Bradford City AFC to Host Inaugural Community Foundation Takeover Day

The Bantams will celebrate the work of their charitable arm, the Bradford City FC Community Foundation, with the club’s first-ever Community Takeover Day on Saturday, 23rd November.

The event, held during a home fixture at the University of Bradford Stadium, will highlight the Bradford City FC Foundation’s extensive impact across the city.

The day will feature a variety of activities aimed at showcasing the Foundation’s contributions. At half-time, a parade will see hundreds of participants, including local school pupils, competition winners, junior football players, and social outreach group members, take to the pitch in celebration of the Foundation’s achievements. Foundation CEO and former Bantams striker Ian Ormondroyd will address the crowd from the centre of the pitch.

TL Dallas Community Stand Opens

A key highlight of the day will be the capacity opening of the TL Dallas Community Stand. This dedicated, alcohol-free area will accommodate 1,500 attendees, including beneficiaries of the Foundation’s projects, programmes, and partnerships. Designed to welcome first-time fans, especially those from areas of social deprivation, the initiative is a collaboration between the Foundation, the club, and long-standing sponsor TL Dallas & Co Ltd.

Ian Ormondroyd, who has led the Foundation since 1999, expressed his excitement about the occasion:

“We are grateful to the Club for giving us the opportunity to celebrate our work, front and centre, in the unique atmosphere of a City home game. Since establishing ourselves as the official charity of the club, and seeing our organisation expand from a handful of staff to a large operation which delivers sporting and non-sporting programmes and projects across the city, we are proud to have become a key cog in the Bradford system. The Takeover Day is our chance to celebrate all we have already achieved, and to establish further connections and awareness among the City fanbase and members of the local community, as we continue to grow in size and influence.”

In the past year, the Foundation has worked with over 23,000 participants across 44 projects. Initiatives include establishing a food bank with partners like Penny Appeal and BCAFC Women and Girls, launching a dementia-friendly Friendship Café, and leading national campaigns with the Premier League and the Peer Action Collective.

Club Leadership Praises the Foundation

Bradford City AFC CEO Ryan Sparks highlighted the importance of the Foundation’s work:

“Our dedicated Community Takeover fixture at the University of Bradford Stadium will highlight the importance of the club’s impact in the local and wider communities. It aims to showcase the incredible, vital work the Foundation undertakes every single day as the official charity of Bradford City AFC. We work closely, together, to ensure we carry out our duties as key stakeholders in the city of Bradford.”

Davide Longo, the club’s Chief Commercial Officer, added:

“It’s imperative that the Club and Foundation are working in collaboration, so together we can build a thriving and inclusive community, where everyone can have opportunities to be a part of our club through the great work of the community foundation. Providing matchday opportunities such as this initiative can only benefit children and young people by enriching their lives in a positive way.”

Events on Community Takeover Day

Planned activities for the day include:

• TL Dallas Community Stand Capacity Opening: Hosting 1,500 attendees involved in Foundation initiatives.
• Warm-Up Shirt Design Competition: Players will wear shirts designed by a local school pupil, chosen from over 1,000 entries.
• Parade: Led by Foundation staff, featuring hundreds of attendees, including 200 free-ticket recipients from the winning school in the shirt competition.
• Matchday Mascots and Flagbearers: Competition winners will escort players onto the pitch and form a guard of honour.
• Social Media Challenge: Fans sharing photos of themselves at the game using the hashtag #CommunityTakeover could win prizes.
• Half-Time Speech: Ian Ormondroyd will address the crowd.