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Bradford Park Avenue
Full name	Bradford (Park Avenue) Association Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Avenue, BPA, The Stans
Founded	1863
Ground	Horsfall Stadium (Capacity 5,000 (1200) Seated)
Chairman	Dr John Dean
Manager	Dave Cameron
League	NPL Premier
2007-08	NPL Division One North, 1st (promoted)
Home colours Away colours

Bradford Association Football Club (almost always referred to as Bradford (Park Avenue)) are a football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Their name comes from their old stadium, Park Avenue designed by the famous Archibald Leitch. Football club names are a part of the sports culture, reflecting century-old traditions. ... Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Horsfall Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Bradford, England. ... Rungnado May Day Stadium is the worlds largest football stadium. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Wales_2. ... The Northern Premier League logo. ... The 2007–08 season is the 128th season of competitive football in England. ... soccer jersey left arm with white shoulders File links The following pages link to this file: Oldham Athletic A.F.C. IFK Göteborg Malmö FF Template talk:Football kit Assyriska Helsingborgs IF Åtvidabergs FF User:Johan Elisson/football kits Categories: GFDL images | Football kit templates ... soccer jersey with white shoulders File links The following pages link to this file: Oldham Athletic A.F.C. IFK Göteborg Template talk:Football kit Assyriska Helsingborgs IF Åtvidabergs FF User:Johan Elisson/football kits Categories: GFDL images | Football kit templates ... soccer jersey right arm with white shoulders File links The following pages link to this file: Oldham Athletic A.F.C. IFK Göteborg Malmö FF Template talk:Football kit Assyriska Helsingborgs IF Åtvidabergs FF User:Johan Elisson/football kits Categories: GFDL images | Football kit templates ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... socks of kit template File links The following pages link to this file: Arsenal F.C. Ajax Amsterdam AZ Alkmaar A.S. Roma Torino Calcio A.C. Milan ACF Fiorentina Bristol City F.C. Charlton Athletic F.C. Chievo Verona Chelsea F.C. England national football team Wikipedia:WikiProject Football... soccer jersey left arm with black shoulders File links The following pages link to this file: Newport County A.F.C. IF Elfsborg Djurgårdens IF Fotboll User:Johan Elisson/football kits Categories: GFDL images | Football kit templates ... Image File history File links soccer jersey with black shoulders File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... soccer jersey right arm with black shoulders File links The following pages link to this file: Newport County A.F.C. IF Elfsborg Djurgårdens IF Fotboll User:Johan Elisson/football kits Categories: GFDL images | Football kit templates ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... socks of kit template File links The following pages link to this file: Arsenal F.C. Ajax Amsterdam AZ Alkmaar A.S. Roma Torino Calcio A.C. Milan ACF Fiorentina Bristol City F.C. Charlton Athletic F.C. Chievo Verona Chelsea F.C. England national football team Wikipedia:WikiProject Football... Soccer redirects here. ... For other uses, see Bradford (disambiguation). ... Coat of Arms of South Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, that has a population of 2. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Archibald Leitch (April 27, 1865 – 1939) was a Scottish architect, most famous for his work designing football stadiums throughout the United Kingdom. ...

The club claims descent from the organisation of the same name that was a former member of the Football League and which went into liquidation in 1974. The new entity, established in 1988, is currently in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, and plays its home matches at the Horsfall Athletics Stadium, which has a capacity of 5,000. The Northern Premier League logo. ...

History

For information on a breakdown of Bradford Park Avenue's league and cup history see Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C. seasons.

The club was formed in 1863 as the Bradford Football Club. They then became founder members of the Northern Rugby Football Union following a dispute between Northern clubs and the Rugby Football Union over the payment of expenses in 1895. They won the Championship in 1903–04 and the Challenge Cup in 1905–06. In 1907, "The Great Betrayal" occurred as the members decided to abandon the Northern Union game (later known as rugby league) and change to association football based at the Park Avenue ground. The club immediately applied to join the Football League. However, they were not accepted, and instead joined the Southern League, even though the club was based in the north, filling a gap left by Fulham who had been successful in joining the Football League. A new team Bradford Northern (later renamed Bradford Bulls) was created to take their place in the Northern Union. Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Rugby Football League (RFL) is the governing body for rugby league in the United Kingdom. ... The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the rugby union governing body in England. ... The Rugby League Championship was the major professional competition organised by the Rugby Football League in Great Britain. ... The 1903-04 season was the 33rd season of competitive football in England. ... The Challenge Cup (currently known as the Carnegie Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs across Europe. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Rugby league football is a full-contact team sport played with a prolate spheroid-shaped ball by two teams of thirteen on a rectangular grass field. ... The Football League is a league competition featuring professional football clubs from England and Wales. ... For other uses, see Southern Football League (disambiguation). ... Current season For details on the current season, see Fulham F.C. season 2007-08 Fulham Football Club are an English football team based in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. ... Website Official site The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, England. ...

