The Bradford City museum, bantamspast, is to close at Valley Parade after City’s match against Swindon Town on May 5.

Curator Dave Pendleton said it would make way for the new free school being developed by Wayne Jacobs’ charity One in a Million, which is scheduled to open in September.

The museum grew out of the 2003 exhibition at the Industrial Museum called 100 Years of Claret and Amber. With the agreement of City’s joint chairman, Julian Rhodes, the museum was first located in the back of the club shop in the summer of 2005.

Since then Mr Pendleton estimates that up to 30,000 people have visited.

“In that time we have published two books – soon to be three with Paul Firth’s book on the career of goal-scoring legend Bobby Campbell, have hosted four large temporary exhibitions and have had a hand in three exhibitions at the Industrial Museum.

“We were fortunate enough to attract some fabulous pre-match speakers: football ground historian Simon Inglis, The Guardian’s David Conn, and a highly amusing Dean Windass.

“We even branched out into tourism when I led a party of City fans on a pilgrimage to the final resting places of the nine City players and two Bradford Park Avenue players killed in the 1914-18 War.”

Bantamspast later moved to its present position above the club shop. David Ward, Bradford East Liberal Democrat MP, took an interest in the project from 2004 when he was a ward councillor. On matchdays he could he found helping to serve food and drinks.

He managed to persuade Leeds Metropolitan University to rent the entire floor for three years and develop it as a community hub. That is when the cafe re-opened.

He said: “When I got into Parliament 18 months ago One in a Million took over the space and invested in it quite heavily. I am not a free school fan, but they do a great job.

“It’s a shame about the museum. I hope the club can offer space for some of the displays.”

Mr Pendleton said: “We have brought the people’s history to the people. Sports history is not just about glittering trophies and millionaire players. It is also about the doings of the countless thousands who have trudged up Manningham Lane every other Saturday since 1886.”

Objects loaned to the museum will be returned during the summer. The museum on-line will continue and the cafe may also be kept going.

e-mail: jim.greenhalf@telegraphandargus.co.uk