Odsal Stadium is a stadium situated in
OdsalOdsal is a village in the metropolitan district of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated outside the village of Wibsey. Odsal's main attraction is Odsal Stadium which is the home of the four times Super League champions the Bradford Bulls...
,
BradfordBradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
in
West YorkshireWest Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The venue is used for
rugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
and has been the home ground of
Bradford BullsBradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
/
Bradford NorthernBradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
since 1934. Due to a sponsorship deal, the stadium has also been known as the "Grattan Stadium".
After the end of the sponsorship deal in the early parts of 2011, the stadium returned to its roots, with the official name now back to being Odsal Stadium.
Odsal has also hosted many other sports, including association football,
speedwayMotorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
,
stock car racingStock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, Brazil and Argentina. Traditionally, races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately in length...
,
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
featuring the
Harlem GlobetrottersThe Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
,
wrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
,
show jumpingShow jumping, also known as "stadium jumping," "open jumping," or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes commonly are seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics...
and
kabaddiKabaddi is a South Asian team sport...
.
The first
floodlitFloodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
rugby match in the North of England was held at Odsal in 1951.
The stadium also has one of the largest attendances of all time for any UK sporting event (102,569) when
HalifaxHalifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town...
played
WarringtonWarrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
on 5 May 1954.
History
The Bradford Northern club signed a ten-year deal on 20 June 1933 with Bradford Council to make land at
OdsalOdsal is a village in the metropolitan district of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated outside the village of Wibsey. Odsal's main attraction is Odsal Stadium which is the home of the four times Super League champions the Bradford Bulls...
Top into their home ground. At the time, it was a
tipA landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
; Ernest Call M.B.E., the Director of Cleansing for Bradford City Council devised a system of controlled tipping that saw 140,000 cart loads of household waste removed from the banking at Odsal. To be able to turf the
pitchThe rugby league playing field, also referred to as a pitch or paddock, is the playing surface for the sport of rugby league football and is surfaced exclusively with grass....
, and other areas, a turf fund was put into place, the
fund raisedFundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
a total of £900 to cover the work. A stand was erected at the cost of £2,000, which was paid by the
Rugby Football LeagueThe Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
. The clubhouse and dressing rooms were officially opened before a
matchA game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
against Hull on 2 February 1935. During the Second World War the lower floor of the clubhouse was also used as an
Air Raid PrecautionsAir Raid Precautions was an organisation in the United Kingdom set up as an aid in the prelude to the Second World War dedicated to the protection of civilians from the danger of air-raids. It was created in 1924 as a response to the fears about the growing threat from the development of bomber...
centre, and one of the dressing rooms was the map room.
Odsal is famous for at one time holding the
world recordA world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
for the largest
rugby footballRugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
crowd of 102,569 at the replay of the 1953–54
Challenge CupThe Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final between
WarringtonWarrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
and
HalifaxHalifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town...
on 5 May 1954. However it is thought that many more attended the game, as this does not include thousands who watched the game from outside the stadium. The official record attendance of 102,569 for a rugby league fixture stood for roughly 45 years before being broken in 1999 following the opening of Stadium Australia.
Odsal was the venue for the
de factoDe facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
final of the
1960 Rugby League World CupThe 1960 Rugby League World Cup was the third staging of the tournament and the first Rugby league World Cup to be held in Great Britain. The same format as used in 1957 was used, with a group stage leading to a final table....
.
The ground's
clubhouseClubhouse is an American drama television series starring Jeremy Sumpter, Dean Cain, Christopher Lloyd, Mare Winningham and Kirsten Storms. The theme song is "Our Lives" by The Calling....
had to be re-furbished when it was condemned in the mid-1980s. The social facilities were also upgraded at the same time. Following the Valley Parade fire disaster of 1985, Odsal Stadium played host to
Bradford CityBradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
's Division Two home games until December 1986. Odsal Stadium also held a modern day attendance record for almost six years.
On 3 September 1999, a then
Super LeagueSuper League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
record crowd of 24,020 saw
BradfordBradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
defeat
LeedsLeeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
by 19 points to 18. On 25 March 2005,
WiganWigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
set a new Super League record crowd when 25,004 supporters watched a huge local derby against St Helens RLFC.
BradfordBradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
moved away from Odsal in 2001 for two years, in order that a major redevelopment of the ground could take place. This involved raising the level of the pitch, rotating it 90 degrees, and adding a retail/hotel/leisure complex on the side. Planning had started in 1996 with the failed
Bradford Superdome, project which was cancelled shortly before the latest "super stadium" proposal. Bradford moved from Odsal Stadium to Bradford City's home ground
Valley ParadeValley Parade, also known as the Coral Windows Stadium through sponsorship rights, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1886, and was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they changed code from rugby football to association...
for the planned
time scaleA time scale specifies divisions of time.*Time standard, a specification of either the rate at which time passes, or points in time, or both*Duration , a quantity of time...
of the
constructionIn the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
work; however, due to planning issues and the government's intervention, the redevelopment of the stadium was not completed. Bradford's management were still aware of the necessity to create hospitality, conference and banqueting facilities to enable the stadium, and club to compete with the likes of
Wigan'sWigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
DW Stadium,
Leeds'sLeeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
Headingley Carnegie Stadium and
Huddersfield's Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....
Galpharm StadiumThe Galpharm Stadium, formerly the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, is a multi-use sports in Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. Since 1994, it has been the home ground of Huddersfield Town and Super League side, Huddersfield Giants.-The Stadium:...
. It was therefore decided that the existing 'Pits' area of the stadium, used previously for the now defunct speedway club, would be developed into a two-tier structure housing the club's corporate operations. The construction of the corporate facility began in November 2002 and was completed in time for Bradford's biggest game of
Super League VIIITetley's Super League VIII was the official name for the year 2003's Super League championship season, the 110th season of top-level professional rugby league held in Britain, and the eighth championship run by Super League....
against
LeedsLeeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
on 26 April 2003. The facility includes executive boxes, a restaurant, bar, players' lounge, media facility, directors' lounge and scoreboard and the imposing structure completes the unique natural bowl of the stadium. In December 2003, Bradford announced an agreement with regional window and conservatory company Coral, which saw the facility renamed as the Coral Stand.
The first match played following the return of rugby league to Odsal was against
YorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
rivals
Wakefield TrinityWakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...
on Sunday, 9 March 2003, which attracted an attendance of 20,283. Bradford won the game 22–10. During the two years at Valley Parade, and they agreed to take controlling interests of the stadium back from
Bradford CouncilThe City of Bradford is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Bradford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Keighley, Shipley, Bingley, Ilkley, Haworth, Silsden and...
.
With redevelopment plans failing to get off the ground, Bradford decided to go ahead with improvements to the main stand and the construction of a new stand which consisted of corporate facilities and media facilities. Further improvements are being planned with an option of building a roof over the uncovered areas of the terracing. The official name of the stadium was changed from Odsal to Grattan Stadium on 20 June 2006, by selling the naming rights to
Grattan-People:* C. Hartley Grattan , American economic analyst and historian* Harry Grattan , British stage actor, singer, dancer and writer* Henry Grattan , Irish politician* Henry Grattan , Irish politician...
they would receive £500,000 in a four year deal. This ended rumours regarding a permanent return to
Bradford CityBradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
's
Valley ParadeValley Parade, also known as the Coral Windows Stadium through sponsorship rights, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1886, and was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they changed code from rugby football to association...
.
On 12 July 2006, the stadium played host to an attempt to break the world record for the largest
hakaHaka is a traditional ancestral war cry, dance or challenge from the Māori people of New Zealand. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment...
; although 1,700 people took part, the record was not broken.
Speedway
Odsal Stadium was also home to
Motorcycle speedwayMotorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
in Bradford from 1945 until 1997. The first meeting took place on 23 June 1945 when a crowd of 20,000 attended to witness the new track being opened by Lord Mayor, Alderman Cecil Barnett. The first home team at Odsal were the
Odsal BoomerangsOdsal Boomerangs were a motorcycle speedway team based at Odsal in Bradford from 1945 to 1949. The team later become the Odsal Tudors. -History:...
who rode from 1949–1949. The team joined the
National LeagueThe National League was the top division of Speedway in the United Kingdom from 1932 until 1965 when it became known as the British League. Prior to 1932 there were only small regional leagues competing within the sport in the UK. The National League was re-incarnated in 1975 as the second division...
in 1946 (NL competition had been in place since
1932The National League was formed in 1932 combining teams from the Northern League and Southern League.In the first half of the season, the teams competed for the National Association Trophy in a league format won by Stamford Bridge Pensioners...
but had been suspended during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
). The Boomerangs changed their name to the
Odsal TudorsThe Odsal Tudors were a motorcycle speedway team based at Odsal in Bradford from 1950 to 1956.-History:At the end of July 1950 the Odsal Tudors replaced the Odsal Boomerangs. At the time it was said that the name change was due to the riders hating the Boomerang nickname, or maybe they believed...
in 1950, a name which lasted until 1957 when the Odsal name was dropped and the team was re-named the Bradford Tudors.
