What makes the Bantams the Bantams? Jason McKeown’s new book, Who We Are: Exploring the DNA of Bradford City AFC, explores what it is that makes Bradford City unique and how its fortunes have reflected and inspired the fortunes of the city. From the club’s beginnings in the early 1900s to the boom and bust nature of the modern club, McKeown follows Bradford through World War One, the rise of Leeds United, the cross-sport rivalry with Bradford Bulls, and the tragedy of 11 May 1985.

McKeown will be in conversation with former COO James Mason, former captain Gary Jones, and sports historian John Dewhirst.

About The Speakers

John Dewhirst

John Dewhirst is a longstanding Bradford City supporter and co-founder of The City Gent in 1984. He has written extensively about the history of football in Bradford and been involved in the production of 11 books, and currently working on a new history of the City / Avenue rivalry. John is a self-employed business turnaround consultant.

Gary Jones

Gary Roy Jones is an English professional footballer. He has made 716 league appearances. Jones captained Bradford on 11 December 2012, in a historic win over Premier League team Arsenal in the League Cup. He then led the team to a 4–3 victory over two legs against Aston Villa in the semi-finals.  

James Mason

James Mason started his career as a BBC sports reporter before moving onto becoming the COO & CEO at Bradford City and Rochdale football clubs respectively. He was at Bradford City during a very successful spell in which the club sold 19,000 season tickets. He is now a talent agent.

About The Chair

Jason McKeown

Jason McKeown has been writing about Bradford City for over 15 years. He is the editor of the award-winning website Width of a Post, which has published over 1,500 articles. Who We Are, released in October 2018, is Jason’s third book after Paying on the Gate (2011) and Reinventing Bradford City (2016).