Sleeping Giants? Bradford City's Last Championship Days and Their Bid to Rise Again

Sleeping Giants? Bradford City's Last Championship Days and Their Bid to Rise Again

The trepidation and fragility of football is a well established concept and shows itself in every faucet of the beautiful game.

Whether it be title winning seasons or relegation heartbreak, every football fan's and club's emotions go through the ringer year after year, and there is perhaps no club more exemplary of these aforementioned emotions than Bradford City FC.

A club with a long, storied history in English football since their conception in 1903, The Bantams have had a range of highs and lows throughout their lifetime - but recent tales have been filled with disappointment and frustration.

This season, that could all be about to change. An excellent start to the campaign has seen them emerge as early contenders for back-to-back promotions, which begs the question: could Bradford City be about to rise again?

Where Bradford Were

Bradford City have always been a club that bounced between divisions. But their most recent fall saw them drop to depths they struggled to recover from.

Bradford's last stint in the Premier League lasted two seasons from 99/01. From there they dropped to the Championship and, after three seasons where the club was unable to really find its feet, yet another relegation hit the club as they went down into League One.

Now you might be thinking, 'It can't get any worse can it?' Well... in the words of Mick McCarthy... it can.

Bradford would spend a mere two seasons in League One, but instead of returning to the second tier, it was yet another relegation—this time to the 4th tier of English football.

Here, Bradford fought, a few of those for promotion, but the few that followed would see them struggle to even stay in the football league- with back-to-back 18th-place finishes jangling nerves throughout the fanbase.

🏆 | 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟒 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟑

❤️💛 | 1️⃣0️⃣ years ago today, a day we'll never forget. #BCAFC pic.twitter.com/oRRTfZie93

— Bradford City AFC (@officialbantams) February 24, 2023

Then came the only sparks of light, with Bradford gaining promotion and having an exceptional League Cup run, only prevented from lifting the trophy by Swansea in the final. Two years later, there would be another shred of sunlight, as the Bantams downed Chelsea in one of the great FA Cup giant-killings.

Another stint in League One, followed by their most recent in League two, and Bradford looked to be establishing themselves as a lower league yo-yo club- a status far removed from the hallowed turf of Premier League grounds where they once stepped foot.

The Recent Resurgence

The 24/25 season was one of intrigue among fans and media.

The 23/24 season was one of turmoil and protest. A disconnect between the fans and the club had grown, leading to an independent supporters group surfacing and tensions running high.

Despite this, Graham Alexander, who had been appointed in November following a poor start, managed to work through the uncertainty. Bradford ended the season in 9th place and narrowly missed out on the playoffs following a big rally.

After a year of reparation of the relationship between fans and club and a drastic upturn in performances on the pitch compared to what the club had become accustomed to, Bradford went into the final day with a chance at automatic promotion.

Random #EFL Limbs of the day!

Bradford City Vs Fleetwood Town

1-0 Sarcevic 90+6

What a way to claim an automatic promotion spot!#BCAFC #Bantams pic.twitter.com/jyAjIKVaeD

— Talk72 (@Talk72EFL) July 24, 2025

And, when Antoni Sarcevic fired home a stoppage-time winner after a tumultuous game to give The Bantams a 1-0 victory over Fleetwood, delirious scenes and a pitch invasion ensued. Bradford City had gained promotion.

Championship Return on the Horizon?

Okay, so Bradford are back in League One, but we have seen this story before right? Bradford gained promotion and spend a couple of seasons in the division before being relegated once again.

Well maybe, just maybe, they are about to break the mold.

Unbeaten throughout the opening month. 💪#BCAFC | #BRAvWIM | @OFFICEINTERIOR5 pic.twitter.com/mU5zs4KkcT

— Bradford City AFC (@officialbantams) August 30, 2025

Bradford have started this season in blazing form. They currently sit top of League One after 9 games, with their high-scoring, free-flowing football turning heads up and down the football pyramid.

Not only are things improving on the pitch, but Bradford's off-pitch spills have also been mopped up superbly. The relationship with fans is now much better, communication is becoming a key part of how the club is run, and it seems everyone is pulling in the same direction once again.

Next up is Newcastle United in the EFL Cup, and if their previous cup shenanigans are anything to go by, alongside their high-flying form, we could be in for yet another cup upset this coming week. I'll tell you, as a Newcastle fan, I am certainly worried.

Long May it Continue

Even if Bradford are not destined to return to the Championship for the first time since the 03/04 season, the feel is now different.

This doesn't appear like a club just waiting to once again be relegated. It doesn't seem like a club with another installment of turmoil awaiting them at every turn.

Been supporting Bradford City for 40 years and I have NEVER seen a connection like this between players and fans. After the last decade especially WE ARE BACK!!! 💛🧡 #bcafc

— Steve Bartle Who77 (@SJBWho77) September 20, 2025

Bradford feel like they could well be on an upward trajectory, one that will not falter, one that isn't questioned for its reality.

It now feels less like a question of if Bradford will ever begin to rebuild the reputation they once so dearly held in English football, but when it will come to fruition.

There is still a long road ahead, that's for certain. And whether they will ever truly return to the heights they once hit is yet to be seen.

But once thing is for certain. The Bantams faithful now have a club they can be proud of once again, and their bid to rise once more feels less like an auction, and more like a private treaty on the open market...

In more basic terms, the uncertainty is gone. Bradford City are back.