What do you call our club?

Even though both Cambridge and Oxford have second (non league) teams both called City ?

 

Me neither. On both counts................

 

I have often thought who my family and I would be supporting now if it had have been City exiting the Football League in 1970 and going bust 4 years later rather than Avenue.

It certainly wouldn't have been Leeds as my hatred for them was at its peak during the Revie years.

I suspect it would have been Avenue or Thackley, but thankfully didn't have to make that decision

 

Halifax Town for me.

 

Me too probably but I did love going to watch Huddersfield in those heady 70's days of Worthington and co.....

 

Actually, never thought of that and would probably have been a logical one for me as my family and I used to follow Halifax Dukes at the Shay back then

 

Those were the days - never seemed the same once they moved to Bradford

 

That's true but no one would from outside the respective cities would ask them if they supported United or City.

 

Has anyone said “continually disappointing” yet?

 

Oh yes remember the rows of buses outside the ground and outside Horton Park station. The “ lads” never went by bus, the long walk up from Chester St always got interesting

 

My dad used to work Saturday mornings in the early 60s and I would go round the shops with my mum and sister who was a baby at the time. Early afternoon we would meet my Dad at Collinsons Cafe on Tyrell Street across the road from where the football specials went from. My dad would ask me if I wanted to go shopping with mum or go to the football with him. Even at 4/5 year old it was a bit of a no brainer.

 

Basket case

 

Quit day in the Repair Shop for me today. But stumbled on T&A
(See Below) we are "PARADERS"
Only problem for me Bronco 1971 what side of the fence was I on. Sure I passed you at halftime

 

Indeed Kevin1954. I support a club that's called Bradford City. Yes, there's a former league club also in Bradford and they're called Bradford Park Avenue. There is no team called Bradford. You wouldn't call Bristol Rovers Bristol, or Bristol City Bristol.

 

I hope you're not working in VP's marketing and PR department Johhny!

 

Avenue were officially named Bradford FC when they were formed before City.

When City assumed their identity a few years later, Avenue felt obliged to add Park Avenue in brackets.

All the time they were in the Football League they were officially listed in fixtures, tables etc as Bradford.

They are know officially Bradford (Park Avenue) AFC

Bradford City should never be referred to as another former league club, its simply wrong.

 

Actually they were called Bradford RFC and existed as a Rugby club until AFTER city were formed. Bradford (Park Avenue) Football club were not formed until 15th April 1907, some four years after Manningham RFC became Bradford City and as a direct response to seeing how football had taken off on the other side of the City.

 

Incorrect mate.

Bradford RFC were a separate club and merged with Bingley.

Bradford FC did indeed play Rugby but the club also played football in local leagues.

After seeing Bradford City established in the Football League and attracting more fans, Bradford FC decided to ditch rugby to concentrate on football and were elected to the football league in 1908

 

Yes, you are right about the title being just Bradford Football Club and Bradford RFC being the former Lidget Green outfit that merger with Bingley in the early 80's.

As a professional football (association) club they didn't exist until that meeting in April 1907 so Bradford City are the city's oldest professional association football club I misread the bit about Bradford RFC when I consulted the good book.

At that meeting there were three motions:

1. Should the Northern Union continue
2. Should the club revert to amateur Rugby
3. Should soccer be adopted in the place of Rugby

The second option won, but was over ruled by Harry Briggs in favour of option three and they applied for membership of the Football League on 31st May 1907 and were unsuccessful, almost immediately followed by an successful application to play in the Southern League, being elected to the Football League the year after.

So I agree they existed as Bradford Football Club (often referred to as the Park Avenue Club in much the same way the Simon Parker of his day referred to us as the Citizens in John Dewhirst's article) before we did but a Rugby Club and Bradford RFC are the ones that you rightly state merged into Wagon Lane.

The interesting point throughout the whole book is they are referred to simply as "Bradford" in almost every reference, which is kind of the point of the thread. It isn't clear when they adopted the (Park Avenue) suffix

Football was played at Park Avenue pre the change, as far back as 1895 but the book only refers to these games as a Bradford team and doesn't clarify if they played in a league and if they did it was amateur stuff.

It's actually quite a good read is the book, worth borrowing a copy.

 

Bantams,and i would have watched The Bulls if we'd gone tits up,look where that would have got me