The End of FA Cup Replays

Alan was a very knowledgeable man. He was a lecturer of Social Science at the University of Bradford and active in his union, so he had first hand experience of engaging with representatives of the employer and business. He knew how to carefully, and articulately put a position forward. In 2011 he submitted a an evidence paper to the Government's Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on the recent history of Bradford City, illustrating the strengths and weaknesses of football in the UK at the time, and still relevant today. Drawing on the Club's toughest period of modern times; from the Premier League to League Two up until 2011, it called into question the Governance Model and looked at supporter involvement and including what the German Bundesliga way of organisation has to offer for English Football. In about 2013, Alan was invited, along with a handful of select supporters, to give evidence to the government’s Expert Working Group (EWG) on football governance, which was published in 2016. Alan gave evidence on the effectiveness of the Supporters Board at Bradford City, which began life in 2012, chaired by former Manager of Operations, Dave Baldwin. Along with the case for the Supporters Board was the development of Structured Dialogue, a vehicle of fan engagement with the Club, something the Trust still has in place today. There was also the role and purpose of Supporter Liaison Officer (SLO), Supporter Director roles and Supporter Ownership shareholders rights – Fans’ reps gave evidence to all these things to the Government Expert Working Group and can be found and read up on here . All of this was a precursor to the 2021 Fan-Led Review chaired by Tracey Crouch, and the Football Governance Bill which is still going through parliament. Alan was Chair of the Trust from 2006 until 2013 and continued to volunteer on the Trust Board, always a strong advocate of the Trust having two channels of communication with the Club as a 'critical friend', through the Trust directly and via the Supporters Board. Alan was also on the 'Remembrance Panel' working group on the Supporters Board and the Trust continues to lead the way in organising the annual bucket collection, raising much needed funds for the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit (PSBRU). Alan was a close friend to those that knew him well and he was tremendously proud to represent the cause of the Supporters Trust, which is first and foremost about encouraging his much loved Club, Bradford City to give football supporter representatives a say in the running the Club. A kind and caring person, Alan, gave confidence to others and was an excellent counsel, giving guidance and direction to his team. After he stepped down as Chair, Alan became our Treasurer, but he was much more than that, he was a true ally and friend right until the end. Alan Carling Funeral Arrangements - Further Details We would like to confirm further details of the funeral arrangements. As you know, the service will be held at Oakworth Crematorium at 12:15 on Friday 17th January. The address is Wide Lane, Oakworth, BD22 ORJ. There will then follow a private burial at Morton Cemetery for family. A webcast of the service will be available for those unable to attend. Joining details will be sent in due course to those who have elected for this option. For those unable to attend who have asked about donations we will also circulate details of charities. Following the service there will be a reception at Bradford City Football Club from 2:00pm, in the 2013 Suite. The address is Valley Parade, Bradford, BD8 7DY.

Friends & Family, Thank you all for the your messages of condolence, and the lovely memories Alan many of you have shared with us. At this very difficult time your messages, conversations, offers of support and acts of kindness, solidarity and remembrance have been a real source of solace for the family. Alan’s Funeral will be held on 17th January, starting at 12:15 at Oakworth Chapel & Cemetery, Wide Lane, Oakworth, Keighley, BD22 0RJ. The funeral will be followed by a gathering with food and a chance for those that knew him to meet and remember Alan at a venue a short drive from Oakworth Cemetery that we are currently confirming. We will let you know further details as soon as we can. Alan had a rich and varied life that touched many people’s lives in many positive ways, both small and large. We want the funeral to be a time for everyone to celebrate and remember his life. Please do pass this note to friends or colleagues that you think would want to attend, but that we may have missed. There will also be a webcast of the ceremony for those not able to attend in person. If you could please also let us know by return if you or others are attending in person that would be appreciated, so we are able to keep track of numbers for the chapel space and catering. Many Thanks - Sarah, David, Iain & Jonathan

We, as Bradford City fans are being asked to participate in telling their stories of being at Valley Parade by answering online survey questions about your experiences of Supporting City at Valley Parade. You can choose which questions you want to answer and your stories / memories can be told anonymously. The questions include sharing memories of their first Bantams match, most memorable game, how they started supporting the club, family members’ memories of following the Bantams, where they sit at the University of Bradford Stadium and what it means to be a Bradford City supporter. The stories will be shared with artists who will turn them into different art forms e.g. paintings, film, poetry. The different artists interpretations of the stories will be embedded into a digital copy of the stadium that Chris Gaffney, (Professor of Archaeological Science at the University of Bradford) and his team are creating, and people will be able to explore using VR. There is an intention to embed the stories in the physical stadium that people will be able to access using a QR code when attending matches. They will be revealed during the Bradford 2025 City of Culture celebrations. The stories may also feature in a book being written to tell people about the different innovations that have been created by the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit as a result of fans donations. Any profits from the book will be go towards the future research of the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit. For further reading please go to the University of Bradford’s press release about the project

It's with great sadness that we must inform you, our members, and the Bradford City family of the loss of our long-term Supporters Trust board member, former Chair, Treasurer and friend Alan Carling who passed away on Friday 6th December 2024. We cannot do justice in a few short words to the contribution Alan made to the cause of the Trust and the wider community over several decades. We will pay our own tribute to all he has done for us and will keep our members informed of the details of Alan's funeral in due course.

