| RIP to the Bradford 56 09:22 - May 13 with 3485 views | TheChef |
It was the 40th anniversary of the fire at Valley Parade over the weekend.
There was a good documentary about it on BBC2 on Sunday night, worth catching it if you can.
One interesting point, during the Popplewell inquiry after the fire, it was made clear its purpose was to make things better in sports stadia, rather than apportion blame. And while the fire was tragic, it's clear that decades of mismanagement by the football authorities and owners of the football club led to the events of that day, something that could have been avoided. But back then, football supporters were very much second class citizens. So while the documentary was good, it did seem to skirt around that topic.
What I didn't realise is that in years prior to Bradford other football stadiums had had fires (thankfully not fatal), one of them at Griffin Park in 1983. |  |
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| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 14:23 - May 13 with 1121 views | TheChef |
| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 14:16 - May 13 by GaryBannister86 |
Absolutely - and I thought Luton away this year had the potential to be an absolute death trap. Shambles - and this is 2025. |
Like I said, if nothing else it's easier these days to get on to the pitch compared to 40 years ago.
Not that should be a factor when evacuating a stadium. You do wonder even today how some clubs get their H&S certificates. | |
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| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 15:10 - May 13 with 1039 views | wombat |
| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 11:16 - May 13 by CroydonCaptJack |
I watched this documentary which was quite harrowing yet compulsive.
I remember hearing the news but in my mind I feel we had been to QPR that day. Anyone know if that was the case? |
same sure we was at home that as can remmeber a mate of mine saying he heard about a fire on the radio , didnt know much more till i got home and saw the news |  |
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| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 15:14 - May 13 with 1020 views | wombat |
| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 14:23 - May 13 by TheChef |
Like I said, if nothing else it's easier these days to get on to the pitch compared to 40 years ago.
Not that should be a factor when evacuating a stadium. You do wonder even today how some clubs get their H&S certificates. |
its not only fires though its medical emergencys in the stand which can caus clubs to loose safety certs and our access esp in the school end upper is terrible | |
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| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 15:30 - May 13 with 986 views | CroydonCaptJack |
| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 13:29 - May 13 by langtoft |
This is entirely from memory and I haven't looked it up but I think we were home to Man Utd that day, finished 1-1. |
I just managed to find it and you were right about the fixture but we lost 1-3. |  |
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| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 15:35 - May 13 with 977 views | stowmarketrange |
| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 14:23 - May 13 by TheChef |
Like I said, if nothing else it's easier these days to get on to the pitch compared to 40 years ago.
Not that should be a factor when evacuating a stadium. You do wonder even today how some clubs get their H&S certificates. |
It’s probably harder to access the pitch now than when it was a terrace as you now have to climb over rows of seats to get to the front.
How long did it take to leave the back of the stand at Oxford at ft? |  | | |
| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 15:43 - May 13 with 960 views | kensalriser |
| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 13:51 - May 13 by Northernr |
We still go in away ends now where you see the main rear exit door chained and padlocked up, relying on somebody in an emergency to do their job properly and get it opened lively - Palace away last time we were there was like that. |
That's almost certainly an offence. Fire exit doors need to be openable from the inside. |  |
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| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 16:08 - May 13 with 910 views | Pindarus |
Indeed virtually forgotten. Hillsborough is always in the forefront but this was almost as tragic and is very rarely referred to these days.
The chairman, bewigged Stafford Heginbotham seemed a slippery character. |  | | |
| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 16:22 - May 13 with 872 views | terryb |
This is a tradegy that is seldom mentioned & I did cringe when the journalist & photogapher mentioned their haste to get back to the office to publish. Of course, I know they had to report the fire & that was the only way at the time, but I thought their priority should have been to help others.
While watching the documentary I wondered what had happened with the funds from the Bradford Fire donations. I think they stated that this was used to partly fund the Specalist Burns Unit & that the pioneering treatment they used was copied across the world. | | | |
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| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 16:27 - May 13 with 858 views | derbyhoop |
| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 09:57 - May 13 by stowmarketrange |
Has much changed in some places?Imagine a fire breaking out in the away end at Portsmouth,or our own school end?I know we haven’t got the wooden stands that Bradford had,but how many of us walk into a ground and think about how we would get out in an emergency situation?
RIP to the poor souls who lost their lives that day. |
I saw the video as part of my training to be a steward. So much has changed, thankfully, since then. But consider how long it would take to evacuate any of the stands at Loftus Road, in case of emergency.
And then people suggest ways of increasing the current capacity. I despair. |  |
| "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one's lifetime." (Mark Twain)
Find me on twitter @derbyhoop and now on Bluesky |
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| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 19:50 - May 13 with 762 views | robith |
| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 14:11 - May 13 by TheChef |
The back/concourse at Portsmouth I think might struggle in an emergency.
Away fans will most likely say the same about the School End concourse.
Probably better if I don't think too much about these things... |
Only been to Pompey away once and tbh I was on edge the entire second half having been in a giant crush for the loo at half time |  | | |
| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 21:04 - May 13 with 678 views | TacticalR |
Went to Valley Parade in 1979 when we played Bradford in a midweek game in the League Cup. I can't remember too much about it except that in those days football really was a different world from everything else (hard to imagine in these days of upgraded stadiums). |  |
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| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 21:15 - May 13 with 649 views | MrSheen |
| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 19:50 - May 13 by robith |
Only been to Pompey away once and tbh I was on edge the entire second half having been in a giant crush for the loo at half time |
Never been there but I had a similar experience in one of the home stands at the Dell, like being forced through a funnel, knowing you’d have to do the same on the way back.
At the opposite end of the curve, I went to the Valley in 1980, which was a huge concrete ruin with hardly anyone in it. At one stage, small groups sallied forth from each end to chuck sticks and lumps of rubble at each other on the empty wasteland along one side. |  | | |
| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 22:57 - May 13 with 569 views | ManinBlack |
I think just about all clubs lock out exits in the first half to stop people trying to get in for free after kick off. If the fire had broken out after 70 minutes then chances are the exits would have been unlocked in preparation for the end of the game.
I recall Gaby Logan doing a Sky documentary a few years ago about the Bradford fire as she was in the ground that day. You wonder when you see her on telly if she ever gets nightmares about that day. |  | | |
| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 15:55 - May 14 with 324 views | TheChef |
| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 21:15 - May 13 by MrSheen |
Never been there but I had a similar experience in one of the home stands at the Dell, like being forced through a funnel, knowing you’d have to do the same on the way back.
At the opposite end of the curve, I went to the Valley in 1980, which was a huge concrete ruin with hardly anyone in it. At one stage, small groups sallied forth from each end to chuck sticks and lumps of rubble at each other on the empty wasteland along one side. |
The old Valley had that absolutely massive terrace down the side of the pitch. | |
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| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 16:03 - May 14 with 298 views | stowmarketrange |
| RIP to the Bradford 56 on 15:55 - May 14 by TheChef |
The old Valley had that absolutely massive terrace down the side of the pitch. |
And chelshite fans still managed to light a fire on it after they lost 4-0 back in the old div 2. | | | |
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