Bradford City were formed following a series of meetings during the first half of 1903 and replaced the former rugby league club of Manningham, whose Valley Parade ground they used.

[3] Even before Bradford City were guaranteed a place in the Football League, the club made its first acquisitions by signing Jack Forrest and Ben Prosser from Stoke on 1 May.

[3] Money was raised to fund the club, including at least £2,000 from sponsors, a balance of £500 from Manningham FC[3] and proceeds from a summer archery tournament.

[7] The four-strong party which visited London,[3] as well as newly elected Alfred Ayrton made up five members of a 13-man sub-committee which controlled club affairs.

On 20 June, the club directors appointed former Sunderland secretary-manager Robert Campbell as Bradford City's first manager from a shortlist of 30 applicants.

[11] Bradford City's first league game was at Blundell Park against Grimsby Town on 1 September 1903, on a sunny Tuesday evening in front of 10,000 fans.

The pioneering team consisted of Arthur Seymour in goal, defenders Willie Wilson, Fred Halliday, George Robinson, Jimmy Millar and Thomas Farnall with Richard Guy, John Beckram, Jack Forrest, Johnny McMillan and John Graham in attack.

Graham, Beckram and Guy all came close to giving City an opening day lead, but Grimsby scored through Archie Dunn.

[14] The Bradford Daily Argus reported that the goal was "greeted with a shout which awoke babies on the distant hillsides of Bolton and Eccleshill.

The first ended in a 5–2 defeat to Burslem Port Vale; the second – on 24 October – finished in a 3–1 victory to Bradford against fellow Yorkshire side Barnsley.

The first qualifying round match and the club's debut in the competition was a 6–1 victory against Rockingham Colliery with six different City players on the scoresheet.

City progressed through the following two qualifying rounds against Mirfield United and Worksop Town, with all three games being held at Valley Parade.

[16] The club also made their first signing since the start of the season, bringing in forward Thomas Drain from Scottish side Maybole.

[17] City went another two weeks before playing again when their FA Cup run came to an end with a 2–1 defeat at their fellow Second Division side Chesterfield in the fourth qualifying round.

The club's six-game unbeaten run came to an end in the return fixture at Glossop, with further defeats following against Stockport County and Chesterfield.

[18] With the advent of league football in Bradford, thousands of people came to home games, resulting in the club's end-of-season receipts totalling £3,896.