In 1960 the Tudors again had a name change when they became the
Bradford PanthersThe Bradford Panthers were a motorcycle speedway team based at Odsal in Bradford from 1960 to 1969.-Odsal:In 1960 the Bradford Tudors renamed themselves the Bradford Panthers. They had one disastrous season at Odsal before leaving for Greenfield Stadium at Dudley Hill...
. After a disastrous season in the
1960 Provincial Speedway LeagueThe 1960 Provincial Speedway League was the first season of the Provincial League, ten motorcycle speedway teams took part. The league was dominated by Rayleigh, Poole and Bristol. Rayleigh and Poole finished on the same points, but Rayleigh triumphed with a superior amount of race points scored...
where the Panthers finished last with only one win from 18 matches, the team moved from Odsal to the Greenfield Stadium and after the Panthers folded in 1962, top line speedway would not return to Bradford or Odsal until 1970.
In 1970 promoters Les Whaley, Mike Parker and Bill Bridgett moved the
British League Division TwoThe British League Division Two was created in 1968 and was the second tier of speedway racing in the United Kingdom up until 1975, and then from 1991 to 1995. After the formation of the British League in 1965, riders wanting to break into teams found it more difficult to do so...
side the
Nelson AdmiralsThe Nelson Admirals were a motorcycle speedway team who operated from Seedhill Stadium, Nelson from 1967 to 1970. There were founder members of British League Division Two in 1968 and finished runners-up in its inaugural season...
across the
PenninesThe Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
for the final eleven league meetings of the
1970 seasonThe 1970 British Speedway League Division Two was the third season of second tier motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. The league expanded from 16 to 17 teams in its third season. Plymouth Devils dropped out but Workington Comets and Peterborough Panthers were new entrants.Various sides relocated...
. The Bradford speedway team was also named Bradford Northern. Northern raced at Odsal from 1970 until 1974, after which the team went through another name change, becoming the
Bradford BaronsBradford Barons were a motorcycle speedway team based at Odsal in Bradford from 1974 to 1975.-History:1974 saw yet another name change with Bradford Barons replacing Bradford Northern as Alan Knapkin began his first full season in charge...
for 1974 and 1975. Crowds continued to decline; following the 1975 season, the Barons folded, with British League Speedway not being held at Odsal Stadium for another ten years.
British League speedway returned to Odsal in 1986 for the first time since 1975 when the
Halifax DukesThe Halifax Dukes were a Speedway team which operated from 1949-1951 and again from 1965 until their closure in 1985 at The Shay Stadium in Halifax...
moved from
The ShayThe Shay is a multi-use sports stadium in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England near Shaw Hill. FC Halifax Town and Halifax both play their home games at the Shay....
in
HalifaxHalifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
to Odsal Stadium and became the
Bradford DukesThe Bradford Dukes were a British motorcycle speedway team which operated from the Odsal Stadium in Bradford from 1986 until their closure in 1997.-History:...
. The Dukes would ride at Odsal until 1997 when despite winning the
1997 Elite League ChampionshipThe Elite League is the top division of Speedway in the United Kingdom and governed by the Speedway Control Board , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association .-Season summary:...
, the team folded. Speedway has never returned to Odsal Stadium and with the new Coral Stand stand on the track where turns 3 and 4 were, its is highly unlikely that speedway will ever make a comeback at Odsal stadium.
In 1985 The Stadium was chosen by the
Fédération Internationale de MotocyclismeThe Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the governing body of motorcycle racing. It represents 103 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions....
to host the
1985 Speedway World FinalThe 1985 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*August 31, 1985 Bradford, Odsal Stadium...
; the first time that the Final was held in
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
at a venue other than
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Wembley Stadium. A crowd of around 30,000 attended the 1985 Final, which was won by defending champion
Erik GundersenErik Gundersen was a speedway rider in the late 1970s and 1980s. Gundersen was the Speedway World Championship on three occasions, a two time Long Track World Champion and a seven time World Team Cup winner with Denmark.-Career:Gundersen rode for the Cradley Heath Heathens from 1979 until 1989...
of
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
from fellow Dane
Hans NielsenHans Hollen Nielsen - a prominent speedway rider active from the 1970s to the late 1990s; a former World Champion....
and surprise third placing
Sam ErmolenkoGuy Allen 'Sudden Sam' Ermolenko is a former Speedway rider. In 1993 he won the Speedway World Championship in Pocking, Germany. He is the older brother of Charles 'Dukie' Ermolenko who also rode in the UK....
of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. All three riders finished the meeting on 13 points and were forced into a run-off to decide the podium placings.
