Bradford (Park Avenue) A.F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Bradford (Park Avenue) Association Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Green Army | ||
| Founded | 1907 | ||
| Ground | Horsfall Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 3,500 (1,800 seated) | ||
| Coordinates | 53°45′31.88″N 1°46′34.33″W / 53.7588556°N 1.7762028°W | ||
| Chairman | John Dean | ||
| Manager | Mark Bower | ||
| League | National League North | ||
| 2018–19 | National League North, 7th of 22 | ||
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Bradford (Park Avenue) Association Football Club is a football team from Bradford, England. They are often called "The Green Army." The club plays in National League North, which is the sixth level of English football. Their name comes from their old stadium, Park Avenue. This helps avoid confusion with their local rivals, Bradford City.
The club started in 1907. They joined the Football League in 1908. By 1914, they were promoted to the top league, the First Division. However, they faced tough times and were relegated twice by 1922. They won the Third Division North title in 1928. They stayed in the Second Division until 1950.
After more ups and downs, the club left the Football League in 1970. They played in the Northern Premier League for four years before the original club stopped playing.
A new version of the club was started in 1987. This new club slowly worked its way back up through different leagues. They moved to their current home, Horsfall Stadium, in 1994. They won several league titles, including the Northern Premier League Premier Division in 2000–01. In 2012, they won the play-offs to get promoted to the Conference North.
Contents
Club History: From Rugby to Football
How Bradford FC Started with Rugby
The original club began in 1863 as the Bradford Football Club. Back then, they played rugby football. They won their first big trophy, the Yorkshire Cup, in 1884. This club was one of the founding members of the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895. This new union was formed after a disagreement about paying players.
Bradford FC had success in rugby. They were runners-up in the Challenge Cup in 1898. They won the championship in 1904 and the Challenge Cup in 1906.
The Big Change to Association Football
In 1907, something big happened. Most members decided to stop playing rugby. They chose to play association football instead. This is the sport we now call soccer. They still played at the Park Avenue ground. A small group of members disagreed. They left and formed a new rugby club called Bradford Northern.
Bradford FC had actually played association football before, starting in 1895. They even shared a league championship in 1896. But they stopped playing soccer in 1899 due to financial problems.
In 1907, seeing how successful their neighbours Bradford City were after switching to soccer, the old rugby club decided to try again. They applied to join the the Football League. They weren't accepted at first. Instead, they joined the Southern Football League, even though they were in the north of England!
In 1908, Bradford FC was finally accepted into the Second Division. They were promoted to the First Division in 1914. Their best-ever league finish was ninth place in the 1914–15 season. During this time, a player named Donald Bell played for them. He later became a war hero and won the Victoria Cross before he died in World War I.
Challenges and Rebirth of the Club
After World War I, the club started to struggle. They were relegated to the Second Division in 1921. Then they went down to the Third Division North in 1922. They did win the Third Division North in 1928, getting promoted back to the Second Division. But they were relegated again in 1950. By 1958, they were in the Fourth Division. They got promoted to the Third Division in 1961 but were relegated again in 1963.
In 1970, after many difficult seasons, they lost their place in the Football League. Another club, Cambridge United, took their spot. Bradford (Park Avenue) then joined the Northern Premier League. They sold their Park Avenue ground in 1973 and shared facilities with Bradford City. The original club faced financial difficulties and stopped playing on May 3, 1974. However, a new Sunday league club quickly formed, keeping the old club's colours.
The old Park Avenue stadium was mostly torn down in 1980. But the playing field and standing areas remained. It was fixed up for amateur football in the mid-1980s. The Sunday league club played there for a season in 1987–88. But they had to move out to make way for an indoor cricket school.
A brand new club was formed in 1988 to bring Bradford (Park Avenue) back to Saturday football. They played in local leagues. In 1990, they joined the North West Counties Football League. The Sunday team from 1974 joined with this new Saturday club in 1992. In 1995, Bradford (Park Avenue) won the North West Counties League. They rejoined the Northern Premier League and moved to Horsfall Stadium.
In 2004, they were one of the founding members of the Conference North. They were relegated a couple of times but returned to the Northern Premier League as champions in 2007–08. In 2012, Bradford got promoted to the Conference North again. They beat F.C. United of Manchester 1–0 in the play-off final.
The club has had some good runs in cup competitions. They reached the FA Cup quarterfinals three times in their early history. Since the club reformed, they have reached the first round of the FA Cup three times.
Team Colours and Club Name
What Colours Does the Team Wear?
The traditional colours of Bradford (Park Avenue) were red, amber, and black. These colours came from the original Bradford rugby club. Many other sports teams in Bradford have also used these colours. This includes the Bradford & Bingley RFC and Bradford Bulls rugby league teams. It made people think these were the official sports colours of Bradford.
In 1911, Bradford changed its colours to green and white. This happened after a new manager, Tom Maley, joined. He used to play for Celtic, a famous Scottish team known for green and white. Bradford (Park Avenue) was the only club in the English First Division to wear green and white between 1914 and 1921.
The club went back to red, amber, and black in 1924. But they brought back green and white from 1958 to 1967. The reformed club has worn green and white since 1988. Sometimes, red, amber, and black appear in their away kits. For example, their 2007 centenary shirt had these colours. In the 2012–13 season, they wore a white home shirt with a red, amber, and black stripe to celebrate the original club's 150th anniversary.
Why is the Club Called "Park Avenue"?
The club's official name was simply Bradford Football Club. But in 1907, they had to add Park Avenue in brackets to their name. This was because of Bradford City, another football club in the city. Adding "Park Avenue" (the location of their original stadium) helped avoid confusion.
Even so, the club was often just called "Bradford" in old match lists and newspapers. But since they dropped out of the Football League, "Park Avenue" or "PA" is often used. This is because Bradford City is now much more well-known.
Meet the Team: Current Squad
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Who Manages the Team?
The current manager of Bradford (Park Avenue) is Mark Bower. He leads the team on the field.
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Mark Bower |
| Assistant Manager | Danny Boshell |
| First Team Coach | Ryan Toulson |
| Kit Manager | Ian Sewell |
Club Achievements and Trophies
Bradford (Park Avenue) has won several titles and achieved promotions throughout its history.
Football Achievements
- Football League Second Division (second tier)
- Second place promotion: 1913–14
- Football League Third Division North (third tier)
- Champions: 1927–28
- Football League Fourth Division (fourth tier)
- Fourth place promotion: 1960–61
- Northern Premier League Division One / Premier Division (seventh tier)
- Champions: 2000–01
- Play-offs winners: 2012
- Northern Premier League Division One North (eighth tier)
- Champions: 2007–08
- North West Counties Football League Division One (eighth tier)
- Champions: 1994–95
- North West Counties Football League Division Two (ninth tier)
- Third place promotion: 1990–91
Rugby League Achievements (Original Club)
- West Yorkshire League Championship: 1895–96
- Challenge Cup: 1905–06
- Yorkshire Cup: 1906–07
See also
- List of Bradford (Park Avenue) A.F.C. players