In 1908, they were successfully elected to the Second Division of the Football League. The club was promoted to the First Division in 1913 after finishing as runners-up, and finished in their highest ever league position of 9th at the end of the 1914–15 season. From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football. ... From 1889 until 1992, this was the highest division overall of organized football in England. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ...

After WWI the club began a steady decline, being relegated to the Second Division in 1921, and again to the Third Division North in 1922. In 1928 the club finished as Champions, and were promoted back to the Second Division. However, they were relegated again in 1950, and then placed in the Fourth Division after reorganisation in 1958. Though they won promotion to the Third Division in 1961, they were relegated back to the Fourth Division in 1963. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... The Third Division North of The Football League was a level in English association football, which ran parallel to Third Division South from 1921 to 1958. ... The Football League Fourth Division or Division Four of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958-59 season until the creation of the FA Premier League prior to the 1992-93 season. ... From the 1992-93 to the 2003-04 season, the Football League Third Division was the third-highest division of The Football League and the fourth-highest division in the overall English football league system. ...

After several seasons of struggle, they were voted out of the Football League in 1970 and replaced by Cambridge United. The club dropped into the Northern Premier League, and financial problems meant they had to sell Park Avenue in 1973 and share with neighbours Bradford City. However, the sale did not solve the difficulties, and the club went into liquidation on 3 May 1974 with debts of £57,652. They were immediately re-formed as a Sunday league club playing in the league club's former colours. Cambridge United Football Club (also known as United and The Us or simply Cambridge) is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. ... Bradford City Association Football Club (also known as The Bantams, and previously The Paraders or The Citizens) are an English football club based in Bradford, Yorkshire, playing in League Two. ... Winding up redirects here. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that Pub team be merged into this article or section. ...

After playing at Bingley Road and Hope Avenue in 1974 in the Bradford Amateur Sunday League Division Four the club moved to Avenue Road and won promotion for the first time in 1975. The next season saw promotion again and in 1985 came promotion into the newly formed Bradford Sunday Alliance League. In 1987 the club returned to play a fixture at the still-standing Park Avenue ground, before they joined the West Riding County Amateur League in 1988.

The club returned to Saturday football at the start of the 1988–89 season, when they joined the West Riding County Amateur Football League. They then joined the Central Midlands League. The club moved to the North West Counties League the following season. In the meanwhile, the club had been playing matches at various rugby league grounds (including Bramley and Batley). The 1988-89 season was the 109th season of competitive football in England. ... The West Riding County Amateur Football League is a football competition based in Yorkshire, England, currently sponsored by the Mumtaz Restaurant. ... The Central Midlands League is an English association football league covering the northeast_central part of England. ... The North West Counties Football League is a football league in the north west of England. ...

In 1995 the club won the North West Counties League, re-joining the Northern Premier League, as well as moving to the Horsfall Athletics Stadium. At the start of the 2004/5 season they became founder members of the Conference North, though they were relegated back to the Northern Premier League (the seventh level) at the end of the season. The Football Conferences logo Conference North (often referred to as Nationwide North for sponsorship reasons) is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. ...

The club reached the FA Cup quarter finals in 1912/3, 1919/20 and 1945/6. Since re-forming, they have reached the first round proper once, in 2003/4. Their best performance in the League Cup was to reach a 3rd round replay in 1962/3. This article is about the English FA Cup. ... The Carling Cup Trophy The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup, is an English football competition. ...

Since dropping into non-league football, the club's best FA Trophy performance has been to reach the 4th round in 1998/9. In the FA Vase, the club reached the 2nd round in 1994/5. The Football Association Challenge Trophy is an English football competition for clubs playing in the Football Conference, Southern League, Isthmian League, and Northern Premier League. ... The Football Association Challenge Vase is an annual football competition for teams playing in the lower regional leagues of England. ...

In February 2008 club chief executive Bob Blackburn unveiled plans for a new 20,000 seat stadium at Phoenix Park in Thornbury, within the metropolitan district of Leeds.^[1] Thornbury is a village in West Yorkshire, England is east of the city of Bradford. ... The City of Leeds is a metropolitan district with city status within the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England, with a population of 726,939. ...

