of trying to regain it at the turn of this century.
Yorkshire clubs have invariably suffered from the counter attraction of Leeds United, a club universally disliked by others in the county. Bradford City can take encouragement from having a strong support base that makes it the highest supported side in the fourth tier. On paper at least the club is of a size that makes Championship (second tier) football a realistic ambition. Defeat in the third-tier play-off final in 2017 proved painful and remains the high-water mark since 2004.
The immediate challenge remains to escape the basement division and the last four seasons have been a challenging experience. In the opinion of the writer, if promotion is not secured this season the foundations are being laid that will finally allow us to escape and to push for a return to the second tier.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
May, 2023 marks the 120th anniversary of the election of Bradford City AFC to the Football League. My alternative history What would the Founders say?is published on VINCIT, the online journal of Bradford Sports History.
A matter of fact snippet in The Yorkshire Sports of 25th April, 1953 reveals that the old Main Stand could have burned down in April, 1953 – 32 years before the eventual Fire Disaster. Ominously the cause of fire in 1953 was assumed to have been a dropped cigarette which is also attributed to be the incendiary of the Disaster in 1985.
The report is insightful on a number of levels, not least that the risk of fire was considered a routine hazard which might also suggest that such incidents were not uncommon. In the aftermath of the discovery I have not come across any mention in the press of an inquiry by the police or Bradford Corporation which was the licensing authority of the principal stadia in the city at the time. Of course that is not to say that there were no confidential investigations. Irrespective, the stand continued to be used and it was not until the following decade that structural alterations were made, albeit largely superficial. Furthermore, I do not recall an enforced ban on smoking having been introduced and I certainly do not remember there having been any ‘No Smoking’ signs in the stand as late as 1985.
The story of the construction of the stand in 1907 is told elsewhere on my blogand the origins and early history of Valley Parade can be read inanother feature. The key points to note are that the old stand was only ever intended to be a temporary installation and that in essence it incorporated a wooden viewing platform (the sort of grandstand used at agricultural shows or coronations) encased in a steel frame that provided a roof covering. Over time the temporary structure became permanent and the Main Stand that existed in 1985 was much the same as that of 1907.
Structural alterations in the 1960s included shortening the stand which had previously run the full length of the pitch in order to accommodate the existing office block at the corner of Holywell Ash Lane and South Parade which was constructed in 1961. In the 1966 close season under the direction of then chairman, Stafford Heginbotham the pitch was moved towards South Parade at the expense of part of the paddock (covered terrace) in order for a replacement covering or shed to be built along the Midland Road side. This involved the concreting of the foundations of the lower tier of the Main Stand with installation of new plastic seating and upgraded seating in the upper tier. The upgrade comprised an ingenious recycling of industrial waste from the Baird TV plant in the city with seats created from the wooden cut-outs of TV cabinets which were affixed to the existing wooden benches in the stand. Plywood was then tacked beneath the rows of seating ostensibly to prevent rubbish being dropped below and this covering presumably replaced something similar. No changes however were made to the exit routes or corridor at the back of the stand although at some stage lighting and a PA system was fitted.
It is impossible to know how many times there had been close calls with fire in the Main Stand. In addition to the incident seventy years ago it is recorded that a fire broke out under the stand during the first half of the game against Sheffield United at Valley Parade in September, 1911 which was put out by a policeman with a bucket of water. This was described by the Bradford Daily Argus in its match report as ‘an interesting and unusual diversion’ and that ‘it turned out there was more smoke than fire’. The report referred to paper having been set ablaze which might suggest that litter was being dropped beneath the stand almost from the beginning.
I took this photo in 1983 from roughly the area where the fire broke out on 11th May, 1985.
Between 1977-85 I had been a volunteer cushion seller in the Main Stand and was unaware of any issues in the period immediately preceding the fire but I would be surprised if there had not been other scares in earlier years. Ironically this may have contributed to a relatively complacent attitude towards safety in so far as a disaster had never previously happened. My guess is that Dick Williamson, who was editor of The Yorkshire Sports in 1953 would have shared such a view. So too, Sam Firth who had been a stalwart of the Bradford City Shareholders’ and Supporters’ Association since its formation in 1921. Both men attended the game on 11th May, 1985 but Sam perished in the fire. I believe that mention of the two is relevant as they continued to have influence at Valley Parade even in old age.
The reason for the fact that there had never previously been a major fire was most likely a combination of good fortune and that Valley Parade crowds had been on a downward trajectory since the end of World War One. Low attendances had financial implications but at least they made accidents less likely. With regards the match on Easter Monday, 20th April, 1953 to which the cutting refers there had been a gate of 8,165 and it is unlikely that the Main Stand – which then had a stated capacity of 2,700 – was more than half full. If the stand was not cramped it gave more opportunity to physically put out a fire or failing that, to escape.
It is telling that the incident occurred in the spring when ground conditions were likely to be drier. Taking account of matches in August, September, April and May there were probably no more than six fixtures in a season when there was heightened risk of fire taking hold. What is notable however is that the final game of the season – on 29th April, 1953 – had an attendance of 22,147 (as reported in The Yorkshire Sports) and there is no evidence of any special measures having been put in place to optimise spectator safety in the wake of discovery of the fire on Tuesday 21st. The likelihood of a disaster was discounted then as it was in 1985 and for me it demonstrates that we were all in denial about the possibility of something like it ever happening.
