Rugby League at Valley Parade Valley Parade was originally a rugby ground. From its opening in 1886 to the formation of Bradford City in 1903, the ground was home to Manningham Rugby Club. They played Rugby Union until 1895, before becoming one of the founder members of what we know today as the Rugby League. Indeed, Manningham were the Rugby League’s first champions in 1896. The switch of codes to football in the summer of 1903 didn’t completely end Rugby League’s association with Valley Parade. Over the years the ground has hosted numerous games, with the most recent being the Bradford Bulls two-year ground share between 2001-02. Due to the spartan facilities, and limited capacity, at Bradford Northern’s ground, Valley Parade was hired for prestigious matches as far back as the 1920s. In February 1926 Northern’s Challenge Cup-tie against local rivals Keighley was switched to Valley Parade purely to take advantage of the grounds larger capacity. It certainly paid off as 20,973 saw the drawn tie, with 13,845 witnessing the replay four days later. Valley Parade played host to one of the sensations of Rugby League history when Northern became the first club side to beat the Australians. On 11 October 1933 Northern met the tourists at a rain sodden Valley Parade. The foul weather kept the attendance down to a mere 3,328, but those hardy souls were rewarded with a 7-5 victory. Northern’s Sherwood won the game with a dramatic last minute dropped goal. The Telegraph & Argus exclaimed ‘not for thirty years, since the days when the old Manningham club played at Valley Parade, has there been such a triumphant Rugby demonstration as when Sherwood won this game’. The Australians were so stunned that they demanded a rematch. Northern lead for much of the rematch, but three minutes from time the tourists had their revenge scoring to win 10-7.
Even after Northern’s move to Odsal in 1934 Valley Parade was utilised on two occasions in March 1937 due to the state of the Odsal pitch - though judging from the photograph Valley Parade was not much better! More recently the staging of Northern’s game against Wigan at the rebuilt Valley Parade in 1988 reopened speculation of ground sharing. A clash with the World Speedway Final brought Northern back to Valley Parade in 1990. The Rugby League even selected Valley Parade for a televised Challenge Cup-tie between Leeds and Salford in the early nineties. However, the new millennium brought the rebranded Bradford Bulls the closest yet to a permanent move to Valley Parade. For two seasons the Bulls shared Valley Parade as their Odsal home awaited yet another grand development. Almost predictably the scheme collapsed and it seemed that Odsal’s days were numbered. However, a spirited campaign by the Bulls fans pressured Bradford Council into a new agreement that took the Bulls back to their spiritual home. For the time being rugby has departed Valley Parade, but don’t discount seeing the oval ball return to revive the ghosts of Manningham sometime in the future. | ||
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