BRADFORD CITY AFC

Bantams manager Phil Parkinson became the latest to sit down for a chat with Chief Operating Officer James Mason to discuss the recent #OneFourNine push to try and reach the target of selling 15,000 season tickets.

The manager is all for the push and hopes to see the target met, knowing the impact large home crowds can have on his side in the upcoming 2015-16 season.

Parkinson said: ‘I think it’s (lowering the price to £149 per season ticket) a good idea. The more people we get inside the stadium, the bigger the advantage it gives us. At the home games, the lads thrive off the atmosphere, and it’s been building over the last few years with the crowds increasing.’

‘Some of the attendances we’ve had in the cup games when this place (The Coral Windows Stadium) has been full, has meant for an incredible atmosphere. I’m all for it, there’s a big push going on, and if we reach that 15,000 mark, then it would be great for everybody connected with the club.’

‘The support definitely makes a difference, I’ve said it many times before. I think in this era, where there is so much football being shown on TV, there is always that temptation to sit at home and watch everything on the telly, but I don’t think you can beat the experience of coming to a live sporting arena and sampling the atmosphere.’

‘I remember as a kid myself going to games, and I can still vividly remember days walking into the ground with the crowd, and then standing in those days, as you did behind the goal. I used to watch Middlesbrough at Ayresome Park when I was a youngster, so I can still remember the feeling of what it was like.’

‘We’re offering a very affordable price to our supporters for a season ticket. With the kids, and our future generation of supporters coming to the ground, they’re sampling a terrific atmosphere and it’s kind of like a throwback to the atmosphere I was used when I went to watch football, with the whole ground getting behind the team.’

‘I think at the moment, certainly in the Premier League, there is a lot of corporate hospitality, and there is a lot of fans who sit there with their arms folded, waiting to be entertained. There is a difference between them and us; a lot of the journalists who have watched our games in the cup, who normally go to Premier League games, were amazed by the atmosphere, and we want to keep it that way.’

‘My job is to get the team playing in a manner which excites the crowd, which then obviously helps to generate that atmosphere. That’s my job, and your job (Bradford City staff) is to sell as many season tickets as you can. We’re all working together and that’s what it’s all about.’

To watch the video of a very interesting chat between James and Phil, click the play button below.