Bradford derby
| Other names | Wool City derby |
|---|---|
| Locale | Bradford |
| Teams |
Bradford City Bradford Park Avenue |
| First meeting | 24 February 1912 |
| Statistics | |
| Most wins | Bradford Park Avenue (23) |
The Bradford derby is a football derby match played between Bradford City and Bradford Park Avenue.
The derby has also been called the Wool City derby, referring to Bradford's history with the wool trade. The two clubs are the only two from Bradford to have played professional league football.
The rivalry was a regular league one across all four Football League tiers, first played in 1914, until 1969. However Bradford Park Avenue's failed re-election to the Football League in 1970 and subsequent liquidation in 1974 meant the game has only been played in friendly fixtures since.
The Tom Banks Memorial Trophy is awarded to the winner of this match.
Bradford City had been elected to the Football League ready for the 1903–04 season. Their cross-city rivals Bradford Park Avenue joined the league five years later, for the same season as City's first in Division One.
The first game between the two teams at any level had been in the North-Eastern League. Other meetings had taken place in the West Riding Cup before the first competitive game was in the FA Cup on 24 February 1912 at Park Avenue, a year after Bradford City's FA Cup triumph. A goal from Frank O'Rourke for City gave them the first derby success.
The first all-Bradford league match took place at Valley Parade on 23 October 1914 in Division One in front of a crowd of 29,802, when City won 3–2. Park Avenue won the reverse fixture 3–0. The clubs met in the top flight just four more times before Park Avenue were relegated in 1920–21. City were themselves relegated to Division Two but a second successive relegation for Park Avenue meant the clubs did not meet again until 1927 in Division Three (North). That season's derby saw Park Avenue record a record 5–0 for a Bradford derby on their way to the title and promotion. City kept the title in Bradford the following season.
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