Fixtures

England Northern Premier League 03/23 15:00 36 Bradford P A vs Worksop - View
England Northern Premier League 03/30 15:00 37 Ilkeston vs Bradford P A - View
England Northern Premier League 04/01 14:00 38 Bradford P A vs Radcliffe FC - View
England Northern Premier League 04/06 14:00 39 Bradford P A vs Basford Utd - View
England Northern Premier League 04/20 14:00 41 Bradford P A vs Gainsborough - View
England Northern Premier League 04/27 14:00 42 Matlock Town vs Bradford P A - View

Results

England Northern Premier League 03/16 15:00 35 Whitby v Bradford P A D 1-1
England Northern Premier League 03/09 15:00 20 [19] Bradford P A v Warrington Rylands [3] L 1-2
England Northern Premier League 03/02 15:00 34 Bradford P A v Stafford Rangers W 1-0
England Northern Premier League 02/24 15:00 33 [4] Marine v Bradford P A [19] L 4-0
England Northern Premier League 02/17 15:00 32 [19] Bradford P A v Ashton Utd [9] D 1-1
England Northern Premier League 02/10 15:00 31 Workington v Bradford P A W 0-2
England Northern Premier League 02/03 15:00 30 Warrington Rylands v Bradford P A W 2-3
England Northern Premier League 01/27 15:00 29 [21] Bradford P A v Lancaster City [11] L 2-3
England Northern Premier League 01/20 15:00 28 [4] Hyde Utd v Bradford P A [21] L 5-0
England Northern Premier League 01/15 19:45 12 [20] Bradford P A v Marine [6] L 1-3
England Northern Premier League 01/13 15:00 27 [20] Bradford P A v FC United of Manchester [16] L 2-4
England Northern Premier League 01/06 15:00 26 Morpeth Town v Bradford P A L 2-1

Stats

 TotalHomeAway
Matches played 48 25 23
Wins 11 7 4
Draws 14 5 9
Losses 23 13 10
Goals for 53 29 24
Goals against 80 39 41
Clean sheets 12 7 5
Failed to score 15 6 9


Bradford (Park Avenue) Association Football Club is an association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in Northern Premier League Premier Division, at the seventh tier of the English football league system. The name derived from their former home at Park Avenue, and was used to avoid confusion with Bradford derby rivals Bradford City.

The club was founded in 1907 and moved from the Southern League into the Football League the next year. They were promoted into the First Division at the end of the 1913–14 season, but suffered consecutive relegations by 1922. They won the Third Division North title in 1927–28 and remained in the Second Division until 1950. Promoted from the Fourth Division in 1960–61, the club were relegated from the Third Division in 1963. The club failed in their Football League re-election bid in 1970 and spent the next four seasons in the Northern Premier League before disbanding.

The present club is a reincarnation that was established in 1987. They moved from the Central Midlands League into the North West Counties League in 1990, gaining promotion from Division Two in 1990–91. They moved into their present home at Horsfall Stadium in 1996 having previously won the North West Counties League Division One title, and then the Northern Premier League Premier Division in 2000–01. Relegated in two successive seasons in 2006, they won the Northern Premier League First Division title in 2007–08 and gained promotion from the Premier Division via the play-offs in 2012.

History

Rugby football

The original club was formed in 1863 as the Bradford Football Club, playing rugby football, and achieved its first major success by winning the Yorkshire Cup in 1884. A member of the Rugby Football Union (RFU), Bradford FC became a founding member of the breakaway Northern Rugby Football Union (after an internal RFU dispute over broken-time payments) in 1895. Bradford were runners-up the 1897–98 Challenge Cup, won the championship in 1903–04, and won the 1905–06 Challenge Cup.[]

In 1907, what is known as "The Great Betrayal" occurred when a narrow majority of members decided to abandon the Northern Union game (later known as rugby league) in favour of association football, still based at the Park Avenue ground. The minority faction left and formed a new club within the Northern Union, Bradford Northern. Bradford Northern applied for and was granted Bradford FC's place in the 1907–08 Northern Rugby Football Union season.[]

