Bradford Park Avenue

here....

 

Fascinating. And scary at the same time.

 

Remember going to watch Yorkshire playing cricket at Bradford as a kid and peering through one of the stands to see the decaying football stadium next door. That would have been about 1978 ish, so not that long after they had folded. I assume the old ground will have long since been flattened.
Edit…just read it was actually demolished in 1980 so not long after that.

 

It's a shame about the mock Tudor grand stand beautiful looking stand.

 

Archibald Leitch

 

My family were all BPA. My Dad was one of the rare ones that shifted his affections to City after BPA folded, although I do remember being taken to a few Northern Premier games where there were still 3k crowds.
Like @onemickybutler I was a Yorkshire regular at PA in the late 70s and we used to sneak through and play on the overgrown pitch at lunch.
In the early 70s my Dads Saturday team got through to the final of a cup comp and played there; I was Mascot and got my pic in the paper with the trophy.
I played on the pitch in the 80s for my weekend team but the stands were long gone.
An indoor cricket centre was built on part of the pitch, though the turf from the Horton end still remains. As do the turnstiles (filled in) and walls on the Horton end, Powell Avenue, looking like a neglected shadow of our West Stand..
The ground had its own train station opposite the ground on Horton Park Ave, now the site of one of the largest Mosques in Europe.
In it's time, it was a far better ground than Valley Parade and more importantly to Bradfordians in a far better area to develop into a better modern stadium with better transport links.
It is a much missed part of my family history, and the way the club was managed into such a spectacular decline was a travesty. For their last league game, the tea lady picked the team.
There is a fantastic FB site called Park Avenue Remembered, which has superb history, tales and memories, including games with the Reds I have previously shared on here.

Bradford was an industrial city, with row after row of terrace houses, one of which I was born in, only a mile or so from BPA. What I would give to revisit the area at a time where all those houses were clean and tidy, every household knew each other, a corner shop and chip oyl at the end of every street and a hundred thousand textile workers, like my Dad, having a Saturday pint before heading up to Horton for an Avenue match.
I think that is partially what got me hooked on the Reds. Walking up through the streets to Oakwell, close knit neighbourhoods, the smell of coal fires then the joy of Oakwell. Possibly reminded me of what I should have known, closer to home. Gone, but never forgotten. UTA.

Careful what you wish for.

 

A once thriving City .......... Yorkshire playing at one side; BPA at the other. The turf at the Horton End (Park end, right side of pic) is still there, the Horton end itself is overgrown with trees, though the turnstile walls are still there. The railway lines are still visible over Horton Park Ave.

 

And now ........ :-(

 

BPA 'stadium' 2025. My Dad's old turnstile and exit gates




And Oakwell West Stand /Ponty ....... 2025. Me and my lad's old turnstile and exit gates.

 

I remember my Aunt taking me to see Tarn play Park Avenue one evening and sitting in that lovely old Leitch stand. Just like being in our West Stand.
Must have been around 1961, PA's captain was Jimmy Scoular, a little bald guy but a reight hard case

 

Am hijacking the thread, for which I apologise. This last (I hope) pic shows the walk my Dad did on a weekend from the house I was born. Row, after row of shiny rows of terraced houses. All housing families of a proud industry.
For those of you with far stronger Barnsley links than I have - treasure your route to Oakwell. One day it might just be google memories (Sorry, I've gone all nostalgic and sentimental).

 

It was quite scary, the standing bit was tiny, and all on one level and only about 8 foot high. Unless you were stood at the front, I can't understand how anybody else could see. Then the seated structured (like our West Upper) was built above your head.

 

Lovely read Andy .. thanks for sharing

 

I only went to Park Avenue once. The previous season we had been walloped 7-2 by Bradford and a promising striker got five of them. That was Kevin Hector who went on to play in the First Division with Derby County.

This time though the Reds were riding high and there was never any danger of a repeat performance. It was a good 3-1 away win and I remember the home fans chanting “Hector got five” before kick off and probably at half time as well. One of those great nights even though it was at Fourth Division level.

 

Yorkshire Traction ran coaches to Sunday League Cricket games organised by Wombwell Cricket lovers saw Yorkshire defeated by Sussex with Imran Khan and Javed Miandad Bill Athey scored around 70 for Yorkshire before falling out with Sir Geoffrey.

 

I remember us playing them in the FA Cup first round , think it was 1970 , Barry Wood Yorkshire/ Lancashire cricketer was playing for them , we won 1-0

 

Barry Wood clever 1 day bowler gutsy batsman in a fantastic Lancashire team.