Colours

The traditional colours of Bradford (PA) were red, amber and black which were inherited from the original Bradford RFC and incidentally retained by Bradford & Bingley RUFC and Bradford Bulls RLFC who all claim common genealogy. The fact that red, amber and black (with white) has been worn by three of the city's senior football clubs (namely Bradford (Park Avenue) AFC, Bradford RFC / Bradford & Bingley RUFC and Bradford Northern RLFC / Bradford Bulls who were all descended from the original Bradford FC which was based at Park Avenue) has made many people assume that these were the de facto sporting colours of Bradford. Website Official site The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, England. ... For other uses, see Bradford (disambiguation). ...

Indeed the colours have also been used by other sports organisations in Bradford such as cycling, hockey and athletics principally in the style of a red, amber and black band on a white shirt (as typically worn by Bradford Northern and as an away kit by Bradford (PA)). Red, amber and black are also the historic colours of Bradford Cricket Club, formed in 1836. The cricket club no longer play at the Park Avenue any more, and nor do Yorkshire, who played several matches a season there over many years. Wibsey Park Chapel Cricket Club currently occupy the dilapidated ground with relatively little being changed. One stand is now referred to as the Football End in reference to those bygone eras. Hopes are still alive for Bradford PA to move back eventually to their 'ancestral home', but this is unlikely with a development of housing going on the old football pitch and terracing of the cricket ground. Yorkshire County Cricket Club, who represent the historic county of Yorkshire, are one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English domestic cricket structure. ...

Bradford FC had been formed in 1863 by former pupils of Bramham College and in 1880 joined Bradford CC at Park Avenue. However it is not known whether one club took the colours of the other at this time. Bradford did not achieve city status until 1897 and to that extent red, amber and black could well have been associated with Bradford prior to the granting of the arms and certainly well before Bradford's city status.

In 1911 Bradford changed its colours to green and white following the appointment of former Celtic player, Tom Maley, brother of Willie Maley, who also played at Celtic before becoming their first manager, and this may also have been a move to exploit the local catchment area which had many residents of Irish origin. In so doing Avenue became the only club to have worn green and white in the English First Division, between 1914 and 1921. Avenue reverted to red, amber and black with white in 1924 but then revived green and white between 1958 and 1967. The reformed Bradford Park Avenue has adopted green and white since 1988. Avenue's club crest was the 1907 version of the Bradford coat of arms and this has been used by the reformed club also even though it was replaced by the municipal authority in 1974.

Bradford's traditional rivals Manningham RFC and their successors Bradford City have worn claret and amber and whereas Bradford has tended to wear hoops (with a number of notable exceptions) the City club has opted for stripes. Bradford City also adopted the (1907) Bradford coat of arms as its crest until 1966. Bradford City Association Football Club (also known as The Bantams, and previously The Paraders or The Citizens) are an English football club based in Bradford, Yorkshire, playing in League Two. ...

After the change from white shirts to green shirts over summer 2006, there had been talk around the club of changing the colours back to something along the lines of red amber and black during the club's centenary season though it turned out that this would be used for the away kit for sponsorship reasons. The home kit would be green and white hoops. Bradford Park Avenue are the only team to have a better win loss record against Manchester United. Winning 9 five wins at home 4 away Lost 8 three home five away and one match was drawn.

Nickname

The club has always been referred to as 'Avenue'. In 1966 Bradford introduced its own cartoon mascot in response to the 'City Gent' of Bradford City at Valley Parade. 'Avenue 'Arry' is a cartoon of a supporter with hat and scarf waving a rattle. Avenue did not use the character to the same extent as Bradford City exploited the 'City Gent' but it has been revived by the reformed club. Bradford City Association Football Club (also known as The Bantams, and previously The Paraders or The Citizens) are an English football club based in Bradford, Yorkshire, playing in League Two. ... Valley Parade, currently known under a naming-rights contract as the Intersonic Stadium (previously the Bradford & Bingley Stadium), is the home stadium of Bradford City football club in the built up area of Manningham, in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. ...

In the late 1980s a Bradford City supporters' publication 'Bernard of the Bantams' introduced a cartoon figure 'Boring Stan the Avenue Fan' featuring an old Bradford supporter suffering a mid-life crisis. Bradford City supporters have contemptuously referred to followers of the reformed Bradford Park Avenue club as 'Stans' but the nickname has not been adopted by the club itself.