After 19 out of 20 top-flight clubs raising prices over the summer, and a widespread attack on concessions for supporters at both the younger and older end of the spectrum, many of the FSA’s supporters’ groups are pushing back. Fans organized with the FSA’s Premier League Network are continuing to spread the FSA’s #StopExploitingLoyalty campaign across the weekend Premier League’s fixture lists, and they look set to continue into Christmas. Despite the cost-of-living crisis and football clubs earning ever more income from broadcast (especially in the top 2 tiers of the pyramid) and commercial income, the cost of football tickets increased at most clubs this year. A decade ago the FSA secured the £30 Premier League away cap and tens of thousands of fans benefit from that every week in the top-flight and EFL (where many clubs choose to implement their own deals – these can be reciprocal deals). Home ticket prices are a harder nut to crack as every club is allowed to set its own pricing structure. Football clubs exploit the loyalty of fans who cannot switch their ‘brand allegiance’ as customers can in other sectors, and matchday prices are higher in the Premier League than those in the Championship and especially in comparison to EFL Leagues One and Two, but it is important to keep a watchful eye at that end too. Read more about the Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign in the Premier League here and here . Motion on fans’ co-ordinated action against ticket prices hikes At the FSA’s AGM in June there was a motion passed for fans in the Premier League to co-ordinate action on the cost of football tickets, proposed by the Spirit Of Shankly. Find out more about the campaign proposals and other motions voted on at the AGM here . The New Football Governance Bill includes changes to support fans The Regulator will now explicitly require clubs to provide ‘effective engagement’ with their supporters on changes to ticket prices. This is a direct result of the FSA’s campaign activities on ticket prices. See more about how the Bill is stronger in protecting Clubs and supporting fans here . Away ticket prices & the impact of TV, 2024-25 in the EFL The FSA is monitoring away match ticket prices and how rescheduled matches for TV affect you. Let us know which away match ticket prices and rescheduled games affect you and why so we can inform our FSA EFL League One & Two Network. Email us at hello@bantamstrust.co.uk

Many thanks to everyone that attended our AGM. It is always fantastic to see people that support us making an effort to attend either in person or on Skype. Unfortunately, the numbers present did not make the meeting quorate, although it was a really good effort. To ensure that we are quorate within our rules we have to have a minimum of 20 in attendance to be able to carry out and agree the business of the meeting. To remedy this, our rules allow us to provide you with another opportunity to attend our AGM meeting with a minimum 7 days notice so that we can ratify our AGM business. The date for this meeting is Wed 11th December from 7pm at Jacobs Well near the Interchange and Hall Ings. So, if you have been perhaps thinking of attending on Skype or maybe physically then here’s your second chance! It’s great when we get the opportunity to see you. The Skype meeting details are here .

