Featured Article Summary #263

Valley Parade, currently called Mbanq Valley Parade for sponsorship, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire. It was built in 1886 as the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club, but in 1903 the club switched to association football and became Bradford City A.F.C., making the ground their home ever since. The stadium has also hosted other teams and youth international matches, and in 1908 architect Archibald Leitch was brought in to redevelop it after Bradford City were promoted. In 1985 a fatal fire killed 56 supporters and injured many others; an investigation by Oliver Popplewell helped lead to new safety rules, and the stadium was rebuilt at a cost of £2.6 million, reopening in December 1986. Later redevelopment increased its modern capacity to 25,136, with record attendances set in 1911 and 2019. In 2026 the stadium’s name changed again due to sponsorship by Mbanq. Manningham Rugby Football Club, formed in 1876, first played at Cardigan Fields, then moved to the site that became Valley Parade in 1886–87 after buying part of the Valley Parade land and leasing the rest. The new ground opened in September 1886, grew over time, and saw events such as the 1888 death of Thomas Coyle after a barrier collapse; later, financial troubles led the club to switch from rugby league to association football and form Bradford City, which built major new terraces and raised capacity. Bradford City expanded and rebuilt Valley Parade repeatedly, including major upgrades for Division One and the introduction of floodlights, but the stadium was devastated by the 1985 fire that killed 56 people. The ground was rebuilt with new all-seater stands and further redeveloped through the 1990s and 2000s, increasing capacity to about 25,000, while ownership and sponsorship changed many times, most recently with it becoming the University of Bradford Stadium and then preparing to revert under new sponsor Mbanq. Valley Parade is split into five all-seater stands: the JCT600 Stand, the Kop, the Midland Road Stand, the North West Corner and the TL Dallas Stand. Most are covered and two-tier, with cantilever roofs, and the Midland Road Stand overhangs the road due to the stadium being built on a hillside. The stadium holds 24,840 people and also has media seating, executive boxes, conference space, and other facilities including offices, stores, and a museum. Many stand names come from sponsorship, such as the JCT600 Stand (also known as the Sunwin Stand) and the TL Dallas Stand (also called the Bradford End). The Sunwin Stand can expand further and covers only part of the pitch side, while the area behind the Kop includes services like ticket offices and a dental surgery that started operating in 2010. Visiting supporters have mainly been housed in the TL Dallas Stand, though the club later opened it to home fans and used end blocks of the East Stand for away fans from 2008–09. On 11 May 1985, 11,076 people attended Bradford City’s last home match of the season against Lincoln City when a small fire started in the main stand and quickly spread along the roof. Within minutes the wooden structure burned and parts of the roof collapsed onto the crowd, while smoke blocked escape routes; 56 people died and at least 265 were injured, and the match was abandoned. An inquiry in 1986 led to new safety laws, the ground was rebuilt and reopened in December 1986, and money was raised for victims through a disaster appeal, with memorials and annual remembrance events held since. Valley Parade was used not only for Football League matches but also for many other representative and international games. After hosting its first international match in 1903, it later staged events such as England trial and youth fixtures, including under-18 and under-21 internationals, as well as women’s internationals and a European Championship qualifying match. The ground has also hosted other sports and teams, including Bradford (Park Avenue) football friendlies and matches, plus rugby league fixtures, when Bradford Northern (later the Bradford Bulls) played there during periods in the 1920–1930s and again in the early 2000s.