Notable players

See Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C. players

Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Graham Allen born 8 April 1977 in Bolton is a professional footballer who currently plays as a Central Defender for Chester City. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Photo submitted by Martin Hornby - (Gallaher Cigarette Cards) Photo by Terry Macdonald Donald Simpson Bell VC (3 December 1890-July 10, 1916) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British... Image File history File links Flag_of_Wales_2. ... For the rugby league coach and former player, see Craig Bellamy (rugby league). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Signed for Bradford Park Avenue in 1995 upon his release from Bradford City and was a very consistent and creative performer whether as a sweeper or in central midfield in over 400 games for the club. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Gordon Bradley (born November 23, 1938 in Sunderland, England) is a former U.S.-English soccer Midfielder who played several seasons with lower division English clubs before moving to play in Canada. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Chris Brandon is the frontman for the music project Friday Orange, composing and recording at his home studio (Orange Studios) - and distributing songs for listening/download at . ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... William John Jack Crayston (October 9, 1910 – December 1992) was an English football player and manager. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Ron Greenwood CBE (November 11, 1921 — February 8, 2006) was an English football player and manager, best known for being manager of the English national football team from 1977 until 1982. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Derek Hawksworth (born. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Kevin James Hector (born in Leeds November 2, 1944) was an English footballer who played as a forward for Bradford Park Avenue, Vancouver Whitecaps, Burton Albion and Derby County during their most successful spell under Brian Clough and Dave Mackay. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Malta. ... Jonathan Holland is a Maltese midfielder, born on the 15th August 1978. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... Jimmy Scoular (born 11 January , 1925 - died 1998) was a Scottish football player. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ireland. ... Patrick Kenny (born May 17, 1978 in Halifax, West Yorkshire) is an Irish football player, who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Sheffield United. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Neil David Redfearn (born 20 June 1965 in Dewsbury) is an English footballer and manager. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Cryil Robinson (born March 4, 1929 in Nottingham) is an English former professional footballer. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Len Shackleton, born on 3 May 1922 in Bradford, was a great British footballer of the post-war period. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... For other uses, see Dave Wright (disambiguation). ...

Notable Managers

See Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C. managers

• Vic Buckingham (went on to manage Ajax Amsterdam, Sheffield Wednesday, Fulham F.C. and FC Barcelona)

Victor Frederick Buckingham (born October 23, 1915 in Greenwich - died January 26, 1995) was an English association footballer whose approach, as a manager, was a precursor of the Total Football philosophy. ... Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (Euronext: AJAX) also referred to as Ajax Amsterdam, AFC Ajax, or simply Ajax (pronounced /ˈʌɪjaks/), is a professional football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands. ... Sheffield Wednesday are a football club in the English Football League. ... Current season For details on the current season, see Fulham F.C. season 2007-08 Fulham Football Club are an English football team based in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. ... Futbol Club Barcelona (Spanish IPA: , Catalan IPA: ), known familiarly as Barça (Spanish IPA: , Catalan IPA: ), is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. ...

Managers

• Jim Mackay (1989–1993)
• Gordon Rayner (1993–1997)
• Trevor Storton (1997–2004)
• Carl Shutt (2004–2005)
• Gary Brook (2005–2006)
• Phil Sharpe (2006–2007)
• Benny Phillips (2007–2008)
• Dave Cameron (2008–)

Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Trevor Storton (born November 26, 1949 in Keighley) is an English former footballer who played as a central defender. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Carl Shutt (born 10th October 1961 in Sheffield) is an English former professional football player. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Philip Sharpe, born Leeds 26 January 1968 is a former professional footballer, who is currently manager of Bradford Park Avenue. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Wales_2. ...

Name

Though officially called Bradford A.F.C., Park Avenue (the location of the club's original stadium) is usually appended to their name to avoid confusion with Bradford City A.F.C.. Bradford AFC was chosen as a name because Bradford City had already registered both the names "Bradford City" and "Bradford United". Bradford City Association Football Club (also known as The Bantams, and previously The Paraders or The Citizens) are an English football club based in Bradford, Yorkshire, playing in League Two. ...

Current Squad

Mark Hotte (born September 27, 1978 in Bradford, West Yorkshire) is an English football player, who currently plays for Conference North side Scarborough. ... Paul Stoneman (born February 26, 1973 in Whitley Bay) is an English professional football player, currently player-manager at Unibond League team Bridlington Town. ...

References

is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official site
• Complete Records of Bradford Park Avenue's league positions
• Ground profile
• Mark 'em Tighter fansite
• AvenueOnline