Bradford & District | Archive | 2001 | June | 8
From the Telegraph & Argus, first published Friday 8th Jun 2001.
Jim Jefferies could receive another £1.5 million in his promotion war chest after Bradford City announced plans to match new season-ticket sales pound for pound.
Chairman Geoffrey Richmond today unveiled the latest drive to attract more fans to back next season's First Division push - which could swell the wages kitty available for the squad to £9 million.
For every pound spent on season-tickets - as well as the remaining 25-year deals - from now until the start of the season, a pound will go into the player budget.
Richmond said: "We believe the best chance we have of getting back to the Premiership is at the first attempt and this clearly proves we really want to go for it.
"Jim's publicly-stated view is that if we can keep this team together based upon the way we finished last season and add to it, then he believes we have a very good chance of being up there challenging. This scheme will significantly increase that chance.
"If we were to reach last season's ticket sales of 13,000 as well as selling the remaining 170 25-year deals, that would increase the wages revenue budget from the present £7.5 million to a figure approaching £9 million.
"The effect of that would be quite dramatic in improving and considerably increasing the size and quality of the squad that will be fighting to gain promotion."
Only ten days ago, Richmond told a Valley Parade fans forum that the budget would be upped by 50 per cent after fears that the £5 million figure originally set would not be high enough.
Boss Jefferies is waiting to continue negotiations with out-of-contract trio Stuart McCall, Eoin Jess and Robert Molenaar who are all out of the country.
City have so far sold 7,500 season tickets - including 830 of the 1,000 25-year offers - and prices will be frozen until the end of the month when they are set to rise by around 12 per cent.
Matchday costs will be announced once the fixtures are released on June 21.
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