Remarkably perhaps the Disaster in 1985 is the first recorded instance of spectator fatalities as a consequence of fire in a football stadium in Great Britain. On 24th August, 1968 the Main Stand at the Forest Ground, Nottingham had caught fire during the game against Leeds but thankfully it was evacuated. Electrical faults have been attributed as a common cause of stadium fires including those in Bradford at the greyhound stadia at Brownroyd Street (City Stadium) in July, 1963 and at Dudley Hill (Greenfield) in December, 1944 and May, 1952.
The fact that the old Main Stand at Valley Parade had minimal electrical fittings (ie with no integral floodlights and no changing rooms / offices incorporated) at least limited the risk of fire from electrical failure. In March, 1953 the stand at Brunton Park, Carlisle was destroyed by fire and that may have had something to do with the installation of floodlights given that the fire occurred during the night following the first floodlit game at the ground. Carlisle United faced financial ruin as a consequence of its fire and it was the sale of Geoff Twentyman to Liverpool in 1953 that helped finance a replacement (which is the stand opposite the away end).
In the case of the Main Stand having been destroyed at Valley Parade it is unclear how Bradford City would have recovered given an ageing squad and the lack of star players who could have been sold. At the time the club already faced the question of how it would replace the old Midland Road stand, the demolition of which had only just been completed in 1952 (and the central gable from the former stand had been stored under the Main Stand). The club would have been deprived of any seating or covered accommodation and it is highly unlikely that it could have afforded to rebuild the stand. Having already received a Football Association grant of £3,000 in March, 1953 to build a covered stand on Midland Road (which opened in 1954) it is unlikely that additional grants could have been secured. (The club had also committed funds to erect floodlights which were first used in December, 1954.) Besides, with wartime restrictions still in place there was a shortage of building materials.
The club’s viability would have been questionable and inevitably it would have prompted discussion about merger with Bradford and relocation to Park Avenue or a move to Odsal. Contrary to what has been claimed by others there had never been any plans for either City or Avenue to play at Odsal and it was not a popular option for either soccer club or Bradford Northern RLFC itself. Nonetheless the potential of Odsal was topical with a crowd of 69,196 having watched the Challenge Cup Third Round tie between Bradford Northern and Huddersfield on 14th March, 1953. (On the same day a further 12,000 watched Yorkshire RFU defeat East Midlands at Lidget Green and there were 6,006 at Park Avenue where Bradford played Hartlepools. Collectively it meant that there were more people watching sport in Bradford that day than in any other city outside London. As regards the Odsal attendance, I am told by someone who was at the game that the stadium still only looked half-full.)
Bradford City AFC had jealously guarded its independence and would have resisted loss of identity at Park Avenue or to be a junior partner at Odsal. However, my guess is that the club would have ground shared at Park Avenue, possibly as a prelude to merger. Rivals Bradford were in considerable financial difficulty and in July, 1953 it was announced that that club had lost in excess of £20,000 over the previous two seasons. Faced with the possibility that City might derive advantage and subsidised rent at Odsal I think that the Bradford directors would have made an offer that the City directorate could not afford to turn down. There might also have been pressure from civic leaders for a move to Park Avenue but of course we can only speculate how history could have been different.
** This is an extract from my forthcoming history of the City – Avenue rivalry in the Football League which will be published in two volumes as part of the Bantamspast History Revisited series.
You can find archive photos of Valley Parade and more detail about the history of the stadium on my blog from this link.
Visitors will have noticed that I haven’t published new features for some time…
Previously I published what I wrote for the BCAFC programme. Sadly with the club deciding to no longer produce a match day programme effective from the 2021/22 season those columns are no more. Hence there has been much less new content on this blog.
I continue to edit VINCIT, the online journal of Bradford Sport History and am also continuing to write new historic material to publish on that site (including a forthcoming history of BCAFC to mark the club’s 120th anniversary).
I shall be uploading content to this blog on an irregular, ad hoc basis. However the site will continue to provide a reference point for historical information about BCAFC, the club identity and Valley Parade.
In the meantime I am posting photographs on Twitter (@jpdewhirst), principally of Bradford & District, BCAFC as well as from my travels and of various gigs.
Friday, 11th November 2022 marks the 104rd anniversary of the end of World War One. It was a conflict that has a particular poignancy for Bradford City supporters with four serving and six former players of the club having lost their lives. The fatalities included Jimmy Speirs, team captain and scorer of the winning goal in the 1911 FA Cup Final replay as well as Bob Torrance, acclaimed as man of the match in the replay.
Whilst it is important to remember the sacrifice of the club’s players we should also recognise that the so-called Great War of 1914-18 impacted greatly on the football club. Indeed, what tends to be overlooked is that numerous supporters of the club were also among the war dead and injured. In turn the war touched upon the families of Bradfordians. In the aftermath of the war nothing was quite the same for either the city of Bradford or Bradford City. Aside from the personal tragedies, the city had lost its German community and the finances of Bradford City AFC were depleted to the extent that the club lost its first division status exactly one hundred years ago in 1922.
Historic links between sport and the military in Bradford
The war also redefined the links between the football club and the local military. When I undertook my research on the origins of football in Bradford, it became apparent that the historic ties between sport and the military in the district had long since been forgotten. This is ironic given the constant reminder provided by the traditional club colours of City and Avenue / Northern having been derived from military connections. My belief is that after the carnage of the Great War the military heritage tended to be overlooked, not necessarily for ideological reasons but because it was probably seen as outdated, if not irrelevant as people looked to the future.
