Valley Parade: A Stadium Forged by History and Resilience

Valley Parade, a name that evokes a deep sense of pride and a poignant memory for many, stands as the home of Bradford City AFC in the Manningham district of Bradford. This stadium is more than just a football ground; it's a monument to the city's rich sporting history and an enduring symbol of resilience in the face of tragedy.

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A Century of Sporting Heritage

The stadium's history stretches back to 1886, when it was built on the site of a quarry as the home of Manningham FC, the first champions of the Northern Union (rugby league). Bradford City took up residence in 1903, and since then, Valley Parade has also hosted other teams, including Bradford (Park Avenue) and Bradford Bulls RLFC, cementing its status as a central pillar of West Yorkshire's sporting community.

The stadium itself has undergone many transformations. Until 1952, it was largely unchanged from its early days, but a major structural fault in the Midland Road Stand led to its demolition. For a time, Valley Parade was a three-sided ground until the new East Stand was finally completed in 1966. The pictures from December 2022 show the modern, all-seater stadium, a far cry from its earlier iterations.

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Remembering the Tragedy of 1985

On May 11, 1985, Valley Parade was the scene of one of the worst disasters in the history of sport. A fire swept through the wooden structure of the Main Stand (now the JCT 600 Stand), a tragedy that claimed the lives of 56 people and injured 265 others. This event forever changed the stadium and the community.

In the years following the disaster, the stadium was completely rebuilt from the ground up. Today, it stands as a state-of-the-art, all-seater stadium with a capacity of 25,136, spread across five distinct stands, including the Main Stand which was rebuilt to modern safety standards. The new stadium is not just a place for sport; it is a powerful memorial to those who lost their lives, a testament to the community's strength, and a symbol of hope and renewal.

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The Main (West) Stand

The JCT 600 Stand, or the Main Stand, is the centerpiece of Valley Parade, a structure with a unique and defining presence. It's the largest stand in the stadium, with a capacity for 9,004 fans, yet it's distinctive for not stretching the full length of the pitch. Instead, the stand occupies just three-quarters of the pitch-side space, with offices filling the remaining quarter. This design gives the stand a unique visual character and creates a natural boundary between the roaring crowd and the administrative heart of the club.

In a small, open section near the offices, a patch of uncovered seating offers a different kind of matchday experience, exposed to the elements. This slight quirk in the design adds to the stand's charm, making it a truly unique feature of the iconic stadium.

The Midland Road (East) Stand

The Midland Road Stand at Bradford's Valley Parade is more than just a single tier of seating; it's a testament to the club's past and the ambition of a former era. With a capacity of 4,500, this stand is a familiar sight to fans, particularly as it's the section used to house away supporters.

Around the turn of the millennium, former chairman Geoffrey Richmond envisioned a far grander future for this part of the stadium. His ambitious plan was to add a second tier, which would have increased the East Stand's capacity to a remarkable 10,000. This project, a symbol of the club's high hopes, never came to fruition. Despite this, the stand remains a crucial part of Valley Parade's identity, a place where rival fans gather to create a vibrant atmosphere and add to the rich tapestry of the matchday experience.

The Kop

This picture perfectly captures the unique character of traditional British football stadiums. Unlike modern, out-of-town arenas, Valley Parade is deeply woven into the fabric of its community. The image shows the Kop Stand rising dramatically over the terraced houses of Rear Rock Terrace, a powerful reminder that the stadium is part of the neighbourhood, not separate from it.

The stadium’s distinctive, asymmetrical shape is a result of this close relationship. Local folklore says the odd angle of the main stand is a direct consequence of the "right to light" laws, which prevented major development from casting a shadow over the homes to the east. This isn’t just a stadium; it’s an urban fortress, built in harmony with the houses that have stood watch over it for generations, a true symbol of football's place at the heart of the community.

The Kop Stand is more than just a place to watch a match—it’s a powerful symbol of fan passion. As the second largest stand in the stadium, with a capacity for 7,492 supporters, it's a vibrant heart of the club. What makes this Kop particularly unique is its design: unlike the traditional, single-tiered Kop stands found in many British stadiums, this one rises in a distinctive two-tiered structure, a modern twist on a classic footballing tradition.

