Brentford

A late goal by Peter Thorne earned City a 1-1 draw.

We continue our look at the public investment into Odsal Stadium by moving into the 1980s. The era of the World Speedway Final and, of course, our own term at the ground.
The 1985 World Speedway Final seemed to offer the opportunity at long last to develop Odsal’s undoubted potential. On 15 May 1984 the Telegraph & Argus reported that Odsal was set to become Britain’s national speedway home, a £1.5m transformation (financed in part by a substantial EU grant) would increase the capacity from 25,000 to 40,000 in time for the 1985 World Individual Final.
The 50-year-old Main Stand was to be demolished and replaced by open concrete terracing. Under the terracing new dressing rooms were to be built. The North Stand was to be refurbished, giving it a new roof and a 6,000 capacity. The rugby pitch was to be moved slightly to accommodate a newly laid speedway track. Crush barriers were replaced on the Rooley Avenue end. It was the most comprehensive refurbishment of the stadium for decades.
After years of prevarication, the council seemed to have finally grasped the Odsal nettle. The council took over day-to-day running of the stadium from Northern, whose staff transferred to the council’s payroll. Liaison with stock cars, and the all-important speedway, passed to the council.
Arguably, Odsal’s proudest day since the staging of the famous Challenge Cup Final in 1954, came on 31 August 1985 when 37,000 fans enjoyed the new, albeit basic, facilities, to witness the World Speedway 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.
Odsal’s first professional football match came on Tuesday 8 October, when Brighton were the visitors in a League Cup second round tie. It was hardly an auspicious start, the game was played in a torrential downpour and City lost 0-2 in front of 5,368 spectators. Fans of both City and Northern viewed City’s Odsal sojourn gloomily. The latter felt put out by the erection of segregation fences at ‘their’ ground, whilst the former were busy lobbying hard for a return to Valley Parade and the construction of a stadium as a fitting reminder to the 56 fans who had died in the fire.
The thoughts of City fans were expressed by former City Gent editor John Dewhirst, writing in When Saturday Comes.
“Our first season away from Valley Parade was one of despair. The local authority appeared reluctant to assist in the redevelopment of our home ground, and it seemed that we might have to watch our football at the inhospitable Odsal stadium.
“Followers of the Bantams were active in petitioning for the return to Valley Parade. The initial hesitation of local government to provide money alienated people who pointed to the fact that enormous amounts of money had been spent on restoring a Bradford theatre. Correspondence to the local press included the usual sermons from the law and order brigade, demanding why public money should be used to assist a private limited company.”

Of course, City eventually returned to a rebuilt Valley Parade, made possible by a grant from West Yorkshire County Council. Back at Odsal Bradford Council seemed determined to press ahead with improvements. Between 1986-90 £3.5m was spent and in 1990 the World Speedway Final returned. 26,418 saw the final, some ten thousand lower than the 1985 final. Steep prices rises were blamed with fans having to pay £35 for a seat and £17.50 on the terraces. Without doubt it priced out many locals who may have been attracted to watch the novelty of a World Final on their doorsteps.
The council signed a new agreement regarding the running of Odsal in 1986. As former Northern chairman Chris Caisley explained the rugby club would received annual payments as compensation: "We gave up revenues from the bars, car parks and other events within the stadium. In return we have been compensated for that loss”.

The agreement was due to run to 2019. There’s no doubt that it was an excellent deal for Northern as by 2001 the annual payment they received from the council had grown to £337,000. In time the council were to rue signing the deal, it placed Northern in a very strong bargaining position and it caused huge resentment from Bradford City and the Keighley Cougars who received nothing like that kind of support from the public purse.
In truth City’s decision to return to Valley Parade had undermined any chance of the Odsal development reaching its potential. With Valley Parade rebuilt as a modern stadium the likelihood now was the Northern would come the other way and Odsal abandoned. However, with so much public money invested in Odsal, the council obviously wouldn’t want to be linked to such a spectacular failure. The political impact would have been enormous. So, they were forced to plough on. In the Lincoln programme we will relive the Superdome, the death of the Bradford Dukes and the Bulls at Valley Parade.