The early history of Manningham FC – established in 1880 and the predecessor of Bradford City AFC in 1903 – had strong links with the citizen soldiers of Bradford. The generation of men involved with establishing ‘football’ clubs in Bradford during the second half of the 1870’s was typically connected with the Volunteer – or territorial – army units in the town and ‘athleticism’ in the widest sense was considered to be a form of military training by virtue of its health benefits.
The Volunteers had been established in 1859 to provide a home defence force to protect the UK from invasion and in Bradford the principal units were the 3rd Yorkshire (West Riding) Rifle Volunteer Corps and the 2nd Yorkshire (West Riding) Artillery Volunteers Corps.
One reason for the popularity of the Volunteers was that they provided recreational opportunities and in particular access to new sporting activities such as gymnastics and ‘football’ (which in Bradford meant rugby). There was even a dedicated side, Bradford Rifles FC established in 1875 which comprised of a high proportion of Bradford Caledonian FC players (one of the oldest clubs, established in 1873 and also the biggest), a number of whom subsequently became associated with Manningham FC in leadership roles.
This connection encouraged a natural sympathy towards the military but so too did the proximity of Valley Parade to Belle Vue barracks where the 3rd YWRRVC was based. Closer still were the artillery barracks adjacent to Cottingley Terrace just off Valley Parade. Both were used on various occasions for meetings as well as changing and training facilities by Manningham FC and the infant Bradford City club. (The story of the Bradford Rifles is told here on VINCIT)
The dominant political culture at Valley Parade and Park Avenue prior to World War One was unquestionably Conservatism and it was second nature for the two clubs and their membership to espouse patriotism. A good example of this was the decision to adopt claret and amber in 1884. This came at a time of patriotic fervour associated with the Sudan crisis and the excitement that Bradford men might actually go to war. Arguably it was the same enthusiasm thirty years later with spectators at Valley Parade being actively encouraged to enlist to fight on the western front.
The traditional sporting colours of Bradford were red, amber and black whose origin can be traced to the original Bradford Volunteers of the Napoleonic era. The colours of the local West Yorkshire regiment with whom the 3rd YWRRVC was affiliated were claret and amber.
The Valley Parade War Memorial
In addition to the 1911 FA Cup heroes Jimmy Speirs and Bob Torrance, the war dead included England internationals Evelyn Lintott and Jimmy Conlin, James Comrie, George Draycott, Ernest Goodwin, Gerald Kirk and Harry Potter. Unfortunately the status of Ernest Kenworthy who played two games for the club in 1906/07 was not established until after the erection of the memorial in the Valley Parade reception in 2015. (NB George Draycott, Ernest Goodwin, Harry Potter and Bob Torrance were serving players of BCAFC at the time of being killed in action.)
Subsequent to the war, Jimmy Speirs and others with a Valley Parade connection were remembered first and foremost as fallen soldiers among comrades in arms. So many men had been killed that there was a reluctance to differentiate former professional football players as deserving of unique attention and the players would have concurred with this treatment. Nowadays the fallen players are afforded particular prominence whereas prior generations tended to remember them among countless others who never returned. The distinct commemoration of footballers killed in action has thus been a more modern phenomenon.
City players at the Cenotaph, New Year’s Day 1921
A memorial to the war dead of Bradford City was not erected at Valley Parade until 2015 and this hangs in the Valley Parade reception. (The person who made this possible was supporter John Barker of Farsley who arranged its production.) The memorial was funded by a badge sale that I helped organise through Bantamspast and the proceeds also helped fund a stone memorial to the Bradford Pals at Serre near the Somme battlefield in France.
Further detail of Bradford’s military history is told my book ROOM AT THE TOP, available from Waterstones and Salts Mill or direct from BANTAMSPAST HISTORY REVISITED BOOKS.
The drop down menu above provides links to features published in the BCAFC programme, book reviews and sundry articles about the history of Bradford and its sport.
If you are interested in local sporting history, visit the dedicated online journal VINCIT where you will find further background about the military heritage at Valley Parade.
The last thirty years has arguably been the most eventful era in the history of BCAFC – three promotions; four relegations; a record-breaking Wembley cup final; two seasons in the top flight; 31 managerial appointments since 1990; two formal insolvencies; foreign ownership; and latterly, a celebrity manager. During that time we’ve had striped shirts, hoops, diagonals, electric flashes and countless other shirt permutations. The one constant has been the crest.
The current crest was introduced in the 1991 close season. In common with previous changes of crest it was occasioned by regime change albeit without any form of supporter consultation. For example the City Gent character (1966) and boar’s head character (1968) had been introduced by Stafford Heginbotham. In 1974 Bob Martin dispensed with both to signal his ownership and thus came the ‘bc’ monogram inspired by the new Bradford Metroplitan District Council logo. In 1981, by which time Valley Parade was looking distinctly tatty, Bob Martin revived the bantam identity to convince people of a new found confidence under Roy McFarland.
After the receivership of 1983 Stafford Heginbotham and Jack Tordoff abruptly reverted to the boar’s head crest. And finally in 1991, incoming chairman and owner David Simpson introduced the current crest incorporating elements of the boar’s head / shield design and a revival of the bantams identity. As if to remind people of the club’s nickname, ‘The Bantams‘ was added beneath the shield which was just as well considering that the bird at the top looked more like a baby hen (pullet).
Barring a version introduced to commemorate the club’s centenary season in 2003/04, and minor tweaks such as black outlines, the current crest has been a constant and can boast having been the second longest used crest at Valley Parade after the original Bradford Corporation civic crest which was adopted between 1907-66. In practice the latter had limited application and of all the crests adopted post-1966, the current version has been in use for the vast majority of the time (ie 31 of 56 years). Hence the current version has become the most used.