Association football

Horsfall Stadium in 2010

Bradford FC began playing association football in 1895, alternating home Saturdays at Park Avenue with the Northern Union. The club shared the West Yorkshire League championship with Hunslet in 1895–96, also winning the Leeds Workpeople's Hospital Cup. Bradford played in the FA Amateur Cup in 1896–97, progressing to the FA Cup in 1897–98 and 1898–99. It entered the Yorkshire League in 1897–98, finishing next to last, and was banished to Birch Lane the following season, closing 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, (where it was renamed Bradford City A.F.C.), 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 (although the club was based in the north) and filling a gap left by Fulham (who joined the Football League). Their nearest opponents were Northampton Town, whose ground was 130 miles distant.

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. In 1914, Donald Bell, a man who would go on to win the Victoria Cross, played four games. At the outbreak of war, he asked to be released to serve. Rising to the rank of lieutenant, in 1916 he received the VC for conspicuous bravery on the Somme before being killed five days later.

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.[]

After several difficult seasons, 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 playing in the league club's former colours.[]

After playing at Bingley Road and Hope Avenue in 1974 in Bradford Amateur Sunday League Division Four, the club moved to Avenue Road and won promotion in 1975. The next season, they were again promoted into the newly formed Bradford Sunday Alliance League.[]

Although the stands and other buildings at Park Avenue were demolished in 1980, the playing field and terraces remained. The stadium was renovated for amateur football during the mid-1980s, and the Sunday League club played a full season there in 1987–88. However, it was forced to move out at the end of the season to accommodate an indoor cricket school on part of the pitch.[]

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, playing matches at rugby-league grounds such as McLaren Field and Mount Pleasant, Batley. The Sunday side formed in 1974 merged with the new Saturday club in 1992. In 1995, Bradford (Park Avenue) won the North West Counties League, re-joining the Northern Premier League and a year later in 1996 moving to Horsfall Stadium.[]

At the beginning of the 2004–05 season they were founding members of the Conference North, although they were relegated to the Northern Premier League at the end of the season (after finishing seventh) and to Northern Division North the following season. The club returned to the Northern Premier League as champions in the 2007–08 season.[]

The club reached the FA Cup quarterfinals in 1912–13, 1919–20 and 1945–46. Since re-forming they have reached the first round three times, in 2003–04, 2011–12 and 2012–13. Since dropping into non-league football, the club's best FA Trophy performance has been the fourth round in 1998–99. In the FA Vase, the club reached the second round in 1994–95.[]

In February 2008, chief executive Bob Blackburn unveiled plans for a 20,000-seat stadium at Phoenix Park in Thornbury, within the Leeds metropolitan district, but the site had to be sold before this was realised. In July 2008 Blackburn predicted on a supporters' forum that the club would reach the Football League within four years. In 2012, Bradford gained promotion to the Conference North by beating F.C. United of Manchester 1–0 in the playoff final.

Bradford Park Avenue Football Club, commonly known as Bradford PA, is a semi-professional soccer team based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The club was founded in 1907 and has a rich history in English football. They currently play in the National League North, which is the sixth tier of the English football league system.

The team plays their home matches at the Horsfall Stadium, which has a capacity of 3,500 spectators. The club's colors are claret and amber, and their nickname is "The Avenue."

Bradford PA has a loyal fan base and has enjoyed success in the past, winning the FA Trophy in 1911 and reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in 1911-12. The team has also had several notable players over the years, including former England international goalkeeper David James.

In recent years, Bradford PA has struggled to maintain a consistent position in the National League North, but the team remains a competitive force in the league. The club has a strong youth academy and is committed to developing young talent, which bodes well for the future of the team. Overall, Bradford PA is a proud and historic soccer club with a passionate fan base and a bright future ahead.