The Ground
Ground Name: The Provident Stadium (Odsal Stadium)
Address: Provident Stadium, Odsal, Bradford, BD6 1BS
Capacity: 27,491 (exactly) – approx 5000 seated plus hospitality.
Record Attendances:
All Time – 102,569* (Halifax v Warrington, Challenge Cup Final Replay, 1954)
Bradford Northern/Bulls – 69,429 (v Huddersfield. 1953)
Super League Era – 24,020 (v Leeds Rhinos, 1999)
*Official figure – commonly believed their were much more than that.
2014 Average Attendance: 6891
Stadium Overview: Odsal is unusual in that the stadium is sunk into a natural bowl in the earth rather than constructed upon it, so you enter from above. You pass through the gates onto the upper concourse; home of the club shop, most toilet facilities and the first wave of programme / Golden Gamble sellers. You then descend to the lower concourse which runs around the top of all terracing/stand and hosts most food and drink outlets. The bowl helps give a nice ‘grand entrance’ feel at the start of a game, but if you lose there’s a lot of steps to suffer your way back up. It can be a bit of a trek if you need to spend a penny mid-game, but plentiful facilities do make for minimal queuing, and the pitch is visible from most areas of the stadium so you miss less action than in many stadiums, even if it is quite far away.
Provident (Main) Stand: Running along the North-East edge of the playing field, this is the main seated area. Fully roofed (the only section of the stadium with this luxury) with some restricted views from the rear due to old-style support columns. Some seating around the central section is reserved for season-ticket holders, press, and VIPs, but plenty of unreserved seating remains where both home and away supporters are welcome to sit. Public bar, food stands, toilet facilities, and a club shop are all handily located on the concourse at the rear of this stand. Rear and centre of this stand features the Premier Club section which carries a £5 supplement on all seats.
Matchday Ticket Prices: Adult £25 Concession (65+): £20 Young Adults (18-24): £20 Youth (11-17) £15 Junior (5-10): £8 Infant (0-4): Free
Bedz R Us (Popular) Terrace: South-Western terrace standing over the player’s changing rooms and centred around the entrance tunnel. Predominantly occupied by home fans, most densely packed around the tunnel on the half-way line, but more space can usually be found towards the left-hand side beneath the Touchdown bar. On this terrace you will be closest to the action and most soaked in the atmosphere of matchday (and any rain that comes with it). Food stalls are located along the top walkway of this terrace, however toilet facilities are a further flight of stairs above on the upper concourse.
Matchday Ticket Prices: Adult £20 Concession (65+): £15 Young Adults (18-24): £15 Youth (11-17) £10 Junior (5-10): £3 Infant (0-4): Free
Rooley End Terrace: Beyond the goals on the North-Western edge is a perfectly rounded terrace which adjoins the popular terrace to the main stand. The traditional home of away fans, and occasionally the big screen, this area allows for more relaxed viewing. Perfect for families as it affords space for children to wander and play safely, and for many games will still allow a good view of the action while seated on the steps. If you manage to catch one of the three sunny games a year, bring a picnic and soak it up, there a fewer more pleasant ways to catch a game of Rugby League this side of the equator. Food facilities and at least three bars (two covered) are available on the concourse around the corner of the two terraces, interactive games can also occasionally be found here. Toilet facilities and club shop are one level higher on the upper concourse.
Free movement between Rooley end and Bedz R Us terraces is possible for both sets of fans throughout the game.
Matchday Ticket Prices: Adult £20 Concession (65+): £15 Young Adults (18-24): £15 Youth (11-17) £10 Junior (5-10): £3 Infant (0-4): Free
Coral Stand: Hospitality stand featuring members bars, banqueting facilities, players lounges, boxes and seated viewing areas. Pre-match dining packages are usually available in this stand, alongside other corporate and special occasion options. Sections of bar areas are often open to the public post-match also.
Getting There
By Train: Alight at Bradford Interchange, bob down the escalator, grab a pasty, and switch to one of the many regular buses which take you up Manchester Road towards the station.
By Bus: Halifax fans can take the 681 and be at Odsal within 30mins, Dewsbury fans can spend an hour on the 268, Batley fans can either take the 283 to Bradford Interchange and connect from there, or pick up the 268 anywhere along its route from Dewsbury. If you’re on a bus and can’t see Odsal (because it’s sunk into the ground), you will see Richard Dunn Sports Centre opposite – it looks like a giant concrete tortoise and is basically just as impressive as the Sydney Opera House.
By Walking: If it’s a nice day you can walk up Manchester Road from the city centre to Odsal in a little under an hour, it’s not an especially nice walk but, y’know, walking is good for you. If you’re rich for time you might want to get in an hour or two earlier and visit the National Media Museum near the station, it’s pretty cool.
By Car: This is Rugby League – just get on the M62 the quickest way you can and point towards Bradford. Take the M606 (J26) turn off, at the roundabout the 2nd left will take you up Rooley Avenue and straight past Odsal Stadium.
(From the South: London, Sheffield, Doncaster): Connect with the M62 via the M1 or A1.
(From the North: Workington, Whitehaven): Come down the M6, and connect via the M61.(From Halifax) A6036 (Halifax Road) brings you right out at Odsal top.
(From Dewsbury) A638 (Bradford Road) brings you through Cleckheaton to the M606 junction.
Matchday Parking:
Limited official stadium parking is available behind the Coral stand and accessible from Stadium Road which can be accessed from Odsal roundabout and Cleckheaton Road. Incredibly secure and as close to the gates as you could ever expect to be, though there can be some delays getting out post match. Priced at £5.
Unofficial parking is also available at Richard Dunn Sports Centre on the corner of Manchester Road and Rooley Avenue, this cost £4 in 2014.
Restrictions are in place on most roads around the stadium, but some on-road parking can be found on Staithgate Lane, which runs parallel to the M606 (1st exit from the Rooley Lane roundabout).
Pre-Match Pint
The Top House on the Odsal roundabout, and Cue Gardens on Stadium Road are the two closest and most popular pre/post-match drinking spots, and some also like to stop at the Red Lion on Manchester road. The stadium itself is pretty well equipped for bars though, with both the Touchdown and the Marquee Bar situated on the corner of the two main terraces, and the Pavilion Bar behind the Provident stand. Other ‘pop-up’ style bars can also often found at various points around the concourse. At present there are no restrictions on drinking on the terraces and Bradford usually open the gates two hours before kick off, just don’t do anything to spoil that please.
Some Grub
Again, the Top House and Cue Gardens are favourite stops if you want a bite before the game, both tend to put on matchday offers and can become very popular in the hours before kick-off. Another functional option is the cafe at Morrisons on Rooley Lane, just a short walk from the stadium. Again, a good variety of decent quality stalls are available on the main concourse inside the stadium, including hog roast, which is pretty much your Sunday dinner sorted.
