A Bradford school pupil has won a competition to design a warm-up shirt which will be donned by Bradford City AFC players before their fixture vs Accrington Stanley this Saturday.

The competition was held as part of Bradford City FC Community Foundation’s Community Takeover Day celebrations, which will take place at the same fixture.

The day will be dedicated to magnifying all of the work the charitable arm of the club does in the city, which includes its many programmes and projects, work with the most vulnerable members of society, and commitment to inspiring and uniting the people of Bradford.

The Foundation ran the warm-up shirt design competition in schools across Bradford and received over 1,000 entries. The winning design is by Waleed, a Year 4 pupil at Dixons Manningham Primary School.

Waleed’s design features a beautiful, hand-drawn recreation of the now-iconic Bantam mural, which is on display in the grounds of the University of Bradford Stadium and was created by Paul Curtis.

The school Waleed attends is, like City’s University of Bradford Stadium, in the Manningham ward, one of the most socially-deprived wards locally and nationally. His shirt design was chosen by members of City’s first-team squad.

The winning shirt designThe winning shirt design (Image: Mike Simmonds)

Foundation CEO, and former City star, Ian Ormondroyd said: “We’ve been blown away by the talent on display in the shirt competition, and want to thank every school that submitted entries.

"The amount of buy-in we received proves both the strength of our ties with schools in the local community and the connection young people have with the club. We cannot wait to see the shirts on the day as part of our Takeover Day celebrations, and I’d like to personally congratulate Waleed on making a beautiful design which captures the spirit of the club, the city, and the Foundation.”

City number nine, Andy Cook, and assistant manager, Chris Lucketti presented Waleed with the shirt featuring his design this week, as well as a bespoke home shirt featuring Waleed’s name and age on the back. In a happy coincidence, the shirt presentation took place on Waleed’s ninth birthday - he therefore went home with a shirt printed with City’s iconic Number 9.

The presentation took place in a full school assembly, including Waleed’s family, staff and parents.

Cook said: “It's great for the community coming and doing these events. It's important we, as players, keep getting involved in these sorts of events and connect with young people, who will be the next generation of supporters.

"Seeing Waleed celebrate when we revealed his shirt was priceless, and me and the team can't wait to wear the shirts he designed on Saturday. We’ve come here today and put smiles on all the kids’ faces, and we want to get the win for them at the weekend.”

Chris Lucketti added: “We got an incredible reception from the children. To see all the kids and the excitement on their faces was great. It shows the importance of the club and the Foundation working together - bringing people like Cooky into the school can make a big difference in the community. The children also made some special banners, and they all look great and I look forward to seeing them go around the pitch on Saturday.”

In winning the competition, Waleed has secured 200 free tickets for his school for the Community Takeover fixture. Waleed will be joined by over 100 of his fellow pupils in the parade around the iconic City turf. Runner-up schools in the competition have also been supplied with tickets and a chance to participate in the parade, as the Foundation celebrates its ties to schools and community organisations across the city, whilst continuing to foster a deep connection between the Club and members of the community.

The takeover day also marks the Foundation’s EFL Week of Action activation, as it invites those it works closely with within the community to celebrate all of its work, united under the City badge, and changing lives through sport.