Odsal Stadium was also chosen to host the third and final Round for the
1986 Speedway World Team Cup won by
DenmarkDenmark are one of the major teams in international speedway. They are managed by former rider Jan Stæchmann and the current captain is Peterborough Panthers' Hans Andersen...
who were led by twice World Champion Gunderson and
1986 ChampionThe 1986 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*August 30, 1986 Chorzów, Silesian Stadium...
Neilsen as well as 1986 Individual runner-up
Jan O. PedersenJan Osvald Pedersen is a former Speedway rider who became Speedway World Champion in 1991 after finishing runner-up in 1986 and in third place in 1988 behind fellow Danes Erik Gundersen and Hans Nielsen...
. The Danes easily defeated the
United StatesThe United States national speedway team are an international speedway team from the United States who compete in the annual major international speedway competition, the Speedway World Cup. They are managed by David Joiner and the current captain is 1997 World Champion Greg Hancock...
, host nation England and
SwedenSweden are one of the major teams in international speedway. They have been managed by Mats Olsson, who is currently in his 2nd spell, since 2005 after he quit in 2000...
.
Bradford also hosted the
1989 Speedway World Team Cup-Group D - Venue : Shumen, Bulgaria and Sandes, Holland:Norway to Group C.-Group C - Venue : Lonigo, Italy and Wiener Neustadt, Austria:Italy to Group B.-Group B - Venue : Nyiregyhaza, Hungary and Rzeszów, Poland:Australia to Group A....
Final where
Great BritainThe Great Britain national speedway team are one of the major teams in international speedway. The team is managed by Poole Pirates manager Neil Middleditch and the captain is Chris Harris of the Belle Vue Aces....
dominated the meeting with
Jeremy DoncasterJeremy Doncaster is a former international motorcycle speedway rider who won the World Team Cup in 1989, top scoring for Great Britain with 13 points. He also finished in third place in the 1989 World Final...
,
Kelvin TatumKelvin Martin Tatum MBE is a former British international motorcycle speedway and Grasstrack rider.-Career:...
,
Paul ThorpPaul Thorp is a motorcycle speedway rider won the World Team Cup with England in 1989.-World final appearances:* 1991 - Göteborg, Ullevi - 6th - 10pts-References:...
and
Simon WiggSimon Wigg was a speedway, grasstrack and Longtrack rider who finished runner-up in the Speedway World Championship in 1989....
easily defeating Denmark, Sweden and the USA in a single meeting Final. The World Cup Final also saw the end of the career of three time World Champion Erik Gunderson of Denmark. In his first race of the meeting, his motorcycle locked up on the first bend and he was knocked off by the rider behind. As he lay on the race track he was hit in the head by another rider's rear wheel. After the accident he was not expected to live and he remained in coma for a period of time but he eventually regained consciousness. Gundersen had to learn to walk again and raised a large amount of money for the
Bradford Royal InfirmaryBradford Royal infirmary is a large teaching hospital in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, and is operated by Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS trust. The infirmary is affiliated with Leeds School of Medicine....
which saved his life and he later became manager of the Danish Speedway Team.
Odsal was the last British venue to host the Individual World Final when it was chosen to host the
1990 World FinalThe 1990 Individual Speedway World Championship.-Continental Final:*August 12, 1990 Norden, Motodrom Halbemond-North American Final:*June 2, 1990 Long Beach, Veterans Memorial Stadium-Scandinavian Final:*June 9, 1990 Linköping, Motorstadium...
held on 1 September 1990. The Final was won by Sweden's
Per JonssonPer Jonsson is a former speedway rider who won the Speedway World Championship in 1990, and finished runner-up in 1992.In 1985, his second season with the Reading Racers, the team won six major trophies...
from
Shawn MoranShawn Moran is a retired former professional speedway rider who was one of the most popular and talented riders ever to race for Sheffield Tigers who also represented USA....
of the USA and
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's
Todd WiltshireTodd Wiltshire is a retired Australian motorcycle speedway rider who competed at the highest level of the sport, finishing a career best third in the 1990 Individual Speedway World Championship at the Odsal Stadium in Bradford, England.-Australia:Todd Wiltshire started racing in 1979 at the Lake...