In turn the current crest is the most familiar having had application on countless items of merchandise as well as exposure on TV and social media etc. That City’s modern support base in the past thirty years has been bigger (as well as generally younger) it means that a declining minority has been familiar with anything else. Little wonder then that the recent survey of supporter views confirmed that only a small proportion of fans (myself included) favoured some form of boar’s head / civic identity revival.
Nevertheless the existing crest has survived as a consequence of inertia and economy rather than on account of its intrinsic design. Changing the identity had hitherto been considered a low priority on account of the effort and expense. My gripe has been that in terms of emphasising the club’s bantam identity the current crest does a very poor job. Not only is the bird unrecognisable as a bantam it singularly fails to capture the essence and the colours of the bantam nickname – the character having been adopted in 1908 to reflect both an underdog fighting spirit and the club’s colours. What we have is a white pullet, a long way removed from the plucky, assertive Bantam that it is supposed to represent. Frankly it is an embarrassment.
The club has had a bad record in terms of a graphical depiction of a bantam. You need only look at the designs introduced in the 1980s as a demonstration of this and in fact the most convincing post-war effort was that introduced in 1949 which was copied from the BSA Bantam motorcycle marque. The sad reality is that those responsible for the bantam drawings had little idea of what a bantam looked like and its relative dimensions. Furthermore, the crests introduced in the 1970s and 1980s were all without exception kitchen table affairs, literally on the back of an envelope.
In September, 1981 Scunthorpe United had a competition to design a new badge and invited people to submit designs. On the way back to Bradford from our game at the Old Show Ground in Scunthorpe I sketched a design, submitted it and to my amusement won the competition. Frankly I’d be embarrassed if the next crest of our club was another amateur effort and would most definitely caution against such a free for all as at Scunthorpe.
When I heard about the plans to change the crest at Valley Parade I won’t deny having a degree of apprehension about the process. Based on the track record of how BCAFC crests had been changed on a cheap and cheerful basis I had favoured retaining the existing version given the danger of something new being even worse.
However BCAFC is not the only club to have recognised the need to change its crest, essentially to optimise its use in digital applications and assert copyright control. That growing numbers of people engage with the club through e-gaming or online as opposed to physically attending games at Valley Parade is a salutary fact. The commercial case for change is thus compelling as set out in the club’s media briefings.
I was approached by the project team tasked with the redesign to provide historical background and examples of historic iconography which can be found both on my blog (johndewhirst.blog) as well as in my book, A History of BCAFC in Objects (pub Bantamspast, 2014). From being apprehensive I have been impressed with the efforts made to evaluate different permutations. Luke Flacks at BCAFC and Chris Payne, the designer have both demonstrated professionalism and competency at how they have undertaken the task. For what it’s worth, the latter is well thought of amongst his peer group.
Inevitably some people will be disappointed by whatever new crest is proposed just as a good number will not care less. Given the familiarity with the current crest it is hardly surprising that there has been such an outcry about changing it. I certainly won’t pretend that I consider the proposed new design to be perfect. I think the star is crass and I am not convinced by the small ‘c’ but I believe that the depiction of the bantam captures the essence and colours of our identity. I am also supportive of the shield as a sop to tradition as well as it being distinctive. For similar reasons I am supportive of the club emphasising the BC AFC identity which is similarly distinctive and a reminder of the circumstances of the club’s origins in 1903.
On balance therefore I am satisfied with the outcome and believe the new design has a lot in its favour, in particular the flexibility it provides for digital and commercial application. I’d welcome the club simultaneously introducing a more formal crest with civic reference (ie boar’s head) in the same way that Rangers, Roma and Liverpool have two versions for different use. Arguably it might be a way to appease those critical of the proposed new version.
(The two identities are not mutually incompatible. The civic identity was historically a statement of where the club was from and the city it represented. The Bantam represented the spirit of the club, that of being plucky fighters despite underdog status and fewer resources than bigger rivals.)
Martyn Routledge has written a great book on the history of English football club crests (The Beautiful History, pub 2021 by Pitch Publishing) and he narrates how the introduction of a new badge invariably prompts an emotional response among supporters. Frankly I can’t see how it can be avoided because in the final event design and style are matters of personal taste and some form of compromise will always be necessary.
Whilst there are reasonable criticisms of the new design it does seem that those who harbour perpetual grievances against the club regard the badge affair as yet another example of how Messrs Sparks, Rupp et al cannot do right for doing wrong. However, in contrast with other clubs, at least supporters have been invited to contribute feedback and opinions. In the circumstances I can’t see how the club could have undertaken the process differently without losing sight of the fact that this is ultimately a commercial initiative that serves the objective of dragging BCAFC into the twenty first century.
POSTSCRIPT
Following feedback from supporters on social media the club ran a ballot of three options: (i) an amended version of the first draft; (ii) a new design with a bird facing in the opposite direction but looking backwards whilst simultaneously balancing on a ball; and (iii) the option of retaining the 1991 crest.
The outcome of the ballot was to retain the existing crest for all its faults.
My preference in the whole affair had been for the first effort. In the ballot I voted for ‘A’ notwithstanding that I thought it was a weaker design. My criticism of ‘B’ had been on the basis that the bantam – a small, plucky bird denoting underdog status – was depicted as a giant rooster standing on a ping pong ball and to add insult to injury it had been given white plumage instead of claret & amber.
