A QUIRKY book looking into the past of a Bradford sports team will square up against autobiographies of Muhammad Ali and Bob Paisley in a competition to crown the best sports book of the year.

Breaking Ground: Art Archaeology and Mythology documents an unusual historical dig at the former home of Bradford Park Avenue, and the book has made the shortlist for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year - the world’s oldest sports book prize.

It is the first crowd funded book to have been nominated for the prestigious award, and the team behind it will find out if their modern archaeology project has beaten sports heavy hitters on November 28.

The book is up against Ali: A Life by Jonathan Eig, Quiet Genius: Bob Paisley, British Football’s Greatest Manager, Tom Simpson: Bird on a Wire by Andy McGrath.

The seven strong shortlist also includes The Greatest Comeback: From Genocide to Football Glory by David Bolchover, a book that documents the career of Bela Guttmann a Holocaust survivor who won the European Cup as manager of Benfica.

Breaking Ground came together two years ago when 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, with former stands behind the goal now overrun by trees.

The project was funded by the Arts Council England and The National Football Museum, and an exhibition based on the book was held at the museum earlier this year.

Park Avenue fans were invited to get involved in the project, telling the team their memories of the grounds and helping shed some light on certain “artefacts” unearthed during the excavation.

The book, edited by Neville Gabie, Alan Ward and Jason Wood, 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. It is the first book produced in such a way to have been shortlisted for the award.

Items documented in the book include a safety pin thought to have been thrown at keeper Chik Farr, 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, leading to someone coming onto the pitch and putting them back on using a safety pin. After that he used to regularly wear them, and supporters would throw him spare safety pins.

The former pitch markings were mapped out, and items such as floodlight bulbs and coins uncovered.

Mr Gabie said the book, which looks at the club’s history as well as the dig, was “punching above its weight” and that being nominated was great for fans of the club.

Graham Sharpe chairman of judges and co-founder of the award, said: “This book is unique in many ways.

“The unique perspective on sport it presents really impressed us.

“You really don’t have to be a Bradford Park Avenue fan to be interested in this book, that is the real strength of it. We want to recognise books that transcend the subject.”

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