Bradford City CEO Ryan Sparks on why club are not fazed by raised League One expectation levels in 2026-27

Last August, the smart money was on a year of consolidation in the club’s first campaign at third-tier level in seven seasons.

Canvass the opinions of most Bantams observers and a mid to lower mid-table finish would have been just fine.

Graham Alexander’s side promptly obliterated such expectations by finishing in their highest position in the league pyramid for 23 years.

There was disappointment, for sure, after their League One play-off semi-final elimination to Bolton Wanderers in May, but the overriding emotion was pride after the Bantams delivered another season of major progress.

Yet therein lies a potential problem down the track.

City have raised the bar significantly. Should they have finished in mid-table last term, then the next stage of the journey might have been pushing for the top 10.

Given that they finished fourth in 25-26, it will be going some to improve on that. Try they must and it is something that chief executive officer Ryan Sparks feels that the club cannot shy away from.

Sparks told The Yorkshire Post: "That's the challenge.

"The challenge is when you have some success, it's always to try and be more successful.

"But that's not something that we have an issue with.

"I personally am not someone who ever worries about winning or being successful. I think that's what you want; it's what you work for, it's what everybody strives for collectively.

"It's about trying to keep it moving in that direction and taking as many measurements as you can and doing what you can to ensure that is the case.

"There will always be difficult patches of seasons, we've seen that even in the promotion season (24-25) and the season before.

"In the season we got promoted, we were 13th at Christmas and pressure was mounting from all quarters. And that was only four or five months before we got automatic.

"So football moves quickly. Some clubs last season were hovering around the relegation places nearly made the play-offs in the end (in 25-26).

"So I think whatever happens it's going to be another thrilling season."

Despite last season’s highs, the fact that some significant new arrivals were signed off in the first month of the summer window suggests that the club and Graham Alexander are determined not to stand still.

Experienced players with proven track records at this level have come into the building, most notably Jake Beesley, Macauley Gillesphey and Adam Phillips.

The fact that another new signing in the shape of goalkeeper Jon McCracken has previously been called up into the senior Scotland squad is also testament to his own pedigree north of the border.

Evolution of the squad has also seen captain Max Power head back for a third spell at Wigan Athletic after just one season at Valley Parade, while City have also cashed in on young midfielder Jenson Metcalfe.

The squad’s core remains strong, even though the club are far from finished in this summer’s market.

A number of rivals will possess bigger wage budgets, but there’s nothing to stop City punching above their weight again.

Recent history has shown that well-run clubs who display joined-up thinking in the transfer market over several seasons can be rewarded at this level. The best example of that being Lincoln City last season.

Sparks continued: "It boils down to having time. You have to have time to do it.

"We were probably running out of time in League Two. There was some fatigue setting in. We got there in the end.

"But the longer you have been working at something and the amount of transfer windows that, for example, Lincoln have had in League One to work through and continue to evolve their squad over a sustained period of years has led them to their ultimate outcome.

"Which is Championship football and a league title. And a memorable one at that.

"We'll always be pragmatic and realistic about what we can do. We won't set budgets that will financially cripple the football club or just achieve a short-term aim.

"However, you have to balance that with the fact that this is a relatively short-term business. A lot of people often talk about long-term vision strategies and whatnot, but they change very quickly in football. I'm sure that's the case for most clubs.

"It's certainly the case for ours. You have to hold a vision, but sometimes you have to tweak it en route, if you like.

"We've been doing that for the past five seasons and I imagine we'll do it for the next five."

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