Thus whilst other clubs are embarking on a change of crest that won’t be the case at Valley Parade!
Thanks for visiting! You’ll find content relating in the main to the history of Bradford City AFC and the not so glorious record of Bradford football as well as my recent contributions to the BCAFC match programme, most of which again with historical themes. You can also find my book reviews of football books and there is sundry content about Bradford history.
My photographs are currently not online, in the main because I haven’t had chance to upload. I get enquiries for copies of images posted to Twitter and I am happy to provide on the basis that my copyright is acknowledged and that a notional donation is made to the Bradford Burns Unit. (However a charge will be made to anyone seeking to use the images for commercial purposes.)
I am currently working on a history of the two Bradford clubs as rivals in the Football League which admittedly is taking longer than planned but it will eventually see the light of day.
As we approach the 30th anniversary of the launch of the Premier League there has been no shortage of books chronicling the extent of change in that period and indeed I have reviewed a number of such publications on this blog. The sport – or rather, the football industry – has been transformed across all areas but I would argue that the most revolutionary change has been that of the profile of women’s football.
My case is that whilst men’s professional football is radically different to the pre-Premier League era in terms of the supporting experience and the impact of television and commercialisation, the Premier League has essentially accelerated the rate of change of trends that were already in existence in 1992. By contrast the extent of transformation of women’s football in the past ten years alone makes it far less recognisable in its modern form compared to what preceded than is the case with the men’s game.
The level of commercial sponsorship in women’s football since the launch of the FA Women’s Super League (WSL) in 2010 attests to its potential and the discovery by brands of its influence. The story of how women’s football has been transformed since 1992 has yet to be told and it was this that I hoped to discover from my purchase of Jean Williams’ book, The History of Women’s Football.
The author provides a fascinating account of the recorded origins of women’s participation in local ‘folk’ football and the playing of association football in the nineteenth century. In late Victorian Britain, women faced two fundamental disadvantages in relation to playing the sport. The first was that the men’s game was by this time well-established with a monopoly of resources (ie playing fields / grounds) and organisational infrastructure (ie clubs and regulatory bodies to organise competitions). The second was that women had far less time to play sport and that they were discouraged from doing so. Accordingly this gave rise to distinct characteristics for women’s football.
On the one hand there were no league or cup competitions and on the other, there was no network of nascent women’s football clubs which was something of a chicken and egg situation. Instead, women’s football became marginalised and in the late nineteenth century relied upon the staging of exhibition games as the economic model of how a women’s club could establish itself. The first example of this was a series of nine games in 1881 between teams representing England and Scotland, one of which was played at Windhill in Shipley. The media coverage of the game at Windhill in June, 1881 was harsh and guilty of both trivialising and sexualising the fixture, a theme which Jean Williams identifies as having been a regular occurrence in historic reports of women’s football.
The concept of an entrepreneurial touring side that travelled the country to play exhibition games was not unique to women’s football – the example of the Barbarians in Rugby Union or the Corinthians in men’s football being prime examples – but it dictated the operation of the leading women’s sides from the British Ladies Football Club in 1895-96 to Dick, Kerr Ladies between 1917-65, Manchester Corinthians between 1949 and the late 1980s and then Harry Bett’s touring team, 1968-72. For organised women’s football to become established required a distinct economic model to ensure financial survival given inherent disadvantages in relation to men’s football and its monopoly control.
An interesting parallel is that of the Northern Union seeking to choke interest in association football in West Yorkshire in the 1890s. That soccer eventually eclipsed rugby as the leading code was derived from the strength of leadership that women’s football has lacked until quite recently. The victory of so-called ‘associationists’ was also achieved by a number of strategic decisions that positioned football as a distinct and modern game compared to the traditional rugby establishment. Indeed, the future success of women’s football might likewise be achieved by distancing itself from the men’s game.
During World War One women’s football secured a foothold and derived considerable goodwill by becoming associated with charitable giving. As I have written in connection with the origins of football in Bradford, the motive of charitable fund raising was a critical factor in giving a degree of legitimacy and respectability to the recreational activity of adult men playing football in the late nineteenth century [1]. By 1914, men’s professional football had fostered cynicism and was considered to have been corrupted by finance. Certainly in Bradford, women’s football was thereby able to present itself as a far more noble undertaking and as elsewhere in the country women’s factory teams came to prominence by playing games to raise money for the war effort.
Although numerous sides were disbanded at the end of the war, there was a revival in interest in women’s football from the end of 1920 with the formation of numerous sides of which Huddersfield Atalanta in November, 1920 was the first in West Yorkshire. It is notable that the Huddersfield club also competed at water polo and its emergence probably reflected growing demand from women for opportunities to participate in competitive sport, of which other examples included hockey and cricket.
The immediate post-war period was associated with radical changes in social attitudes and neither was men’s sport immune from new fashions. For example there was the revival of men’s rugby union which derived momentum from the enthusiasm of spectators to watch a sport considered to be unsullied by professionalism and with amateur ideals. Whilst Rugby Union never eclipsed association football, the evidence in Bradford is that at least during the 1920s it gained considerable traction [2].
Arguably women’s football similarly benefited from changing sentiments of spectators which may account for the then record 53,000 crowd at Goodison Park that attended a women’s football match between Dick, Kerr Ladies and St Helens on Boxing Day, 1920. Yet despite impressive attendances at high profile fixtures, mainstream media was patronising at best and continued to foster the impression of women’s football as a source of titillation and light entertainment rather than serious competition.