TL Dallas (South) Stand

While the other stands at Valley Parade rise majestically, the TL Dallas South Stand holds its own with a distinct, compact character. Tucked in by Holywell Ash Lane, this two-tiered stand is the smallest in the stadium, with a capacity of 1,840. Despite its size, it’s a crucial part of the ground's atmosphere, as it traditionally houses the away fans. This unique role, combined with its intimate scale and the physical limitations on its expansion, makes the South Stand a a small but vital part of the stadium's story.

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Griffin Park, Brentford.

Not a set of football pics but a set of art works created by me of the former Griffin Park Football Stadium, Home of Brentford Football Club until 2020. 

Griffin Park opened on the 1st September 1904 with a 1-1 draw between Brentford and Plymouth Argyle, and closed after the final game between Brentford "B" and Erith Town in the London Senior Cup. The record attendance for a Brentford FC match at the ground was 38678 fora FA Cup 6th round tie against Leicester City in the February 1949, Brentford lost 2-0.

The ground has featured athletics, tennis, Gaelic Football and baseball in the early part of it's history, and was the home ground of the London Broncos Rugby League team from 2002 until 2006.

Other notes of interest about Griffin Park is the stadium being underneath the flight path of Heathrow Airport and the roof of the stands being used as giant advertising boards, and a pub being situated on each corner of the ground.

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Scottish Premiership Football Stadiums Season 2021/22

 My latest upload to YouTube is a slideshow of artworks of Scottish Premiership Football Stadiums season 2021 / 22 created by me, based on public domain images. The stadiums are featured in team alphabetical order in the video

The images below feature in the video, although below they are in stadium name order.

Almondvale Stadium opened in 1995 as the home of Livingston FC, it has
a current capacity of 9512. The record attendance was 10112 v Rangers Fc
on the 27 October 2001.

Celtic moved to their current location in 1892, the stadium has been modernised
several times and now has a capacity of 60411. The record attendance is
83500 v Rangers on the 1 January 1938.

Dens Park is the home ground of Dundee FC and opened in 1899. It is just 200yds
from the ground of city rivals Dundee United. The capacity is 11775 and the record
attendance 43024 was v Rangers on 7 February 1953.

Hibernian FC play at Easter Road, Edinburgh which has a current
capacity of 20421. The largest crowd ever was 65860 on the 2 January 1950
when they played city rivals Hearts of Midlothian. They played their first
game here in 1893.

Fir Park has been the home of Motherwell FC since 1895 and has a capacity of 13677.
The largest crowd ever was 35632 for a game against Rangers on 12 March 1952.

Rangers FC have played at Ibrox Park, changed to Ibrox Stadium in
1997, since 1899 and the current capacity is 50817. The record attendance which is
also the largest ever for a domestic football match in Britain is 118567 for a league
fixture against Old Firm Rivals Celtic on the 2 January 1939.

McDiarmid Park in Pert is the home stadium of
St Johnstone FC. The capacity is 10696 and since opening in 1989
the record attendance is 10721 v Rangers on the 26 February 1991.

Pittodrie Stadium has been the home to Aberdeen FC since September 1899,
there are plans to replace the ground with a new build stadium but this has
been planned for at least 15 years. The current capacity is 20866 and the
record attendance is 45061 v Hearts of Midlothian 13 March 1954.

St Mirren Park hosted it's first game on the 31 January 2009, built to replace
the previous home of Love Street the ground has a capacity of 8023. The
record attendance is 7732 v Dundee United on the 26 May 2019. Their best
at Love Street was 47438.

Dundee United have called their home Tannadice Park since 1909 and the record
attendance is  28000 v Barcelona on the 16 November 1966. This is unlikely
to ever be beaten as the current capacity is around half that at 14223.

Tynecastle Park has a current capacity of 19852 and has been home to Hearts
of Midlothian since 1886. The record attendance is 53396 for a Scottish
Cup game against Rangers FC on the 13 February 1932.

Victoria Park opened in 1929 as the home ground of Ross County FC.
It has been the most northerly ground in senior British football since being
elected to Scottish Football League Division Three in 1994. The
current Capacity is 6541 and the record attendance was set
v Rangers in the Scottish Cup on the 28 February 1966.

