Bradford Park Avenue are looking forward to welcoming ex Nottingham Forrest and Wales footballer Mark Crossley as guest speaker and comedian Lea Roberts to our upcoming Sportsman Dinner.

The sportsman dinner will be held at the Midland Hotel Bradford on Friday 1st October at 19:00.

Tickets for the evening cost £37.50 per person and include a 3 course meal, corporate tables are also available. Tickets can be purchased from Dave Stordy in the Club Shop on match day or by contacting 01274 512989 / davestordy@hotmail.co.uk

We have also secured a concessionary Bed & Breakfast rate at The Midland Hotel for the evening. These can be booked directly with the hotel, quoting that you’re attending the dinner to receive your discount!

Bradford (Park Avenue) Development Fund in association with West Bowling ARFLC will be holding their annual beer festival at the Horsfall Stadium over the weekend of 10th – 12th September.

There will be a range of 13 different beers, 2 ciders, and food available over the weekend.

Friday 10th September – 5pm-11pm (Free Entry)
West Bowling Rugby Match @ 7pm
Live music from 8pm featuring Johnny & The B’s and pie and pea supper.

Saturday 11th September – 12pm-8pm (Free Entry After 4:30pm)
BPA Vs AFC Fylde @ 3pm

Sunday 12th September – 11am -10pm (Free Entry)
Charity day involving a number of football / rugby matches between ex players, fans and guests.
There will also be stalls, games, and live music. All funds raised will be donated equally between the Horsfall Community Trust and the Marie Curie Hospice. 

Barrels are now available to sponsor at £100 per barrel. Sponsorship will include – programme publicity, 2 free tickets for a BPA home game and 4 beer tokens to be used over the weekend.

For further information or to offer any support for the event please contact Dave Stordy on 01274 512989 or davestordy@hotmail.co.uk

We shall be running another Fantasy Premier League this season.

Our Pep Guardiola for 2020-21 was Jordan Tindall with his team Melted Cheese FC and our Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was Matt Ray with Sliced Bread FC.  

Our wooden spoonist was Joseph Brown with his team Wednesday Avenue.  Fortunately for Joseph there is no relegation.  He’s going to be better than that this time round. 

Of course, you could outperform all of the above.  Prove it by signing up for the 2021-22 season now. The game starts on 13 August.

For joining instructions email keith.bonney@bpafc.com

For a flavour of what it is all about, hop over to the Development Fund page of the website.

Changes made by the football club for travelling to games has given the opportunity for running fans only coaches this season. 

By paying an upfront fee to the BPA Development Fund and becoming an Away Travel Member, you would benefit from discount on the coach price for all away trips as well as priority booking. Non-members would also be able to book any spare places, but at normal rates. 

Membership Fees for the season 2021/22 have been set at £20 Adults, £10 U18/Juniors, payable on, or before, the first booking.

Trips are to be classified as Category A, B, or C, with A being the longer distance ones.

A subsidy for the U18s has also been included when setting prices, coming out of the Development Fund’s fundraising activities, going towards any difference to Adult prices. This idea was picked up from a fan’s comments in fact. 

Category A Prices

Members            £19    U18   £12

Non-Members   £22    U18   £14

Category B Prices

Members            £16     U18   £10

Non-Members   £19     U18   £12

Category C Prices

Members            £14     U18    £9

Non-Members   £17     U18   £11

The prices are dependent on the uptake of numbers paying the upfront fee for the discounts, and total numbers booking. More going could see reduced prices. We are looking for a minimum of 31/32 each trip to maintain the prices shown.  To sign up please download and complete the below form:

The first three away league games are;

Aug 14th Kettering   Category B

Aug 28th Chorley     Category C

Sept  4th Darlington Category C

Depart times to be announced, but are to be set at arriving approx 90 minutes before kickoff, 45-60 for any evening games, leaving 30-35 minutes after finishing. Any differences to timings would be notified in advance. 

As the saying goes “Book Early!” One for the older ones amongst the Green Army ranks, as opposed to “Don’t Panic!” You just might if the coach is filling up though! 

Contacts:-

Neil Fawcett   (DF Desk, clubhouse) 07811959003. neilfbrearcliffe@hotmail.co.uk

Dave Rawling   (DF Desk, clubhouse)   

07748340041 dave.rawling@talktalk.net

DaveStordy   (Programme shop)

Any other Group member would also be happy to assist. As we are with all Development Fund matters. 

Following on from the huge success of the  pitch squares sponsorship in 2020/21 the development fund are now relaunching for season 2021/22 with a potential bonus to participants this season.

But firstly the BPA Development Fund would like to thank all sponsors for the 2020/21 season in which we managed to sell all squares.

The cost of a pitch squares for the 2021/22 season will remain at £10 a square.

However as an added incentive for this season when/if all squares are filled a monthly draw of £25 will take place until the end of the 2021/22 season.

To sign up please complete the below application form and return this to the details listed.

So let’s spread the word to fill these squares again ahead for the new season!!

UTA!!

Anyone wishing to commemorate the memory of a loved one or couple? Former fans or just family or friends even.