The reported frequency of high scoring games would suggest that there was no shortage of entertainment. On the other hand the same results raise doubt about the standard and strength in depth of the women’s game of that era. It is not unreasonable to ask whether spectators attended out of curiosity and whether women’s football was actually taken seriously by traditional male supporters. Or was it the case that women’s football attracted a new breed of spectator? The equally fundamental question is whether that interest could have been sustained.
Could women’s football really have been a challenge to the attraction of the traditional men’s game? Inevitably it is a debate that touches upon sensitive themes but nonetheless, ones that need to be addressed in a history of women’s football. As with the study of the origins of men’s football in the nineteenth century, when examining the emergence of women’s football in the early years it requires more than taking matches at face value.
From today’s perspective, the FA ban in December, 1921 was antediluvian and in the context of women having secured new freedoms the decision seems revanchist in its nature and against the tide of history. The charge is that it represented male misogyny and reflected the same prejudice expressed in newspaper reports. However, I believe that it is simplistic to overlook other issues at stake. For example, there is an argument that the Football Association had genuine concerns about women’s football with regards what it considered the integrity of association football.
From my research of events in Bradford, in 1907 the FA was expressing concern about ‘burlesque displays masquerading as football matches’ in respect of proposed charity games staged by pantomime actors at Valley Parade and I can only assume that similar attitudes prevailed at a national level. My suspicion is that women’s football was similarly regarded as a frivolous if not burlesque activity by those in positions of power. The other concern of the FA was in respect of allegations of financial misappropriation involving Dick, Kerr Ladies (the then leading women’s side in the country) who attracted the biggest gates. Similar accusations (that were unproven) were also targeted at the Hey’s Brewery team of Bradford but in the case of Dick, Kerr there does appear to have been more substance and which eventually resulted in the subsequent dismissal of the team manager by the firm.
In the annals of history, the Football Association is recorded as having justified the decision to ban women’s football on the basis that ‘the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged’ which hardly provides a defence against contemporary charges of misogyny. In practice the FA probably found it easier to communicate its decision in this way than to elaborate on other matters, including for instance financial issues or the potential commercial threat of high profile women’s matches to the viability of third division (Football League) clubs.
In the wake of the ban I am not aware of concerted criticism of the FA decision. Locally, although there were reported protestations in the press from the owner of Hey’s Brewery and from the team captain, there does not appear to have been an outcry from the likes of politicians, educationalists or women’s groups. For instance, in the Bradford press the matter was given little coverage and Sam Holdsworth, editor of the Yorkshire Sports (who wrote as Nomad) considered the decision entirely sensible. Whether for reasons of misogyny or prejudice the impression is quite unambiguous that women’s football was derided and not taken seriously.
Given the extensive detail in her book about the development of women’s football prior to the FA ban, I am surprised that Jean Williams does not offer a more extensive account of the circumstances in 1921. Likewise, by failing to offer a more critical assessment of the actual playing standards or substantiating the level of participation in the game, I believe that the author falls into the trap of mythologising women’s football of that era.
The FA ban deprived women’s football the opportunity to showcase itself but notwithstanding, there seems little evidence to suggest otherwise that beyond a handful of leading sides, women’s football in England had limited strength and depth. For reasons given in my feature about the origins and early history of women’s football in Bradford [3] I am sceptical that – in Bradford at least – women’s football would have thrived even if the FA ban had not occurred. It would have been interesting for the author to have given her assessment of how women’s football in England might otherwise have developed without the ban. For example, is it realistic to believe that a national league structure could have been established and sustained much sooner?
Ironically, Williams mistakenly refers to the existence of a women’s football league in Bradford in 1920/21 as evidence of grass roots strength and popularity. The said competition was in fact a hockey league, a sport widely reported in Bradford as commanding female attention and boasting the highest levels of female participation. Popular as a school activity, adult women’s hockey clubs were based at local cricket grounds. The same venues hosted women’s cricket and such was the popularity that in 1932 it led to the launch of a local league competition.
By contrast, to my knowledge there is no record of there ever having been a women’s football league in Bradford and given the shortage of playing fields in the city at that time I am extremely doubtful that there could have been. It was precisely this lack of strength in depth and the absence of succession of future players that surely made it impossible for women’s football to sustain the early momentum at a local or national level, irrespective of the FA ban. The absence of financial support and leadership were other factors in this (although the futility of the task might explain seemingly half-hearted attempts at launching a women’s football association). Either way there was a failure to establish a competitive infrastructure for women’s football at national level and there is no reported evidence of local leagues elsewhere in the country.
Bradford offers a good case study about the early history of women’s football, for example with the record of the Hey’s Brewery and Lister’s Mill teams both of which were formed in spring, 1921 (although unfortunately neither are given much attention in the book). The Hey’s team in particular was notable as a frequent opponent of the Dick, Kerr side and boasted representing England in games in both Scotland and France. The fact that factory based sides came to prominence is not insignificant in that the support of an employer safeguarded the viability and underpinned the economic and operational model of a women’s side. The example of Hey’s also hints at the marketing prowess of the firm which would have derived considerable publicity from the sponsorship of a football team. Furthermore whereas in the men’s game in England it was virtually unheard of for a leading side to be known by the name of a commercial backer, it was fairly commonplace in women’s football. (I suspect this was another matter of concern to the FA, wary of overt commercial interference and a precedent for the men’s game.)