(Moran was later stripped of his second place when it was revealed he failed a drugs test at the 1990 Overseas Final). In a repeat of the 1985 Final, Jonsson and Moran both finished on 13 points and like 1985, a run-off was needed to decide the top two placings with Jonsson defeating Moran to become the first Swede to win the championship since
Anders MichanekAnders Michanek is a Speedway rider. In 1974 he won the Speedway World Championship in his Swedish homeland with a maximum score of 15 points. He also won the World Pairs Championship with the late Tommy Jansson in 1973 and 1975 and with Sören Sjösten in 1974.Michanek had a very successful career...
in
1974The 1974 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*September 6, 1974 Göteborg, Ullevi...
.
Odsal Stadium was home at different times to some notable British speedway riders. Riders such as
1992 World ChampionThe 1992 Individual Speedway World Championship.-World final:*August 29, 1992 Wrocław, Olympic Stadium...
Gary HavelockRobert Gary Havelock is a speedway rider who currently captains the Redcar Bears in the British Premier League...
(a Bradford rider at the time),
2000 World ChampionThe 2000 Speedway Grand Prix season was the sixth season in the Speedway Grand Prix era and was used to determine the Speedway World Champion.- Event format :The system first used in 1998 continued to be adopted with 24 riders, divided into two classes...
Mark LoramMark Roysten Gregory Loram is a former British motorcycle speedway rider who started his career with the Hackney Kestrels in 1987. He is a former World Speedway Champion. In March 2007 Loram broke his thigh and dislocated his arm whilst riding in the opening fixture of the British Elite League...
, 5 times World Longtrack Champion and twice
British ChampionThe British Speedway Championship is an annual motorcycle speedway competition open to British national speedway riders. The winner of the event becomes the British Speedway Champion. It has been open in the past to riders from British dominions and was dominated in its early years by riders from...
, the late Simon Wigg as well as 3 time World Longtrack champ Kelvin Tatum, 1984 and 1985 British Champ
Kenny CarterKenneth 'Kenny' Malcolm Carter , was a world class speedway rider. He rode for Newcastle Diamonds , Halifax Dukes and Bradford Dukes ....
,
1993 Under-21 World Champion-World final:*August 13, 1993 Pardubice...
Joe ScreenJoseph 'Joe' Screen , is a British international speedway rider who rides for the Glasgow Tigers in the British Premier League. In 2011 While pairing with James Grieves he won the Premier league Pairs For the Tigers...
and former England rider of the 1960s and 70s ho went on to manage the English team,
Nigel BoocockNigel Boocock is a former speedway rider who appeared in eight Speedway World Championship finals and was a reserve in one other .-Career:...
, all called Odsal home at times during their careers.
Renovation
Ever since Odsal Stadium was developed in the 1934 it took 23 years till the Bradford Council Engineer Ernest Wardley drew up a plan in September 1951 for a 92,000 capacity ‘European’ style stadium, at a cost of £250,000. In the event £50,000 was spent on terracing the Rooley Avenue end in 1964, before the Wardley plan was officially dropped the following year. Arguably, the Wardley plan was the biggest missed opportunity of Bradford’s sporting history.
But still the dreams of a ‘Wembley of the North’ persisted. Two decades on the Council convened talks with Northern, City and Avenue. On 21 October 1971 the Telegraph & Argus pondered ‘could Odsal be developed as a new multi-sport complex, catering for both soccer and rugby league?’ Alderman Newby, the instigator of the talks, said the likely £1 million cost "would have to come from somewhere else, such as bringing in a development company".
Hackney and Hendon Greyhounds Plc proposed a 22,000 all-seater stadium, swimming pool, cinema and ancillary sports facilities. A condition of the scheme would be a new home for Northern at Park Avenue. The company was prepared to invest £3 million, provided the Council contributed £1 million.
Not surprisingly the scheme attracted huge controversy, which was fuelled further when City chairman, Stafford Heginbotham, discussed on YTVs ‘Calendar’ programme the possibility of City moving to Odsal.
On 2 January 1973, Alderman John Senior said the Council were not prepared to accept the scheme, unless the terms were improved. However, he was confident that Odsal "isn’t going to stop a hole in the ground forever". By April the deal had collapsed, negotiations broke down when Hackney & Hendon Greyhounds wanted the Council to pay £3 million towards the development.
