BRADFORD City chief executive officer Ryan Sparks remains confident that the club will be successfully 'punching above our weight’ from a budgetary perspective in League One again next season.

In their first campaign back in the third tier in six years, City performed outstandingly well to reach the play-offs before bowing out at the semi-final stage to Bolton Wanderers.

Despite the disappointment of being eliminated one step away from Wembley, the post-match reaction of Bantams supporters following the second leg at Valley Parade told its own story as they raucously acclaimed the efforts of those in claret and amber on the season-ending occasion on May 14.

In terms of stature, City are undeniably one of the biggest clubs in the division — a fact supported by their home attendances—yet their budget are comparatively modest in a big-spending third tier.

Bradford City chief executive officer Ryan Sparks (right), pictured with manager Graham Alexander. Picture courtesy of BCAFC.

placeholder image — Bradford City chief executive officer Ryan Sparks (right), pictured with manager Graham Alexander. Picture courtesy of BCAFC.

But Sparks believes that smart recruitment, canny management and several other factors can keep the club on an upward trajectory in 2026-27.

He told The Yorkshire Post: "We want to do well and there was no doubt there was disappointment after the Bolton game.

"But I think you could see in the stadium from the supporters' reaction and between the supporters and the players that it felt like another significant rung on the ladder climbed.

"It definitely finished with a lot of positivity and optimism going into next season.

Latest Bradford City signing Jake Beesley.

"We're obviously delighted with our return to League One because from a budget perspective we're not a top-four side. There's no doubt about it. It doesn't take me to point that out.

"So we were punching above our weight and we'll be punching above our weight next season, but we've made a real fist of it and shown that it can be done with the right sort of mindset, management, movement and the whole feeling around the club.

"Momentum's a powerful thing. You've got to keep the oil tanker moving, that's the reality."

City have already confirmed one signing in the shape of long-time target Jake Beesley ahead of the opening of the summer window on June 15.

While the club will not be wafting the chequebook with abandon and will be sensible in terms of what they spend, their budget will be slightly raised from last term.

Sparks added: "For us, financially, we know where we can go to and we're pretty clear on that. We don't push the envelope beyond what our owner (Stefan Rupp) can afford to invest.

"I work accordingly. My role is to really set a budget on a break-even and then speak to our owner about what investment could look like and where it could take us.

"That's what I've done in the last few seasons when money has been made available to us and we've been pretty successful with that concept.

"That's not changed. This summer is very similar. We're slightly increasing our budget based on increased ticket revenue and other areas of growth, but we know that budget will still be one (where) we will have to outperform."