I thought that because Celtic had the biggest home ground in Scotland and had massive support that they would also feature mostly in the other teams record attendances, surprisingly they were only the highest attendance once for a game against Rangers, Rangers were highest 7 times with Hearts of Midlothian featuring twice. Dundee United had the only non domestic highest for a game against Barcelona.

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ABC of Sports Trading Cards (1927)

 Ogden's A.B.C of sport is a set of trading cards released in 1927, the set featured 25 cards with the letters X and Z combined in to 1 card to complete the set. The cards feature a number of sports popular in the 120's which perhaps would not get a look in today. I combined the pictures in to a YouTube slideshow which can be seen below with each individual image shown below that with what I personally consider would be the modern alternative sport featured.

Angling.. Modern alternatives would include Athletics, Archery,
American and Aussie Rules Football.

Boxing.. Modern alternatives Basketball, Badminton,
Baseball and Base Jumping.

Cricket.. Alternatives now would include Cycling or Canoeing

Deerstalking Hunting would be frowned upon now and 
replaced by Darts, Diving, Dressage, Decathlon.

Elk (Hunting) which like deerstalking would be frowned
upon, alternatives would include Eventing or the modern 
E-Sports.

Football or Rugger as its referred to here. Football being the more
common version of "Football" now that would feature for F. Other
sports include Fencing and Figure Skating.

Golf.. Go-Karting, Gaelic Football and Gymnastics.

Hockey then and probably now but alternatives may
include Heptathlon, Hand Ball and High Jump.

Imbecile (House hunter), not sure why that's thought of as sporting, 
and until I read the the summary I thought the picture was referring
to a gambler. Proper sports would be featured here now probably
including Ice Hockey, Ironman or Ice Dancing.

Jockey, still a tough and respected sporting activity. Alternatives
for J, Javelin, Judo, and Jogging.

Kudos, sporting alternatives for modern cards include Kabaddi,
Karate and Kick Boxing.

Lacrosse, Lude is the only modern I could think of

Motorist, whilst not sporting Motor Sport is, Other alternatives could
include Mountain Biking and Miniature Golf.

Nap (Card Player), Not sure if I class cards as sporting but that's
my opinion only, Netball or Ninjitsu today.

Ounder of Otters, not sure what an ounder is, at a guess it's someone
who forcers otters out of their secure places to be hunted. Not my idea
of sport, alternative sports to feature in a modern set Open Water Swimming
and One Day Cricket which has a number of differences to Five Day Cricket
to allow it to be different. 

Pinger or Ponger is a term for Ping Pong Player. Still popular today,
alternatives for inclusion are Pigeon Racing, Pole Vault, Power Boat Racing
and Pole Dancing. 

Quoiter, refers to a player in the game of Quoits a game where the
players toss rings at a stake trying to land the ring with the stake
through the middle. Quidditch now, as much as I don't like or understand
Harry Potter people who do tell me this is now a proper sport
played by teams.

Runner, the modern sport choices would probably be Rugby League which
 I much prefer to the other code and which I put here because instead of the
other code as it's first World Cup was in 1954, a full 33 years before the alternative.

Ski-er, I'd go with any of Surfing, Sailing, Softball or Sumo
in a modern set.

Tennis is still a world wide popular sport now, Track and Field, Tug of War.
Ten Pin Bowling and Triathlon could all feature now.

Umpire, still needed and still vilified when decisions go against
the team they are not in favour of. Sporting alternatives for now
Ultimate a type of Frisbee sport, and a number of underwater
competitive sports.

Villikins, Despite googling it I have no idea what it's supposed to be.
 I'd offer up Volleyball and Vault Gymnastics for a modern set.

Wrestling would probably still occupy this card, Weightlifting,
Water Polo and Wheelchair versions of Basketball, Football
or Rugby may also feature.

X here refers to ex champions of various sports, actual sports that
could feature Xare and Xing yi Quan. I had to google those and Xare is 
popular in South America and played with a racket and ball in a
trinquete. Xing yi Quan is a Chinese martial art.

Yachting features for Y and Yo-Yo is the only alternative sport-
pastime I can think of. - - Z is for Zest, I'm guessing that's for enthusiasm
for sport in general. Google again offered some alternatives which were
Zourkhaneh a Iranian Martial art and Zui Quan which
is drunken Boxing.

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