In the early 1980s Odsal was refurbished in order to stage the World Speedway Final of 1985. On 31 August of that year 37,000 fans enjoyed the new, albeit basic, facilities, to witness a thrilling Final.
Of course, a few months earlier Valley Parade had been devastated by the terrible fire that caused the deaths of 56 fans. Although City played a handful of games at Leeds Road, Huddersfield and Elland Road, Leeds, Odsal was the obvious venue for the Bantams whilst the future of Valley Parade was decided. On 23 September 1985, a Football League delegation visited Odsal to view the stadium in order to pass it fit to host City’s home games. Segregation fences were erected on the old Main Stand side and 1,000 uncovered seats were bolted onto the terracing – it was planned to install 7,000 in the future.
The momentum seemed to be with Odsal, perhaps sensing that this was the big chance to finally realise the ‘Wembley of the North’ dream, plans of a £15 million development were unveiled on 5 November 1985. The master plan was for two new 14,000 capacity cantelever stands, terracing behind each end and a 61,000 capacity by 1990. It was envisaged that Rugby League Challenge Cup Finals and FA Cup semi-finals would be staged at the new stadium.
Meanwhile a further £1 million was spent to conform with new safety standards – bringing the total spent on Odsal to £3.5 million. New boundary walls, turnstiles, exit gates, a bus layby in Rooley Avenue and access road were added.
In 2001 the Bradford Bulls vacated Odsal to make way for a huge development.
Odsal Sporting Village
BradfordBradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
lodged a planning application to further improve Odsal Stadium and turn the stadium and the adjacent land into a sporting village. The plans include:
- 18,000 all-seater stadium
An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most soccer and American football stadiums in the United States and Canada are all-seaters, as are most baseball...
. New club offices and club shop will be built at the Rooley Avenue end within a complex that will also include a small hotel and gymnasium.
- Additional car parking for over 1,500 vehicles on the landfill site adjacent to and to the south of the stadium.
- New indoor community sports facility on the adjacent NHS land will also provide a new access road from Rooley Avenue to this facility and to the car parking and other sporting facilities to the south.
The Phase 1 redevelopments stadium have been completed with the Coral Stand been built and renovation of the Tetley's Stand and other there is an announcement due in August 2008 with regard to Phase 2 redevelopments.
Renovation set back
Bradford have been dealt a blow with the news that funding set aside for their re-development of Odsal has been redirected.
Amidst several cuts, Bradford Council have decided that the £15 million of council money that had been ring-fenced for the Odsal Sports Village Project will now go elsewhere.
Bulls chairman
Peter Hood-References:...
said: "We completely understand why Bradford Council, like local authorities up and down the country, has had to take the decisions they have with their cash as they strive to meet the coalition government's demands.
"The Odsal Sports Village has always been, and remains, a council-led scheme that is as much about education, social cohesion and health and well-being as it is about sport.
"The Club will continue to progress the sports village with senior figures from Bradford Council and our other partners in the sports village project. At the same time, we will also continue to explore and develop other options."
Despite the setback, Bradford are unlikely to be under threat when the Super League licensing process is revisited later this year for the 2012–14 period.
Pitch
The pitch as Odsal has a distinctive concave contour, with the corners of the pitch behind the try-line noticeably sloping up towards the stands. This was due to the stadium being used to host speedway events and so the corners of the pitch we removable to allow full use of the track. With the end of speedway at Odsal, the upturned corners are no longer as pronounced as they once were.
Average attendances since 1996
- 1996 – 10,346
- 1997 – 15,159
- 1998 – 13,022
- 1999 – 13,212
- 2000 – 14,520
- 2001 – under redevelopment
- 2002 – under redevelopment
- 2003 – 14,939
- 2004 – 13,495
- 2005 – 12,786
- 2006 – 11,406
- 2007 – 12,084
- 2008 – 10,435
- 2009 – 9,676
- 2010 – 8,891
- 2011 – 13,351
Overall Home Advantages 1996–2000, 2003–present
| Team |
Pld |
W |
D |
L |
PF |
PA |
PD |
Pts |
style="text-align:left;"| Bradford BullsBradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
|
187 |
130 |
5 |
52 |
5979 |
3678 |
2301
268 |
Records
Odsal record
- 102,569, Halifax
Halifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town...
vs. WarringtonWarrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
, 5 May 1954
Bradford Super League record
- 24,020 Bradford
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
vs. LeedsLeeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
, 3 September 1999
Challenge Cup record
External links