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Bradford City FC was founded in 1903 by members of the Manningham Rugby Club.

Elected to the Football League

The members applied for admission to the Football League and were accepted before the club had played a single game - a distinction they share with Chelsea.

Early Successes

The new club made a solid start in Division Two, finishing as champions in 1908 and gaining promotion to Division One.

Three years later City finished fifth in Division One, and won the FA Cup after beating Newcastle United 1-0 in a replay.

Decline

This period however, would prove to be their heyday as the club went into long-term decline, dropping into Division Two in 1922 and then into Division Three (North) in 1927.

They returned two years later, but by 1937 The Bantams were back in Division Three (North) where they would remain for 23 years before being relegated to Division Four in 1961.

Insolvency

In 1982, City were promoted back to Division Three but the following summer, the club went into informal insolvency and a new company, Bradford City (1983) AFC, was formed to replace the original company formed in 1908.

The Valley Parade Fire

Two years later City were promoted to Division Two, by their promotion was overshadowed by tragedy.

On 11 May 1985, the wooden main stand at Valley Parade caught fire and fifty-six fans lost their lives in the inferno.

The aftermath of the Bradford tragedy resulted in a major review of safety measures at football grounds.

Premier League Bantams

Bradford spent five seasons in Division Two before being relegated again in 1990.

But the late Nineties saw a revival as City climbed through the divisions to secure a place in the Premier League - where they remained for two seasons between 1999-2001.

Collapse

Unfortunately, their brief stay at the top precipitated another decline and, by 2007, they had fallen to the lowest tier of the Football League.

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