Bradford City's army of adult season ticket holders will have to pay an extra £34 to guarantee their seat at Valley Parade next season.

Chairman Geoffrey Richmond says the Bantams have increased their prices for the second successive season to finance the club's battle to establish itself among the leading clubs.

The tickets will go on sale on Monday with price increases due on March 18 and April 24. Richmond added that all seats inside Valley Parade will be available for season ticket holders unlike this season when 1,200 tickets were held back for each match.

However when the Sunwin Stand development is completed, an additional 7,000 tickets will be available for Bantams fans.

The various concessionary season tickets will also rise by £17 if bought before the first deadline.

Richmond said: "This is the second price increase in six years. Frankly, if we are to fulfil our ambitions to become an established Premier League side, regardless of what happens this season, we have to ask our supporters to accept that there is a price to pay for that.

"If you look at our prices compared to the average in the Premiership, the season tickets represent excellent value.

"The strength of every club is in its season ticket holders.

"The income that comes in enables a club to move forward and plan its expenditure, whether that be wages, transfer fees or anything else."

Last season, season tickets for the Ciba Stand C-block cost £272 before the initial deadline of mid-March while this year the same seat will cost £306 if bought before March 18.

The prices are based on 19 games in the Premier League or 23 in the Nationwide League.

City have announced that Block 'G' in the Ciba Stand will be an additional family enclosure next season with those supporters then moving to the new corner section between the Carlsberg and Sunwin Stands when the building work is completed.

Richmond also warned that there will be inconvenience for season ticket holders in the Sunwin Stand due to the construction work.

He said: "It is uncertain at this stage when the new development will be ready for use. If all goes to plan, it could be sometime between late November and February 2001.

"At varying times during that work, the seats in the Sunwin Stand will be exposed to the elements. The roof will come off in one go and be

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