Bradford (Park Avenue) would like to extend our sincere thanks and best wishes to Junior Lead, Gary Ratnik, who departs the club this week after over four years of dedicated service to our junior and community programmes.
A message from Gary to you all is below.
Today is my final day of employment at the club.
When I first arrived at Bradford (Park Avenue), my goal was to make a real impact — to help develop something lasting for the next generation. Looking back now, I feel a great sense of achievement, even though the work is never truly done.
Our grassroots setup has become one of the best around, and the quality within our coaches, players, and culture has grown massively. I’m proud of how far we’ve come together — both technically and in the sense of belonging that runs through the whole membership.
The Performance Centre, now known as PlayerLab, reached over 140 participants at its peak. We’ve given our players incredible experiences — facing clubs like Manchester United, Manchester City, Leeds United, Hull City, Leicester City, Bradford City, Sheffield United, and Burnley — and even taking a team to the Belfast Cup. The programme continues to evolve with first-team players now involved in weekly sessions, which is something I’m really proud to have helped put in place.
Over the past three years, I’ve also been deeply involved in running our School Holiday Camps — with this summer welcoming over 75 young players, more than 60% of whom were new to the club.
It’s been a joy to introduce and drive forward the AveyFest Presentations, bringing everyone together to celebrate the achievements of the year, alongside two brilliant Junior Volunteer Award Nights, recognising all the effort and passion in our junior ranks.
When I first started, our involvement with local schools was minimal. Now, through teamwork and dedication, that’s grown to 31 hours a week of activity across multiple schools. I’ve loved helping to build the Enrichment Programme for children with SEN, and working closely with our scholars — mentoring them as young coaches, volunteers, and ambassadors of the club.
The club has changed so much since I first walked through the door just over four years ago. Back then, we had only the Pavilion and the Clubhouse. Since then, through collective hard work, we’ve seen the addition of new stadium facilities, modular changing rooms, offices, hospitality areas, and more.
Two projects I’ll always hold close are the café — born from the idea of creating a welcoming, safe space for our members and volunteers — and the new club entrance and shop, designed to improve safety and showcase our pride. Both were made possible by the amazing volunteers and young players who gave up their time and energy to help. I’m grateful to every single one of you who believed in my ideas and wanted to make BPA a better, stronger place.
Even as I leave, I’ve been able to help create a new museum and programme shop for everyone to enjoy on matchdays — something I hope will continue to grow.
I leave tired but proud. There’s always more to do, but I hope I’ve helped lay strong foundations for others to build upon. I can’t let go completely — football is part of who I am — so I’ll be continuing as a volunteer coach for the U10s. I’m sure I’ll see many of you at future matches, maybe in the bar rather than behind the entrance desk.
Finally, I’d like to thank Thomas McStravick for giving me the opportunity, and to all the coaches, parents, and volunteers who’ve stuck with me and helped build what we have today.
Thanks for everything,
Gary Ratnik
