A UNIQUE project that saw archaeologists digging into the past of a Bradford football club will be competing against some heavy hitters to be named best sports book of the year.

Breaking Ground: Art Archaeology and Mythology tells the story of an unusual historical dig at the former home of Bradford Park Avenue, and has been long listed for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year.

It means the book will be competing against books by tennis coach Judy Murray, former England cricket captain Mike Brearley and others about Bob Paisley and Muhammad Ali for the prize – the world’s oldest sports book prize.

Two years ago a group of archaeologists, scientists and photographers descended on the site, off Canterbury Avenue, which was home to the club from 1908 to 1973 but has since been abandoned to nature.

Funded by the Arts Council England and The National Football Museum, the group began excavating the grounds, which once boasted crowds of 35,000, to come up with the book and an accompanying exhibition, which took place at the museum earlier this year.

The archaeologists found themselves in the unusual situation of excavating a site that had been used in the living memory of a lot of people. Fans were invited to add their memories to the project.

The land was developed in the 1880s for cricket and rugby, but is mainly known for the football stadium it became in the early 1900s, with a main stand designed by Archibald Leitch. Due to a covenant that says the land can only be used for sporting use, it has never been built on.

Bradford Park Avenue was once a top-flight club and the first major club to go bankrupt, leaving fans without a home.

The book was made possible by the support of former and current fans of the re-formed club, who through subscription and pre-publication orders, funded its printing.

Items discovered included a a floodlight bulb from the ground and coins that were thrown to children collecting money using blankets.

Neville Gabie, an artist in the project and one of the book’s editors, said: “Being on the list is amazing when you look at the rest of the nominees, we’re really punching above our weight. We’re just really pleased for the many fans of Bradford Park Avenue. It has been absolutely fabulous to put together. We’ve been really happy with how people responded to the book and the exhibition.

“We got some really amazing stories from it. I was talking to one lady who came to speak to us who was the daughter of Chik Farr, a successful keeper for the club, who played for the club in the 30s and 40s.

“During one game the elastic in his shorts snapped and they fell around his ankles. Someone came on and put them back on using a safety pin. After that he used to wear them a lot, and people in the crowd would throw him spare safety pins.

“As she was telling me this story an archaeologist who overheard us came over and said he had just found a safety pin that had been buried for years. It was an amazing moment.”

The shortlist will be announced on October 24, and the winner announced at an afternoon reception at BAFTA, in central London, on November 28.

The book is available by visiting http://bit.ly/2fjrB00