The origins of Bradford City lie in the emergence of sport as a pastime in Victorian society. Working class men from the tightly packed streets and terraces around the great mills nurtured the roots of Bradford City.
In the early 1870s workers were given Saturday afternoon off, allowing time for sports to be played as an escape from the rigours of work. Although football had a toehold, cricket and rugby were the most popular games.
The teams that faced each other on bare fields were similar to today's Sunday football teams. The situation was often chaotic with a variety of 'home' fields being employed. On occasions teams were difficult to raise, but from these unpromising roots, several well-organised teams emerged. Inevitably they attracted the better players, and two clubs - Manningham and Bradford - became what amounted to semi-professional sides.
Manningham Rugby Club was formed from the ashes of the Manningham Albion Club in 1880. Their home was a field in Whetley Hill, which they named Carlisle Road after the adjacent thoroughfare.
Initially, Manningham played in a black and white strip. However, on 20th September 1884 Manningham unveiled new claret and amber strip; sadly no reason was given for the adoption of the startling colours.
The last game at the Carlisle Road ground was played on 24th April 1886, the Bradford School Board had compulsorily purchased the land for the construction of Drummond Road School. Fortunately, a new ground was quickly found. Though it needed a huge amount of work, it was hacked out of a hillside in less than three months - it was named Valley Parade.
On 25th September 1886 Valley Parade saw its first action, when visitors Wakefield Trinity narrowly defeated Manningham in front of a near capacity crowd.
In 1895 Manningham were one of the leading clubs in a breakaway that led to the formation of what we know today as the Rugby League. Manningham carried away the new code's first championship in 1896. However, from there on it was downhill for the Paraders. Relegation, allied to the success of cross-town rivals Bradford, put pressure on the club's finances. Indeed, in 1903 only a successful archery competition kept the club solvent.
Continued uncertainty in the rugby world, along with the desire of the Football League to gain a presence in the West Riding, set the scene for the birth of Bradford City.

Although football had been played in Bradford for many years, it was not until January 1903 that a serious attempt was made to form a professional team in the city.
James Whyte, sub-editor of the Bradford Observer, was the prime mover. A series of meetings were held at the Market Tavern. In March the committee of the ailing Manningham Rugby Club indicated they were prepared to consider a professional football team playing at their Valley Parade ground.
The initial proposal was for football and rugby to play on alternate Saturdays.
Eighteen Football League clubs indicated their support for the Bradford bid. Sheffield United sent a team to meet a West Yorkshire XI at Valley Parade on 6th April.
Twelve players were signed on, despite the fact that there was no guarantee of a ground to play on - let alone a plaace in the Football League.
A delegation travelled to London on 25th May to apply for admission to the League. The infant club was accepted with open arms and the delegation returned to Bradford in triumph. At the Belle Vue public house they celebrated what was described as ‘the greatest football scoop ever known’. City were the only side to have joined the League without having played a single match!
The Manningham committee had by now shifted their position and were proposing abandoning rugby 'for twelve months'.
One obstacle remained the members of Manningham Rugby Club. As a democratic organisation they had the power to kill the football club at birth.
The fateful meeting was held in St Paul's Schoolroom, Manningham on 29th May. For two hours a furious debate raged. No one was deceived - this was about making an irreversible decision to completely abandon rugby in favour of - in the now famous words of Manningham President Alfred Ayrton - 'a game that would pay’.
Although a call for rugby to be retained was ‘met with great cheers’, the adoption of professional football was passed by 75 votes to 34.
Bradford City was born.

Bradford City kicked off their first game at Blundell Park, Grimsby on 1st September 1903. Not surprisingly, the infant club lost 0-2.
The following Saturday City played their first home game at Valley Parade. The Lord Mayor kicked off the match in front of a near capacity crowd. Bunting and flags bedecked the ground and even a film crew captured the day for posterity. Visitors Gainsborough Trinity spoiled the party by winning 3-1. However, the crowd had City's first goal to celebrate when Richard Guy scored with a low drive at the Kop End. According to the Bradford Daily Argus the goal was greeted with 'a shout which awoke babies on the distant hillsides of Bolton and Eccleshill'.
The following Saturday, City won 2-0 at Burton United. The Paraders finished the season in a creditable tenth position.
City quickly established themselves in the Second Division, only three years after their hasty formation. Jimmy Conlin became the club's first international when he played for England against Scotland in 1906.
By now Peter O'Rourke had been appointed as manager. He built a side which took the Second Division by storm, winning the championship in 1908 and scoring 90 goals in the process.
There was little time to celebrate the club's incredible feat of gaining top-flight status within five years of their formation. Valley Parade had to be brought up to a standard befitting their First Division status. Renowned architect Archibald Leitch oversaw the rebuilding of the ground. A new Main Stand, a greatly expanded Kop and an elegant gabled stand on the Midland Road saw Valley Parade transformed into one of the leading grounds in the country.
Inevitably, City found the going tough amongst the elite. They entered the last game of the season knowing only victory over Manchester United would be enough to ensure their survival. Valley Parade was packed, over 30,000 saw a tense and breathless match. City took the lead thanks to prolific striker Frank O'Rourke in the second half. MarkMellors
As the clock ticked down City's goal was subjected to a tremendous assault by the visitors. City grimly hung on, but minutes from time goalkeeper Mark Mellors was knocked out as he saved a fearsome drive. He was literally propped up in the goal whilst City defended the resulting corner.
City's chairman could not take the pressure and was seen pacing Valley Parade itself as the agony went on. City scrambled the corner clear and soon after relief came with the final whistle. Fans raced onto the pitch and hero of the hour Mellors was carried shoulder high from the pitch.

City's defence of the FA Cup took them past Queens Park Rangers, albeit after a replay, and Chelsea, before Bradford received its dream tie - Bradford City v Bradford Park Avenue.
It was the first real meeting of the two Bradford sides since Avenue had switched codes from rugby in 1907. The town was in ferment in the days leading up to the tie. The Yorkshire Observer printed 100,000 'favours' adorned with the colours of the two clubs.
By kick-off nearly 25,000 were crammed into the Park Avenue ground and several thousand were turned away. Fans clambered into trees and up telegraph poles in an attempt to witness the game. The town was almost devoid of men, though a fair crowd gathered in Town Hall Square, their eyes riveted to a score indicator provided by a local sports outfitters. Once again City won a Cup-tie by the margin of a single goal when Frank O'Rourke scored with a cross shot at the Horton Park End.
The quarter-final saw City play Barnsley in a series of games that gripped the entire county. In a third replay at Sheffield, City led 2-1 with a minute to go - unbelievably Barnsley scored twice in the final sixty seconds and sent City spinning out of the Cup.
In the summer of 1914 City invested heavily in attacking players to complement their defence, which was widely accepted to be the best in the country. Bradford had become one of the few towns to have two top flight teams, following Avenue's promotion in 1914. The first League derby was played at Valley Parade in October 1914 when City won a thrilling game 3-2.
The quarter-final of the FA Cup was again reached in 1915, but by that time the First World War was raging and soon after League football was suspended for the duration of hostilities.