European adventure is latest dream for Bantams

The Bantams made history on Tuesday night by edging past Premier League outfit Aston Villa to book a place at the Capital One Cup final on February 24.

City, who plan to step up their attempts to hold on to manager Phil Parkinson, are the first team from the fourth tier of English football to reach a major Wembley final.

Should Bradford go on to claim a fourth top-flight scalp of the season in next month’s showpiece final, European football will come to Valley Parade in 2013-14 – subject to approval from UEFA.

Joint-chairman Julian Rhodes last night told the Yorkshire Post: “I took a call from Nick Craig of the Football League a few weeks ago.

“Nick is someone I’ve got to know over the years, mainly because I dealt with him during our stints in administration.

“We have had some heavy discussions as a result, things that involved the very future of Bradford City.

“So, when he rang after we had beaten Arsenal (in the quarter-finals) we joked about talking in much happier circumstances.

“It was then that Nick said, ‘Julian, I never thought I’d be calling to talk to you about this but if Bradford get to the Capital One Cup final then we have to sit down and discuss applying for a UEFA licence, which you need to play in any European competition’.

“We both laughed at how ridiculous that sounded.

“But, as of now, we are potentially 90 minutes away from European football being on the menu here.

“As a result, we are speaking to the League about just what we need to do to be able to satisfy the requirements of the licence.

“So, on top of submitting our strategy for selling tickets and so on for the League Cup final, we are now working towards our UEFA licence. How mad is that for a club in League Two?”

UEFA delegates its licensing scheme – which pays particular heed to whether a club is solvent or not – to the respective national associations, in Bradford’s case the Football Association and the Football League.

Many top-flight clubs apply for the licence as a matter of course, though Portsmouth did not compete in Europe the season after reaching the FA Cup final in 2010 after failing to submit their own application on time due to being in administration.

No League One or Two club has ever had to apply for the UEFA licence.

Along with a possible foray into Europe – which can only be claimed by the winners of the League Cup and not the losers, unlike the FA Cup where the runners up can qualify if the holders have already booked a place in the Champions League or Europa League – City can look forward to another major cash windfall from next month’s final.

Having already banked £1m from their run, the Bantams can look forward to double that amount with their share of the gate receipts being 45 per cent and a guaranteed television fee of £250,000. The winners also receive £100,000 in prize money with the runners-up banking half that amount, money that Rhodes insists can only help Bradford hold on to their manager.

Phil Parkinson’s current contract runs out at the end of the season and discussions have been on-going for several weeks over a new deal.

The size of next season’s playing budget is believed to have been a major part of those talks and Rhodes says the impending windfall from Wembley can only strengthen the club’s case.

He said: “We have been relaxed about Phil staying as he is an ambitious manager who genuinely wants to realise those ambitions with Bradford City.

“He knew the potential at this club when he took the job and this season that has been underlined ten-fold. I am sure we can agree something soon. I don’t think Phil will take too much persuading. As I said to him on Tuesday night after the Villa game, he is a legend. No manager has ever taken a Fourth Division team to Wembley for a major Cup final.

“The financial rewards (from getting to Wembley) can only strengthen our chances of holding on to Phil.

“Our budget for next season, which is something Phil is obviously keen to learn before agreeing a deal, can be higher than we had been anticipating as a result of the money we will earn.

“I would estimate us earning a seven figure sum from Wembley. We do have a hefty player bonus payment to pay out, though no-one begrudges that after the amazing things the team have done this season. That will put a dent in our earnings but, even so, there can be no doubt the strong position the club will be in because of the League Cup run.”

City will receive an allocation of 30-31,000 tickets for next month’s final and details of the selling process are expected later this week.

On Tuesday night’s dramatic second leg that saw Bradford prevail 4-3 on aggregate at Villa Park, Rhodes added: “We have made history and, to me, this is the biggest achievement in English football.

“Wimbledon coming up through the divisions in the Eighties to win the FA Cup was an amazing achievement. I can’t see anyone doing that again.

“But for a Fourth Division team to go to a major Wembley final, well I can’t think of a more remarkable story in English football. It just doesn’t happen.

“I don’t just mean beating Villa, either. We also knocked out Arsenal and Wigan Athletic, while Watford (who City beat in the second round) are chasing promotion in the Championship and (first round opponents) Notts County are doing the same in League One. It is an incredible achievement.”