If you look at the statistics, then since 2001 Bradford City has been a club on the slide.  Three relegations in seven years have seen them slip from that soccer penthouse commonly known as the Premiership to the Football League basement that has been their home for the last two seasons.

Similarly, the financial accounts of the Bradford City Supporters Trust would suggest that they’re not doing that well either. An annual income that has gone from just under £45,000 in 2004 to a little over £3000 last year? Clearly they’re not up to much either.

Of course, if the previous two paragraphs are an accurate reflection of the state of affairs at Bradford City, then Martin Butler enjoys long car journeys.  The Bantams have experienced more than their fair share of trauma since their relegation from the top flight in 2001, but their tale is actually one of hope born from the depths of despair.

Like us, the collapse of ITV Digital had a devastating effect on Bradford, who first entered administration £13m in debt in May 2002. Our mutual manager Nicky Law was left with 5 professionals and 16 scholars to pick a team from, as 16 players had their contracts torn up and 39 non-playing members of staff lost their jobs.

Three months later a CVA was accepted and theme park magnate Gordon Gibb and current chairman Julian Rhodes rode in on a white charger (or possibly a pink flamingo) to save the Bantams with minutes to spare.

In the midst of the troubles, the Bradford City Supporters Trust was formed , which was fortunate as less than two years later the club was once again in real jeopardy. January saw Gibb suddenly quit as chairman, a return to administration followed a month later and a transfer embargo contributed significantly to relegation to League One in May to finish off a truly lousy start to 2004.     

At this point, there was every chance the club would not be around to play in League One. An initial £100,000 needed to be raised in six weeks to guarantee survival, but then BCST and Bradford Telegraph & Argus stepped in and the “Save Our City” appeal was launched. The paper contributed £10,000, another £7000 was raised at a BCST emergency meeting and the fundraising began in earnest.

It is often said that a football club is nothing without its fans and this would literally have been the case but for the efforts of the Bantams supporters and the people of Bradford in general. From benefit matches to sponsored maggot eating, the £100,000 was raised, but as the BCST newsletter reports,

“Then the floor fell in; the most soul-destroying thing was to be told that everything we’d done...was for nothing”.

Valley Parade had been sold a year or so earlier and the administrators gave the landlords an ultimatum. Either allow City to use the stadium rent-free for a year or the club would fold. Eventually the matter was resolved, but only after Bradford had again been minutes from oblivion. The appeal went on to raise £250,000, nearly 25% of which came from the Trust. Julian Rhodes rode back in, took over as chairman in December 2004 and settled the debts in a £900,000 deal.

But this was only the beginning of the story. Whilst another relegation followed in 2007, Bradford’s star has been gradually rising. With crisis averted again, the club set about maximising the money-making potential of Valley Parade to offset the annual rental of around £600,000. Astute financial management has been the order of the day, culminating in local businessman Mark Lawn agreeing a deal to settle the club’s remaining debts and share the chairmanship with Julian Rhodes. And of course, who hasn’t heard about their groundbreaking and award winning season ticket deals, which have resulted in average home gates of around 13,000 this season?

The Trust meanwhile shifted its emphasis, with communication and youth and community development sharing equal importance with fundraising and whilst their income and membership may not be that significant, their influence certainly is.

They meet with the club on a regular basis, have a permanent base at the stadium and have had a big say in improving the matchday experience for City fans.  They successfully raise funds for both the club’s youth system and local community projects, including the Positive Lifestyle Centre which provides classes in citizenship, active lifestyles and health for 7 to 11 year olds. A legends game jointly organised with Barnsley Trust raised around £7000 for good causes last year and they successfully gained a £5000 Co-operative Group grant for community work, including the annual community week they organise to bring the local people closer to the club. They are also lobbying Bradford council, who seem to have an egg-chasing bent, on the basis that a groundshare development of Valley Parade makes much more sense than spending £45m on the proposed Odsal Sports Village.  

So, throw away those facts and figures, because if the Bantams and BCST have been on the slide during the last four years, then they hope for a Leeds/Huddersfield win every Saturday and I’m a Scunthorpe supporter.

Rachel Branson – GTST Board Member