The record Bradford City crowd was a yardstick of the club's progress – and a blueprint for the future

03/25/2025 04:00 AM

By Jake Verity

A record crowd for Valley Parade in the fourth tier. A dominant display against Colchester in March. A loanee from Crystal Palace making a real impact towards the end of the season.

You'd be forgiven for thinking you've read all this before.

Because you may have done exactly that.

Go back two years ago when 20,383 people saw a high-flying Bradford City side beat Colchester 2-0 on the 4th March 2023, with late goals from Andy Cook and Crystal Palace loanee Scott Banks.

You could forgive me for saying last weekend was déjà vu.

But this time, things are very different – and oh so much better. A play-off chasing side then, has become an automatic promotion-pushing side now.

A record 20,383 crowd then has become a record 23,381 crowd now.

A club once divided then with the green shoots of healing coming through, is at possibly its most together for years.

How things change.

Of the starting XI that day, only three remained at the club – two of which were starting in Brad Halliday and Richie Smallwood, with Andy Cook out injured. This team is a different proposition altogether – and it wasn't even at full strength over the weekend. That's the most exciting thing.

But this isn't a match report. It's a testament to our fans.

Ticketing triumph

I wrote a piece before the Colchester game and said they needed to be the 12th, 13th and 14th man.

But they did something even better. The roar of Valley Parade pulled the ball into the back of the Colchester net four times. We are in a new, and hugely impressive era – that it's time to get very, very excited about.

There's only one story worth writing about though. Let's all give huge credit first and foremost to the Ticket Office for managing this, on the week that season tickets came out too. Impressive stuff.

Then let's praise the club for making this happen. A real moment for us to look back on, and yet another great step in the right direction off the field. This weekend at Accrington marks a whole year since the Tranmere game and the protests.

Since that point we've taken more points than any other team. 88 of them over 45 games.

But let's really give credit where it's due to everybody who turned up in the stands.

Just like I expect many of you reading this did, most of my Saturday evening was scrolling through various photos of our wonderful stadium, looking as fantastic as ever.

Each post and proudly written caption with a different story behind it. Some finding their way across the internet and no doubt shown across the country to football fans missing their Saturday games as a result of the international weekend.

It was a special moment, and a special day – the best part is there's more to come. More on that later though.

The economics of the last few days are the most important thing. Tickets for a fiver saw around 5,000 more people than usual walk into Valley Parade.

If even, say, 10%, 500 of those 5,000 people end up buying a season ticket for next year, the £25,000 we made that match-day could become £150,000 in season ticket revenue for next year (appreciate not all will be fully paid adults).

Factor in that maybe 10% of them become full-time City fans and renew for the next 20 years. You're looking at a lot of money.

All because we took an opportunity.

Moments and memories like this not only live with those of us who are already signed up to the club, but they create a gateway into the club for those who aren't.

If we are to keep growing on the pitch, we must keep growing off it.

Pitch perfect

It's not just about the money though. This is a squad that is absolutely feeding off the atmosphere. It is the right time to do these deals not least because of our league position, but as we are seeing the rewards play out in front of us.

When I go back to famous deals we've done before. I remember £1 tickets against Stockport in what will forever be one of the most iconic games in my mind. A 3-2 win. Two red cards. Survival in the Football League that season.

Bear in mind at that point we only got around 15,000 with such a promotion – and our typical gate that season was just over 10,000. We have come a long way since then, and it's easy to forget that.

This is a squad that relishes playing at Valley Parade, though.

I said before our opening home game at the very start of this season "if not now, when" that we hadn't actually lost many times at home over the past two seasons.

But it's also fair to say we hadn't won lots either.

That's changed, it feels like players want to be at Valley Parade now.

You see interviews with players like Tayo Adaramola who clearly relish occasions like this. I think it's fair to say Calum Kavanagh was at his absolute best during the weekend's game too – someone who has kept going this year and now is getting the big moments he deserves.

A home record of W15 D3 L2 is quite something.

Saturday felt like a reminder of the good times under Phil Parkinson – the whole club galvanised and moved in the right direction. A Valley Parade crowd at the absolute top of its game with something to cheer about.

Perhaps this season, we have been at our best after bringing in players who can handle the occasions. Players like Antoni Sarcevic who have won promotions and know what is needed to get over the line alongside other experienced players we already had in the building.

Don't discount the influence of having players like Neill Byrne and Callum Johnson either who were part of successful squads last season – even if both haven't featured too regularly.

Many have said it this weekend, but the difference has truly been that in our most successful season in recent years under Mark Hughes we had good players. But this year, we have a team.

What comes next?

In all honesty, I was going to write this article making the case for a ticket deal for the Crewe game.

So huge credit to the club for doing this already and making tickets just £10 for that match. It is great to see the club are truly invested in the cost of promotion — and making memories for fans in the process.

We're still a fortnight away from that. But why not think one step further?

Can we go for £15 against Notts County?

£5 against Colchester. £10 against Crewe. £15 against County.

That would mean three games for £30 – inspiring the next group of supporters – before a potentially huge final day against Fleetwood.

Factor in a final day game against Fleetwood at the standard price of £20 – that's four games of football for £50. You'd hope that people might have a good reason to want to be at that one too.

Another significant thing to consider though, is that the season ticket deadline comes just before that final match too.

With Notts County on a Thursday night (thanks Sky) – it would almost certainly help us to fill the ground, and more importantly make a real occasion against one of our competitors – but also cement in people's minds that this is a club worth investing in.

Don't discount how important that evening might end up being too.

The wider point here is that actually, we might be able to go into next season with an incredible number of supporters behind us.

I've seen calls for us to consider new models for next year. Be it half-season tickets. Flexi-cards.

For now, I think let's focus on keeping the ground as full as we can these next few games – and hopefully the season tickets will take care of themselves. Then other options can be back on the table.

Anything that can keep this momentum going is a good thing.

But more importantly

I'm proud to support a football club that does the right thing for and by our fans.

In a time where ticket prices are spiraling, the corporate greed of the game constantly puts finances before fans and football – it is great to know that in our wonderful City we're the antidote to this poison.

This isn't a narrative forged in the last few weeks. But actually over the last twenty years.

Because had it not been for this club doing a fantastic deal for me and my family to start going to games almost two decades ago, perhaps I wouldn't be writing this article.

There's a joke to be made about the lifetime of suffering our club has caused me. But a few Premier League scalps, a cup final, several play off campaigns and incredible away days, I wouldn't change it for the world.

But hopefully, just hopefully there's a new era about to be unlocked for this club.

Not just for me, or you.

But many new fans in the process.