Valley Parade
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| Bradford & Bingley Stadium | |
| Full name | Valley Parade |
| Nickname | The Parade |
| Built | 1903 |
| Opened | 1903 |
| Capacity | 25,136 |
| Home of | Bradford City A.F.C. |
| Pitch size | 113 x 70 yards |
Valley Parade, currently known under a naming-rights contract as Bradford and Bingley Stadium, is the home ground of Bradford City in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The club does not own Valley Parade and in 2005 narrowly escaped being forced to move [1]. It is not to be confused with The Valley, where Charlton Athletic play.
It has a current seating capacity of 25,136.
It is divided, as are many English football grounds, into four stands, in this case known as the Carlsberg Stand, Sunwin Stand, TL Dallas Stand (Always used as an away stand although called The Bradford End by supporters old enough to remember when it was used for home supporters. It is the closest stand to the city centre), and Yorkshire First Stand... in some cases also the subject of naming-rights contracts with sponsors. The Carlsberg Stand was traditionally the Kop End and the Yorkshire First Stand the Midland Road Stand.
[edit] Valley Parade Fire
On May 11, 1985, a crowd of over 11,000 were celebrating Bradford City's winning the Football League Third Division championship, equivalent to the post-2004 Football League One, and watching the final game of the season, against Lincoln City F.C. The trophy was presented before the game, and they were looking forward to the next year when they would be playing in their highest level in the English football league system since 1937. Shortly before halftime a fire engulfed the 80-year-old wooden Sunwin Stand of that day, killing 56 people ranging from children to an 86-year-old former chairman of the club. The few, narrow escape routes in some cases led to locked doors, and the easiest escape for many was onto the field. The irony being that the old wooden roof was due to be replaced the very next day as it did not meet the safety regulations required for the Division they would be playing in the following season.
This disaster is marked by annual remembrance ceremonies on the anniversary, and an annual Easter-weekend youth tournament drawing teams from across Europe as well as from Bradford and Lincoln. It also has as its legacy the movement for safety in modern British sports venues, which intensified after the Hillsborough disaster a few years later. The dead are also remembered by a plaque at today's Sunwin Stand.
The stadium did not reopen until December 14, 1986 but is now rebuilt to far safer standards than before.
The stadium was shared with Bradford's biggest Rugby League club, Bradford Bulls during the 2001 and 2002 Super League seasons. This was due to the proposed development of the Bulls' home ground Grattan Stadium (formerly Odsal Stadium), however a full re-development never took place and instead only minor changes were made to the stadium to the South of the city. However whilst at Valley Parade the Bulls won the 2001 Super League Title and the 2002 World Club Challenge Title.
[edit] External links
| Football League One Venues 2006-2007 | ||
| Alexandra Stadium | Ashton Gate | Belle Vue | Bloomfield Road Boundary Park | Brunton Park | City Ground | Fitness First Stadium Galpharm Stadium | Glanford Park | Griffin Park | Huish Park Liberty Stadium | Matchroom Stadium | Millmoor | New Den Stadium Prenton Park | Priestfield Stadium | Recreation Ground | Sixfields Stadium Vale Park | Valley Parade | Whaddon Road | Withdean Stadium | ||
