Bradford City will have a lot of Championship clubs jealous - Here's why | OneFootball

The Bantams are once again boasting astonishing attendances for the fourth tier.

Bradford City will have plenty of Championship clubs jealous as a result of their recent attendances.

The Bantams recently drew in a crowd of over 23,000, an astonishing figure for the fourth tier of the English football pyramid, as fans flocked to Valley Parade to take advantage of discounted ticket prices.

The West Yorkshire outfit then followed that up with a crowd of over 22,000 for the game against Crewe last weekend.

The last two home games have seen the biggest crowds of Bradford’s season so far, and those numbers have certainly helped Graham Alexander’s side, with Bradford claiming all three points on both occasions.

They are drawing in numbers that several Championship clubs would love to have and the crowd are playing a big role in the team’s push for promotion.

Bradford City have League Two’s highest average attendance

Although they have spent the last six years in the EFL’s basement division, there can be no getting away from the fact that as far as the lower leagues are concerned, Bradford are a huge football club.

Former winners of the FA Cup, the Bantams are a club steeped in history and, although times have been hard in recent years, they are the sort of outfit that have all the foundations in place already to one day return to the top two tiers.

Having been a Premier League club as recently as the 2000/01 season, it’s hard to believe that Bradford are languishing in League Two, but that could be about to change.

Alexander’s men are currently sat top of the table on goal difference, but with just five points separating the division’s top six teams, they still have plenty of work to do if they want to end their six-year stay at the foot of the EFL.

Much of their success this season has been built upon their incredible home record. They have taken 51 points from just 21 games on home turf so far this term, with Doncaster and Tranmere the only sides to have left Valley Parade with three points.

That record outlines them as the division’s strongest home side, and by some distance.

A large part of that home record can be attributed to the crowds that they draw in. With over 17,000 per game on average, Bradford crowds are the biggest in League Two; only Notts County can also boast an average above the 10,000 mark.

The atmosphere at Bradford can be raucous when the team are doing well, as they are at the minute. Such is the noise at times that a trip to Valley Parade can be a daunting one for opposition teams, and that’s certainly been the case this season.

Bradford’s crowds would make several Championship clubs jealous

While Bradford’s numbers stand out at League Two level, they wouldn’t look at all out of place as high as the Championship.

The Bantams’ average so far this season is currently higher than eight clubs in the second tier. If their recent 23,000 attendance had been replicated across the whole season, it would stand them inside the top half in terms of crowd figures in the Championship.

It’s a similar case in League One, where only Birmingham, Bolton and Huddersfield can better the numbers that Bradford are pulling in.

They are very much a sleeping giant of English football, but if they get the next few weeks right on the pitch, they could be about to take their first step on their route back up the leagues.

When star striker Andy Cook was ruled out for the season back in January, many people expected Bradford to struggle for goals and ultimately tail off. However, they have found a way to get by without Cook and are now potentially just five games away from a return to the third tier for the first time since 2019.

With a huge clash with Notts County on the horizon, and the visit of Fleetwood on the final day still to come, Bradford may need their crowd to provide them with a boost another couple of times if they are to get themselves over the line.