'Fairy tale' soccer

Assembled for just $10,000, the team's extraordinary exploits have spirits soaring in the Yorkshire city and far beyond.

Currently lying in 79th place out of the 92 top clubs in England, Bradford City will on Sunday contest a national cup final after a succession of thrilling, giant-killing triumphs over teams including Arsenal, the London-based club valued at $1.5 billion last year.

One of Bradford's biggest stars was stacking shelves in a local supermarket not long ago. Now James "Big Jim" Hanson will find himself playing in front of 90,000 fans at London's iconic Wembley Stadium and a television audience of millions.

A representative of the Dalai Lama even wrote a letter to say the exiled Tibetan religious leader wished Bradford City's fans "every success in the big match."

In football and in life, it's not about having a star-studded cast but the right spirit, attitude and formula.

Read 'Fairy Tale': Soccer team assembled for $10,000 slays English giants, wins over Dalai Lama.

HD says: A wonderful read for the weekend.

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