While there is no suggestion that the future of Bradford City is anything but rosy at the moment, moves by a supporters’ group to have it declared a community asset are a sensible way of helping safeguard it for the future.

If Bradford Council agree to the proposal by Bradford City Supporters’ Trust, as officers are recommending they do, it would mean that the owner of the ground would have to notify the Council if they wanted to sell it – and allowing community groups to bid for it.

To be very clear, there is no suggestion that is likely to happen in the future, and there is a lease in place for City to pay rent to former chairman Gordon Gibb’s family pension fund until 2029 as rental for the ground.

But the trials and tribulations of the city’s other big sports club, Bradford Bulls, the not-too-distant history of City itself, and the general uncertainty and rapidly-shifting fortunes that seem to affect all sports clubs at some time or another, mean nothing can be taken for granted.

And having Valley Parade declared a community asset, while offering no guarantees of what would happen in such a situation, at least means the fans will be kept in the loop and given chance to act should any significant change to current circumstances occur.

The application is believed to be the first by a football club in Yorkshire to use the new legislation to help safeguard the ground’s future.

Hopefully, it will never be needed, but as a way of allowing the community – and the fans – some input into the future of the club if the worse should happen, it is a forward-thinking move by the supporters’ trust that should be approved by councillors.