Odsal Stadium
| Wembley of the North | |
 |
|
| Full name | Provident Stadium |
|---|---|
| Former names | Grattan Stadium |
| Location | Provident Stadium, Odsal, Bradford, BD6 1BS |
| Coordinates | 53°45′54″N 1°45′25″W / 53.76500°N 1.75694°WCoordinates: 53°45′54″N 1°45′25″W / 53.76500°N 1.75694°W |
| Owner |
Bradford Council RFL owns the lease |
| Operator | Bradford Bulls |
| Capacity | 27,500 |
| Record attendance | 102,569 – 1954 Challenge Cup Final replay |
| Field size | 67.79m x 111.74m |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1933 |
| Opened | 1934 |
| Renovated | 1964, 1985, 2001–02. |
| Tenants | |
|
Bradford Bulls (1934–present), Bradford City A.F.C (1985–1986), Bradford Dukes (1945–1960, 1986–1997) |
|
Odsal Stadium, (also known as Provident Stadium for sponsorship reasons), is a sports stadium in Odsal, Bradford, West Yorkshire. It has been home to Bradford Rugby League Club since opening in 1934 and was previously home to the speedway team Bradford Dukes, as well the football team Bradford City following the Valley Parade fire. Odsal has also been a venue for baseball, basketball, kabbadi, show jumping, tennis, live music and international Rugby League.
The stadium holds the British attendance records for a Rugby match, 102,569 in 1954 at the rugby league Warrington-Halifax Challenge Cup final replay, and for a domestic, non-final Rugby League match, 69,429 at the third round Challenge Cup tie between Bradford Northern and Huddersfield in 1953. While its capacity has reduced significantly, it remains the largest stadium in Super League The stadium is owned by the Bradford City Council, but due to financial problems the Rugby Football League purchased the lease on it in 2012.
The stadium is used primarily as the home of Bradford Bulls Rugby League team. The current official capacity of the stadium is 26,019, with the highest recorded attendance of the Super League era being 24,020 against neighbouring rivals Leeds on 3 September 1999.
Formed in 1907, the Bradford Northern club had played at a number of venues including the Greenfield Athletic Ground in Dudley Hill and Bowling Old Lane Cricket Club's ground in Birch Lane. By the early 1920s, however, Birch Lane's limitations were clear and Northern began to seek another home. Precarious finances prevented the club being able to take up an offer to develop land off Rooley Lane or to upgrade and move back to Greenfield, but in 1933, Bradford City Council gave them the opportunity to transform land at Odsal Top into their home ground. On 20 June 1933 the club therefore signed a ten-year deal on the site, which was to become the biggest stadium in England outside Wembley.
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