The Bradford & District FA had played an evangelical role at the beginning of the twentieth century to promote the cause of associationism at the expense of rugby yet there was never any support given to the encouragement of women’s football. The example of how ‘associationists’ promoted their sport in Bradford is insightful given that the same success factors – publicity in the press, development of a local league and promotion of school sport – would have provided the necessary fillip to women’s football from a near zero base. Notable however is that the two senior men’s clubs in Bradford – at Valley Parade and Park Avenue respectively – were not overtly hostile to women’s football in so far as prior to the FA ban both grounds hosted women’s football and in August, 1939, club dignitaries attended a high profile women’s football match at Odsal stadium between teams from Preston (ex Dick, Kerr) and Belgium.
The strength of The History of Women’s Football is found in the recorded interviews with pioneering women who played football in the pre-modern era and there is no doubting the commitment and enthusiasm that they individually invested in the sport. That they were not able to realise their potential by playing in a competitive league and receive media attention for their efforts was a genuine tragedy and it is important that they are now given recognition. Yet whilst the interviews are fascinating, it feels that the author has allowed the page count to be filled with personal anecdotes to the detriment of historic critique or even the context of league tables / results. Again it makes me question whether this serves only to mythologise the story of women’s football.
My memory of university sport was of the grading of different activities to merit the award of university colours and the ranking of ‘minor’ sports based on comparative standards, degrees of competition and participation as well as national / international benchmarks. Whilst subjective and emotive, inevitably the likes of rugby, football and cricket scored higher than say archery or lacrosse. In Bradford in the 1920s, I have little doubt that women’s hockey, cricket, cycling or tennis would have ranked far higher than women’s football.
It would be interesting to chart the rise in prominence of football compared to other women’s sports in the last century and the last thirty years in particular. For example I have yet to see any estimates of participation levels that would be insightful to provide context about women’s football, to examine its changing popularity and status relative to other sports. Such an exercise might also help to better understand the standard of, and degree of competition in, women’s football of the pre-modern era. All of this points to major knowledge gaps about the early history of women’s football and the need for local based research work that is currently lacking (including incontrovertible evidence of local women’s football leagues).
The launch of a Women’s Football Association in 1969 and the story of professional pioneers since 1972 is covered in depth. Ultimately, where this book fails is by not explaining how women’s football was transformed in the last couple or so decades and the steps on that journey. Of how a league and competitive infrastructure was established and the emergence of commercial sponsorship for women’s football. Only passing mention is given about the significant financial investment in English women’s football since the launch of WSL in 2010 which hints at the emergent economic power of the sport. Coverage of the co-existence of men’s and women’s football would have been welcome, of how existing Football League clubs have promoted women’s sides and the resources provided.
The big question over women’s football comes back to the economic model of how the sport can be made to pay. This also needs recognition that the circumstances of women’s teams associated with Premier League clubs is vastly different to those linked to Division Two sides and those outside the WSL. I would have also welcomed a comparison with women’s football in the USA, the strength of which is derived from school and college competition.
The History of Women’s Football is well-written yet it feels unbalanced. In terms of explaining how women’s football got to where it is now I found it lacking as well as prone to mythologising. The rather glaring error in respect of the Bradford & District Ladies Hockey League being mistaken for a women’s football league – and the suggestion by others that there are misstatements about what happened in Manchester – unfortunately raises questions about accuracy. In terms of discovering about the WSL and subsidiary, junior or developmental league competitions I am none the wiser. Additionally, to have discovered more about the origins and impact of established and pioneering clubs such as Doncaster Belles or Arsenal Ladies would have been welcome.
A more appropriate title for the book would give emphasis to the historic personalities of women’s football, the coverage of which cannot be faulted. However, I am not convinced that this work succeeds in explaining the extent of change in the modern era. In terms of content, it can hardly be described as a landmark history as its title might imply. Instead it points to gaps in the historical record that need to be filled.
In the last six months there has been a number of new books looking back at what football was like before it became transformed by television and I have reviewed a couple of those previously. The latest by Daniel Abrahams takes us back to the 1971/72 season and he provides a well-written and engaging account of how the campaign unfolded with observations to highlight the changes of the past fifty years, in particular since the introduction of the Premier League in 1992.
Although his book covers key events in the Football League as well as in Scottish, European and international football, the focus is on the leading sides in England and the chase for league as well as cup glory. However the case for 1971/72 being football’s greatest season is based on more than nostalgia and he highlights the fact that the fight for the FL Championship was the closest in history, the last time when any team in the top half of the top division could conceivably have finished first. Likewise, the champions that season – Derby County – were the seventh different title winners in seven seasons. (Had Leeds defeated Wolves when they played shortly after the FA Cup Final they would have won the Double.)
Daniel Abrahams’ narrative is chronological and the reader is emersed in a thriller of unfolding twists and turns that were undoubtedly exciting. It was a season of drama and surprises yet there were no more than four live games on TV with reliance instead upon radio commentary as the means to follow the drama. As he writes, ‘TV enhanced the football as opposed to ruling it.’ The leading managers – the likes of Bill Shankly, Brian Clough, Don Revie and Malcolm Allison – were also household celebrities and in contrast with the modern game, the leading players were exclusively British and Irish and with the notable exception of Clyde Best at West Ham they were also white. European competition was secondary not just to the league but also the FA Cup and even the FL Cup. There was no shortage of domestic competitions, for example the Watney Cup (in which Halifax Town secured a famous victory over Manchester United at The Shay in front of 19,965) and the Home Internationals.