In attendance from the Club were, Ryan Sparks (RS) – Club CEO and Paula Watson (PW) – Director of Operations. Representing the Trust was, Manny Dominguez (MD) – Chair Apologies were given from Justin Brett (JB) – Vice Chair, and Matthew Pickles (MP) Bantams Supporters Trust met with the Club on Monday 18 th November. The last meeting with the Club had been the 5 th August, 3 months ago, but we hadn’t met with RS since February so this was a much-needed catch up. This meeting covered a lot of ground and we hope it got across what matters for supporters, and in the process a Trust sense of involvement in Club developments. So, without further ado lets dive into it. Season Tickets and Matchday tickets The Trust feels that it is important that season tickets and matchday tickets should continue to be affordable for all. The Clubs position is it desires the same but the club will be facing extra costs of more than £300,000 due to the new governments recent budget measures on employers. Home and away loyalty points It was raised that supporters that come in any other way than through the turnstiles, for example going through to a sponsors’ box, don’t get their loyalty points added. It was advised supporters using the boxes can email the club which matches they will be using the boxes so that they can be added by ticketing staff, or they can explain to a steward to exit to go through the turnstile to get their QR code scanned before the game. It was also expressed that even getting QR codes scanned at home or purchasing an away ticket, doesn’t automatically enable supporters see their loyalty points added straight afterwards. The Trust was advised to email the Club examples. Away ticket availability The concern was expressed that some away tickets come on sale quite late making it difficult to plan ahead. It’s not always easy because supporters are at the mercy of the away club. It was said our Club try to give at least 4 weeks notice or more about away tickets, and the Club have recently giving 48hr notice ahead of away ticket releases, with dates for purchase pending loyalty points collected, then season ticketholders and then general sale. Atmosphere end consultation It was said that there was still a lot of dissatisfaction among the regulars that sit in block B, and some say they will no longer buy their season ticket. The Club said there have been 3 key consultations with supporters. One had been on season tickets and the outcome was most would be happy with an increase. Another had been on the branding, and over 4,000 took part largely rejecting any change to the Club crest. And approximately 80% of supporters were happy with the relocation of the atmosphere end to block B out of approx. 3,000 that took part. It was also pointed out that supporters would’ve liked to be directly involved in the processes. The Club felt it was a case that fans in Block B wanted to be emailed about it. Railed seating within the ground for both home and away supporters and cost Staying with atmosphere, it was asked if there had been any thought of planning where in the stadium there would be a choice to stand for both home and away supporters – would block B be considered as the home choice for example. The response was that it had been put on the back burner for the time being as there was a more urgent need for repairs over the shop, changing rooms roof at a cost of £75,000 which has largely been completed now. Club Business Strategy (with regards to fan engagement) We looked a this with particular attention to ‘supporters after the game’ and ‘fans feeling valued’ and there a plans to carry out surveys to understand how fans feel valued, and what would make supporters feel more valued. Improving our structured dialogue and the Club promoting of work with the Trust and Supporters Board (SB) It was briefly explained that more fans would understand the value of the Trust and SB if the engagement with them was occasionally publicised on the Club website. It was felt from the Trust side, from the meeting, that the Club were more willing to commit to following up on decided action points being made. Fan Engagement Plan (FEP) We looked at this necessary requirement all EFL clubs have to commit to agreed to in the summer of this year. Supporter engagement is a means of giving fans a sense of being closer to the club. A close association encourages and strengthens loyalty. It is a term that has come to encompass everything a club does to communicate with its supporters. Clubs will be required to publish a FEP on an annual basis which will be overseen by a senior Club official. This requirement builds on the work clubs are already undertaking with supporters including hosting two meetings or fan forums each season to get their views on key issues faced by supporters and clubs. Stoke City’s FEP is the best example of a template all clubs should aim towards. The Trust picked up on the fact that the Clubs’ FEP has a quote from the SB’s Chair and dates of when they meet throughout the year and it was suggested that we have the same, a quote from the Chair and that we should aim for quarterly meetings in a year. Governance Meetings The Trust would get invites, and there we could raise ideas on diversity, community projects and sustainability. The Club said it was aiming for silver in the Equality Code of Practice. Last season the Club achieved Bronze. On sustainability the Club are concentrated on working with the EFL’s ‘Green Code’ sustainability programme. Restorative Justice and Crime Reduction It was raised about incidents at away matches against Walsall and Tranmere. Examples were given that at Tranmere, supporters were allowed to stand on the steps of the stands, and when our first goal was scored supporters toppled over each other. The Club hadn’t heard about that and it was suggested to email the Club and Tranmere Rovers. It was also raised that disabled supporters get a raw deal at many grounds where we travel to especially where there is no choice of two areas of a ground to get into. Where we only get one stand, other supporters tend to stand in front of wheelchair users, obscuring their sightlines. Asked about the appeals panel – where supporters accused of doing things they shouldn’t have been doing can appeal a decision, and have their case looked at again, availability for a Trust volunteer would be made. Transport – Getting supporters to and from matches on a week night It was explained that fans can get a day rider for £3 on a match day by using the promo code 'BANTAMSMATCH', check here , but it’s much more difficult to get home from a night match. It was asked if the Trust could contact the local authority and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to see if they have any ideas to improve this situation, and response from the Club was favourable. Football Governance Bill The FSA was at the heart of 2021’s Fan-Led Review of Football Governance which made a range of recommendations to strengthen the game’s governance – most notably the commitment to introduce an independent regulator. The Bill, which has cross-party support was stopped in its tracks under the Tories due to the snap general election, and kick started again under a Labour government. In the Trust’s view, we feel it has been strengthened to protect both football supporters and clubs. The stand out changes since the first draft of the Bill are:  New powers in the Bill include consulting fans on ticket pricing, home stadium relocations, and fan representation at clubs Parachute payments included in Regulator’s remit so it will have full oversight to tackle financial sustainability across the football pyramid Requirement to consider government foreign policy dropped to cement regulator’s full independence However, the Bill has not yet run its full course through parliament and therefore it is not law, and as such, the Clubs position is that it is committed to following the regulations as laid down by the EFL. It remains unclear how long it will take to become law. It currently has 19 amendments and it is likely there will be more tweaks to it than that before it gets over the line. What is likely to take longer is the limited period it will take for the Premier League (PL) and EFL to agree an amount of money (after years of failure to agree) that the PL redistributes before the Independent regulator would come in to choose a proposal from either or impose a figure of its own. There is a view of course that this will never happen. But one thing is true; this financial redistribution underpins the whole Bill. The disparity of wealth between the EFL clubs and PL clubs is far too great already and is still widening. EFL Sky Deal It was asked by the Trust how the Club benefits from the new Sky deal and it was said that the Club is £50,000 worse off in League Two compared with having iFollow under the previous arrangements. The Club votes with the collective generally when it comes to voting to accept new changes, it also voted in favour of the new TV deal with a view to being in League One or higher as the rewards are financially greater under the new deal. Under the previous EFL iFollow streaming service agreement, the Club benefited generating £250,000 from supporters using the service to stream home and away, live streamed matches. Club Maintenance Costs The Club said that maintenance costs on the stadium were significantly up on last year. More than £70k has been spent on the pitch and drainage, so far, with more works taking place over the coming weeks and months. Ownership It was asked if there was any developments in terms of Stefan Rupp’s intention to be involved and investment since his open letter to fans and his attendance at the fans forum last summer. It was said he had come over for the Doncaster Rovers game at home in October, and nothing has changed with regard to his commitment to the Club, and was in the UK’s for Saturday’s postponed visit of Accrington Stanley. With regards to the stadium, it was said that the Club are in a stronger position with Gordon Gibb and there will be consultation with the Trust should Gordon Gibb wish to sell in regard of the Asset of Community Value (ACV).

