Bradford (Park Avenue) A.F.C.
Phoenix club from Bradford, playing in the Northern Premier League.
Bradford (Park Avenue) Association Football Club, often called BPAFC, is a football team from Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the Northern Premier League Division One East, which is the eighth level of English football. Their name comes from their old ground, Park Avenue, chosen to tell them apart from local rivals Bradford City.
The original club started in 1863, playing rugby. It won the Yorkshire Cup in 1884 and was a founder member of the breakaway Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895. That side finished second in the 1897–98 Challenge Cup, won the league in 1903–04, and took the Challenge Cup in 1905–06. In 1907, a slim majority of members voted to switch to association football, staying at Park Avenue. Those who disagreed left to form Bradford Northern, a rugby league club that took over Bradford FC’s spot in the Northern Union.
The association football side joined the Southern League in 1907, even though they were based in the north, and entered the Football League’s Second Division the next year. They finished second in 1913–14 to win promotion to the First Division, where they reached their best-ever league finish of ninth in 1914–15. That season, player Donald Bell, later awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery on the Somme in 1916, appeared in four games before being killed in action. After the First World War, the club slid: relegated to the Second Division in 1921, then to the Third Division North in 1922. They won the Third Division North title in 1927–28 and returned to the Second Division, staying there until 1950. Following a league reorganisation in 1958, they were placed in the Fourth Division, won promotion in 1960–61, but were relegated back from the Third Division in 1963. In 1970, Cambridge United replaced them in the Football League. Bradford (Park Avenue) then played in the Northern Premier League, sold Park Avenue in 1973, and shared grounds with Bradford City. The club went into liquidation on 3 May 1974 with debts of £57,652.
Immediately after, a Sunday league side formed, playing in the old club’s colours. It started in Bradford Amateur Sunday League Division Four at Bingley Road and Hope Avenue in 1974, moved to Avenue Road and won promotion in 1975, and then rose again into the new Bradford Sunday Alliance League. Park Avenue’s stands were demolished in 1980, but the pitch and terraces stayed. The ground was
- founded
- 1907 (original association football club); 1987 (phoenix club)
- ground
- Horsfall Stadium (since 1996)
- league
- Northern Premier League Division One East
- highest_league_position
- 9th in Football League First Division (1914–15)
- notable_achievement
- FA Cup quarterfinalist in 1912–13, 1919–20, and 1945–46
Lore & Background
The original Bradford FC was formed in 1863 playing rugby football, winning the Yorkshire Cup in 1884 and becoming a founding member of the breakaway Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895. In 1907, a narrow majority of members decided to abandon the Northern Union game in favour of association football, still based at the Park Avenue ground. The minority faction left and formed Bradford Northern. Bradford FC began playing association football in 1895, alternating home Saturdays at Park Avenue with the Northern Union, but closed down at the end of the 1898–99 season due to mounting losses. The success of cross-town neighbours Manningham after switching to association football prompted the Northern Union club to abandon rugby in 1907 and apply to join the Football League. They were not accepted, instead joining the Southern League. In 1908, Bradford FC was elected to the Second Division of the Football League. The club was promoted to the First Division in 1914 after finishing second, and achieved its highest-ever league position (ninth) at the end of the 1914–15 season. After the First World War the club began a steady decline, relegated to the Second Division in 1921 and to the Third Division North in 1922. In 1928, the club were the Division 3N champions and were promoted back to the Second Division. They were relegated again in 1950, and placed in the Fourth Division after a 1958 reorganisation. Although the club won promotion to the Third Division in 1961, they were relegated back to the Fourth Division in 1963. In 1970 they were replaced in the Football League by Cambridge United. The club joined the Northern Premier League, selling Park Avenue in 1973 and sharing facilities with Bradford City. Bradford (Park Avenue) went into liquidation on 3 May 1974 with debts of £57,652 and immediately re-formed as a Sunday league club. A new club was formed to return Bradford (Park Avenue) to Saturday football for the 1988–89 season, joining the West Riding County Amateur Football League and then the Central Midlands League for 1989–90. The club moved to the North West Counties League from 1990 to 1991, and in 1995 won the North West Counties League, re-joining the Northern Premier League and a year later moving to Horsfall Stadium.
Reader's Guide
Bradford (Park Avenue) A.F.C. represents a notable example of a phoenix club in English football, rising from the liquidation of the original Bradford FC in 1974 and the subsequent reformation as a Sunday league side, before returning to Saturday football in 1988. The club's history is intertwined with the early split between rugby and association football in northern England, as the original club was a founding member of the Northern Rugby Football Union before switching codes. The club's highest achievement was reaching ninth place in the Football League First Division in 1914–15, and it reached the FA Cup quarterfinals three times. After being voted out of the Football League in 1970, the club spent decades in non-league football, eventually returning to the National League North for a ten-season spell before back-to-back relegations. The club's significance lies in its resilience and its role in Bradford's sporting heritage, maintaining the Park Avenue name and colours. The club's present home at Horsfall Stadium and its continued presence in the Northern Premier League demonstrate the enduring nature of community football clubs.
Did You Know?
- The original Bradford FC was formed in 1863 as a rugby football club and became a founding member of the breakaway Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895.
- In 1914, Donald Bell, who went on to win the Victoria Cross, played four games for the club before being killed in action in 1916.
- The club went into liquidation on 3 May 1974 with debts of £57,652 and immediately re-formed as a Sunday league club.
- The club reached the FA Cup quarterfinals three times: in 1912–13, 1919–20, and 1945–46.
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