The 1971/72 season was likewise the first when I became interested in football and that probably had a lot to do with my class teacher who needed little persuasion to talk about the events narrated in this book. In fact it’s probably more pertinent to say that the only thing I remember about school at that time was learning about football and I still have my Soccer Stars sticker album and Bartholomews football map from that season. Collecting and swapping those stickers was a big part of school life and the album provided the necessary reference to watch Match of the Day on a Saturday night or Yorkshire TV’s Football Special on a Sunday afternoon.
I still have my Soccer Stars album for the 1971/72 season, albeit only 90% complete and it was the likes of George Best and England’s World Cup heroes who were the elusive stickers, reflecting the imbalance of supply relative to the demand among collectors for the celebrity players. Included in the book are anecdotes about the football memorabilia and collectables released during the season and for those who remember them it is great nostalgia, for example the Esso coins of that season to commemorate the FA Cup Final centenary.
Esso coin commemorating FA Cup centenary and past winners.
Without exception, mainstream media coverage at that time was about Division One (the first division, that is) and mention of Bradford football in those days was virtually non-existent in other than the Telegraph & Argus – and even in Bradford’s own paper there were more column inches reporting Leeds United. It was left to the classified results and league tables to find anything about Bradford City and in that regard, 1971/72 could hardly be described as having been a classic season given that the Paraders finished bottom of Division Three.
It was a salutary lesson for me that Bradford was excluded from the glamour of English football and existed in a parallel but distant universe. There was at least a degree of consolation when Bradford City was featured in the centre spread of the Football League Review in April, 1972, a series of team photographs from all four divisions of the Football League and it is all that I can remember of my first visit to Valley Parade with my father. The only other highlight that season was for the club flag to be represented at the Centenary FA Cup Final at Wembley as former cup holders.
As for Bradford Park Avenue, that club was already virtually forgotten outside the district although playing in Division One in 1971/72 were Avenue alumni Kevin Hector (Derby County), Terry Dolan (Huddersfield Town), Kenny Hibbitt (Wolves) and Dave Lawson (Huddersfield Town). (In June, 1972 Lawson was transferred to Everton in a then record £85,000 fee for a British goalkeeper.)
Kicked out of the Football League in 1970 in place of Cambridge United, Bradford laboured in the Northern Premier League and finished the 1971/72 campaign in 18th position. The club had applied for re-election in June, 1971 and received just one vote, trailing other applicants including Hereford United (22), Wigan Athletic (14), Cambridge City, Telford United and Yeovil Town (2 apiece). It did no better the following year and at the AGM of the FL on 2nd June, 1972 managed a solitary vote falling well behind others in the election: Northampton Town, [49 votes, re-elected); Crewe Alexandra, (46, re-elected); Stockport United, (26, re-elected); Barrow and Hereford United, (22 apiece – Hereford elected on a revote) but the same as Cambridge City and Wimbledon although better than Wigan Athletic (0 votes).
Affairs at both Bradford clubs were dominated by the challenge to remain solvent. At Park Avenue there were ongoing discussions to vacate the ground and its potential development as a sports centre. Options for the club included relocation to Odsal or potentially sharing a junior ground at Parry Lane (home of Bradford Rovers AFC) but the prospect of a move to Valley Parade was likely the least preferred. In the event, Bradford spent another campaign at Park Avenue and ended up as tenants in Manningham for the 1973/74 season which also proved to the club’s final prior to liquidation in May, 1974.
Unfortunately, Daniel Abrahams’ coverage of lower division clubs is superficial (albeit more extensive than that afforded to Scottish football) and his mention of Workington Town (as opposed to Workington FC – the former being a rugby league club) is unfortunate. Whilst he narrates the circumstances of Barrow losing FL membership at the end of the 1971/72 season – replaced by Hereford who had famously defeated Newcastle in the FA Cup in February, 1972 – his portrayal of English football fifty years ago would have benefited from more content about other unfashionable sides who struggled to exist in the shadow of the celebrities. (To be fair, such a task would have been difficult with the paucity of historic mainstream media coverage making research into the affairs of lower division clubs less straightforward.)
As to whether 1971/72 was English football’s greatest season is questionable. Undoubtedly there was plenty of excitement but in hindsight it seems more appropriate to describe it as the end of an era, an end of innocence before the game became subsumed in crises of terrace violence, loss of life and financial failures, ultimately to become dominated by commercialism and TV. As Daniel Abrahams has recorded, those themes were already present in 1971/72 (ominously with the immediate aftermath of the Ibrox Disaster) but I doubt that anyone could have predicted the extent of change by 2021/22. It is however poignant that fifty years later, Derby County – the League Champions in 1971/72 – now face potential liquidation given the extent of the club’s financial difficulties.
His book is a fascinating and thought-provoking read and I believe it is equally accessible to younger fans who did not live through the era. Inclusion of league tables and more photographs would have been welcome to complement the narrative but it’s a minor gripe and does not prevent my recommendation.
John Dewhirst
71/72 Football’s Greatest Season? by Daniel Abrahams is published by Pitch (2021), price £16.99
The Bradford City squad 1971/72 including the future test cricketer David Bairstow (far right, front) who made 10 appearances that season including 5 as substitute. Bradford (PA) also had a cricketer in its side that season – Geoff Kay of Bradford League club, Saltaire CC.
Details of my own most recent book, WOOL CITY RIVALS: A History in Colour (volume 7 in the Bantamspast History Revisited series) in collaboration with George Chilvers:Wool City Rivals: A History in Colour
Wool City Rivals 