Lord's help Bradford 2 March 2007

[Anguillan newsboy]

Latest improvements at Lord's help Bradford (Park Avenue) AFC in its centenary year

Date released: 2 March 2007

The latest ground improvement project at Lord's is boosting Bradford (Park Avenue) AFC as it celebrates its centenary year.

A major project to upgrade the seating in the Tavern Stand at Lord's has resulted in many of the old seats being removed for re-installation at Bradford (Park Avenue) AFC's Horsfall Stadium.

A team from the Unibond League football club has just spent four days at Lord's, working alongside MCC staff and the Club's contractors, to remove around 1,600 seats. These metal-framed, plastic seats - which were made available, free of charge, by MCC - will enable Bradford (Park Avenue) to improve its spectators' seating at minimal cost.

MCC's Jon Hawke, from the Club's Estates Department, said: "I'm delighted that the latest improvements at Lord's will raise standards for football fans, too. As soon as we heard that Bradford (Park Avenue) could make good use of the Tavern Stand's seats, we were only too happy to help. It's been great to give a boost to Bradford (Park Avenue) - which has been facing tough times financially - during its centenary year."

A director of Bradford (Park Avenue), Zig Zwierzewicz, said: "I'm delighted that we'll be able - against the odds - the improve the facilities at The Horsfall Stadium in our centenary year. MCC have been brilliant in giving us the seating - free of charge - and then helping us get it ready for its journey from Lord's to Bradford. I'm sure that Thomas Lord, a canny Yorkshireman, would have approved of the way the two clubs have worked together. It's great that gr***roots football is benefiting from the latest improvements at 'the home of cricket'".

MCC heard about the football club's need for new seats after a member of staff at Lord's - Keith Butler, who works for its on-line shop (www.shopatlords.com) - read an appeal for second-hand seating that was published, on behalf of Bradford (Park Avenue), in The Non League Newspaper.