Our AGM is fast approaching and we welcome all members and supporters wishing to attend. The Annual General Meeting or AGM is the meeting in the year where we can discuss the achievements of the Trust. It is a forum to discuss the purpose of the Trust and how we can go forward seeking to gain more influence with the Club. With more emphasis on the need for clubs to engage with supporters due to the long awaited Football Governance Bill being in a process of becoming law, there has never been a more important time for football supporters coming together to discuss and debate how we can do this effectively and we can get more fans to be actively involved. You do not have to be a member to ask questions but only members can vote. We will be meeting at Jacobs Well in Bradford city centre, near the Interchange and situated on the left hand side before the Jacobs Well roundabout. If you are coming by care there is parking behind the Media Museum. We encourage people to arrive early as we will start at 7pm on Wednesday 27 th November. If you are unable to attend in person you can attend online via Skype. The link is here . If you would like to become an active member of the Trust you can download the nomination form here . Members have until the 20 th November to submit the form to us. You can send us the filled in form or ask for more info by contacting us via email at hello@bantamstrust.co.uk . Download our Agenda and papers for the AGM here .

The EFL and Sky Sports have confirmed all broadcast-selected Sky / EFL matches for the period up to the weekend of March 1 and 2, 2025. By November 1, selections were delivered by Sky Sports to the EFL. The League has since liaised with the respective Clubs and relevant local authorities to ensure an appropriate spread and balance of home and away fixtures, prior to announcement. From Monday 11 th November, Clubs and fans have up to four months’ notice of matches that have been moved in order to be broadcast. This continues the League’s commitment, ensuring fans will be able to plan with more certainty when making travel and hotel arrangements. The full list of broadcast selections is available at EFL.com . You can see our three selected / affected game BradfordCityAFC.com . Broadcast selections are subject to change due to fixture rearrangements in relation to international call-ups, fixture postponements and Cup ties. Already this season, fans at home have enjoyed watching their team more often on TV across all competitions, with all EFL Clubs set to feature more than 20 times on Sky Sports during the 2024/25 season. Sky Bet EFL fixtures are broadcast via either an existing Sky Sports channel or Sky Sports+, integrated into Sky TV and the Sky Sports mobile app. Sky Sports+ is available at no extra cost for subscribers of the full Sky Sports package. All televised fixtures will also be available on streaming service NOW . Selections for matches scheduled from the first weekend in March will be made on a four-week rolling basis starting from the first week of February (for example: a selection for the first weekend in April will be selected from the first weekend in March). The Football Supporters Association (FSA) are tracking the cost of away ticket prices and fixture changes due to broadcasting. If you are dissatisfied with any of the rearrangements of fixtures or prices of tickets for the moved away games this season since the start of the season and including up to March 2025 then please let us know and we can inform our FSA Network for League Two. You can email us at hello@bantamstrust.co.uk .