Bradford City AFC - in conjunction with Bradford Metropolitan District Council - will this year hold a memorial service on Wednesday May 11, marking the 37th anniversary of the Valley Parade Fire Disaster.
Taking place in Centenary Square, Bradford, by the Bradford City Fire Memorial, the service will be the first of its kind since 2019 following two years of online activity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Beginning at 11.00am, the service will be attended by relatives and friends of the 56 people who lost their lives in 1985, as well as club and council officials and members of the public.
The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Cllr Shabir Hussain, will host a Civic Party from Lincoln who will also attend the service together, with Mark Hughes and City’s first-team players and staff in attendance.
The disaster claimed the lives of 54 Bradford City supporters and two travelling Lincoln supporters, injuring hundreds more, in one of the world’s most devastating sporting tragedies.
The club’s chief executive officer, Ryan Sparks, said: “We are pleased to once again be in a position to remember the 56 lives lost on 11th May 1985 in person, with the return of a traditional memorial service.
“After the past couple of years we have had, in holding digital services in conjunction with Bradford Metropolitan District Council as a result of the pandemic, it is hugely important for us to be able to pay our respects to those who sadly lost their lives, and the families which remain affected by the tragedy to this day, in the most fitting way possible.
“We invite and encourage people to join us in Centenary Square on Wednesday May 11, as we come together to collectively pay tribute to the 56 lives we lost 37 years ago.”
Cllr Hussain said: “It is important to the city and district that we take time to remember those who were affected, and those who continue to be affected, by the tragic events on 11th May 1985.
“This year will be even more poignant, as we can come together in person to remember.”