How about doing so by way of a good quality 6 seater picnic bench in the Fan Zone being created in front of the clubhouse, or a reel table in the new Horsfall Memorial Garden to the rear? If not, a commemorative wall plaque perhaps?

Several of each design of table are still available, and will be fitted with an engraved plaque, with an agreed choice of wording.

The wall plaques (6” x 2”) are to be displayed on a Wall of Remembrance in the Horsfall Memorial Garden and are now also available to order, again with agreed wording.

By doing so, you will also have supported the Development Fund, enabling further improvements and benefits to all fans and other users and the club itself.

The prices have been set to cover the cost of the tables and plaques, with a small donation to Bradford Park Avenue Development Fund also included. These donations will go towards future maintenance of the garden, including plants and flowers etc.

Prices:-

6 Str Picnic Table £200

Reel Table £45

Wall Plaque £25

Please email the Development Fund on bpadevtfund@gmail.com to place an order or enquire re further details. During the playing season, members can usually be found by asking in the clubhouse.

UTA!

Thank you to the 26 managers who took part in our Fantasy Premier League game for 2020-21.  We raised £155 for the Development Fund.  Most importantly, we all had fun.

As reported in January, the runaway winner of the first half of the season was Jordan Tindall with his team, Melted Cheese FC.  The runner up was Lucy Denison with Tikka Mo Salah.

We had another runaway winner in the second half of the season.  This time it was Matt Ray with his team, Sliced Bread FC.  The lesson seems to be, think food when naming your team.  The runner up was Keith Bonney with Green llama.

As well as winning the second half of the season comfortably, Matt reached the tenth round of the cup.  A remarkable achievement.

So dominant were Matt and Jordan, they finished the season more than one hundred points ahead of our third-place finisher, Lucy Denison.   The winner of the 2020-21 Bradford (Park Avenue) Development Fund Fantasy Premier League, finishing a mere four points ahead of his rival is…

Jordan Tindall with Melted Cheese FC.

Congratulations Jordan.

No prizes.  Just bragging rights.

To find out who won our manager of the month competitions head over to the Development Fund section of the website.

We shall be running another Fantasy Premier League in 2021-22.  We hope you will join us.  If you are interested, contact Keith Bonney  keith.bonney@bpafc.com

Congratulations to Jordan Tindall on winning the BPA Development Fund Fantasy Premier League for the first half of the 2020/21 season.  Jordan’s team, Melted Cheese FC, scored a magnificent 1,248 points.

In second place came Lucy Denison with her team, Tikka Mo Salah, scoring 1,170 points.

Well done to both.  What do they win?  Bragging rights and the total respect of the 24 other managers in the league.

Off we go again.  We have reset the league for the second half of the season.  All managers’ scores have been returned to nil.  If you would like to play in the second half, now is the time to join.  Follow this link.

https://fantasy.premierleague.com/leagues/auto-join/dm6m6p

The league code is dm6m6p

You have until 4.30pm on 26 January to pick your team for FPL game-week 20.  Sorry for the short notice.  Things are unpredictable at every level of football just now.

You don’t have to pay anything to take part but we ask you to please make a one-off or regular donation to the Development Fund.  The fund’s bank details are

Sort 05 06 81

Account 33569976

Reference FPL

We shall announce the winner of the second half of the season and of the season as a whole on completion of game-week 38 which is scheduled to take place on 23 May.  Also, watch out for the manager of the month announcements on the Development Fund page of the website.

With Avenue’s season suspended, what better way could there be of having football fun and keeping in touch with the BPA community?

If you have any questions or would like more information please contact Keith Bonney.  Keith’s email address is keith.bonney@bpafc.com

Despite Covid-19 keeping fans away from the Horsfall that hasn’t stopped ground improvements for when fans can safely return.

Thanks to the fantastic efforts from the Directors and supporters from West Bowling ARLFC and the support of Bradford Park Avenue volunteers, the new clubhouse memorial garden is starting to take shape. 

Through grants, donations from local businesses, donations from West Bowling and the BPA Development Fund as well as a donation in memory of long standing Avenue supporter Gilbert Fox. The memorial garden has gone from an overgrown, dark and unwelcoming place to a large open and useable space for supporters to sit and socialise (hopefully after a win on the pitch). The clubhouse also now has full disabled access directly from Cemetery Road.

There is still a bit more work to be done with leveling the space and adding new astroturf to the spot. It will then be ready to be furnished into a welcoming environment. 

All we need then is for the end of Covid-19 so supporters can enjoy using the new space.

Paddy Kenny autobiography ‘The Gloves are off’.The DF have secured 20 x signed copies of the autobiography which they hope to have on sale from Tuesday, obviously there will be some mention of Paddy’s short stay at Avenue within the book which is priced at £16.99 (the DF will make a profit from this).

Any Avenue supporters who wish to have a copy reserved are asked to contact Dave Stordy either by telephone 01274-512989 or email davestordy@hotmail.co.uk. Dave will contact you with instructions for payment and delivery.

Unfortunately due to the on-going Covid problems the annual sportsmans dinner at the Midland has again had to be pushed back, the new date is now Friday 26 March 2021, hopefully we will see us back to some normality by then to allow this event to take place.