Bradford Bulls planning Odsal return whether they get in Super League or not

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josie andrews
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Bradford Bulls planning Odsal return whether they get in Super League or not

Post by josie andrews »

Bradford are edging closer to a return to Odsal as they finalise their bid to take the 12th spot in Super League for 2021.

Stock Car racing and speedway are also set to return to the stadium.

The Bulls, who were relegated from the top flight six years ago, are vying with York, Toulouse, London Broncos, Featherstone and Leigh to fill the vacancy created by Toronto’s failure to gain re-admission to Super League.

A central plank of Bradford’s submission is a return to their famous home after ground-sharing with Championship rivals Dewsbury for the last two seasons and acting chief executive Mark Sawyer says progress is being made.

The Rugby Football League bought the Odsal lease in 2011 in an effort to preserve rugby league in the city while alleviating the club’s financial problems but the Bulls moved out at the end of 2018, citing the crippling costs of operating the decaying stadium.

Our intention is to return to Odsal whether we’re in Super League or the Championship,” said Sawyer.

“We’re in negotiations with both the local authority, who own the freehold, and the RFL and we’ve agreed terms with a stock car operator.”

The aim is for stock car racing to return to Odsal after a 23-year absence by Easter and plans are also afoot for the stadium to once more house speedway.

The Bulls’ impressive fan base is likely to count in their favour when a seven-strong panel consider the Super League applications and Sawyer is hoping the club’s past financial problems will not jeopardise their chances.

The four-times Super League champions went through three administrations in five years before being liquidated in 2017.

“We’re making our application as robust as possible,” said Sawyer.

“The one thing we can’t do anything about is what previous regimes did. I’d be disappointed if it counted against us.

“It’s very much a circle at all rugby clubs. It’s fair to say all clubs have been in difficulties at some time or other.

“I would hope showing what we’ve been able to do in the last 13 months or so would put us in a decent light.”

After being relegated to League 1 in 2017, the Bulls bounced back to the Championship under veteran coach John Kear and he has already signalled his intentions with the signing of prolific scorer Danny Brough for 2021.

“John is determined to be as competitive as possible if we got the chance and he has indicated to us where we would need to strengthen further,” said Sawyer.

Sawyer stepped into his stop-gap role with the Bulls at the start of the year following the decision of previous owner Andrew Chalmers to walk away from the club and, largely due to the coronavirus pandemic, has found himself still running Bradford nearly 12 months later.

However, Sawyer says he intends to fully focus on his other role at Dewsbury, where he has been chairman for almost 20 years, as soon as he can hand over the responsibilities at Bradford and is hoping former RFL chief executive Nigel Wood will take on a big role.

Wood, who is due to step down as chief executive of the International Rugby League next week, and his family have a majority stake in the Bulls and, according to Sawyer, has been working for the club in the background.

“With his wealth of experience within rugby league, Nigel is a great asset for anybody and I’ve been asking him to take on a bigger role,” added Sawyer.

“At the moment, he’s just been dealing with one or two little projects but I think it would be good for the club if he stepped up.”

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/r ... ot-3045630
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CheshireWarrior
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Re: Bradford Bulls planning Odsal return whether they get in Super League or not

Post by CheshireWarrior »

Considering the very recent history Bradford have had in relation to finances and structure, is it wise they apply for SL?
the pieman
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Re: Bradford Bulls planning Odsal return whether they get in Super League or not

Post by the pieman »

i really hope the RFL dont let Bradford into SL at this stage.

They have shown serious levels of mis-management for years and had assistance that other clubs simply wouldnt have got from the RFL.

I am pretty sure that given Odsal wasnt considered fit 2 years ago and is likely to be in a worse state if it has been left to rot, then it will need money spending on it and will it actually be safe for spectators to attend.

IMO Bradford need to continue to build for another couple of years and prove that they are financially viable, before they should be considered for a place in Super League.

and the final point - Nigel Wood - really
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Mike
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Re: Bradford Bulls planning Odsal return whether they get in Super League or not

Post by Mike »

CheshireWarrior wrote: Tue Nov 24, 2020 1:12 pm Considering the very recent history Bradford have had in relation to finances and structure, is it wise they apply for SL?
They don't even have a cheif exec!
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fozzieskem
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Re: Bradford Bulls planning Odsal return whether they get in Super League or not

Post by fozzieskem »

Owned,in part by one Nigel Wood..I wonder if he will get his side into super league?
the pieman
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Re: Bradford Bulls planning Odsal return whether they get in Super League or not

Post by the pieman »

fozzieskem wrote: Tue Nov 24, 2020 10:37 pm Owned,in part by one Nigel Wood..I wonder if he will get his side into super league?
that was the last point i was making :).

i really hope he p***ed off some of the other owners so much that they will not support him being in charge in SL. IMO he has been a failure for rugby league at both national and international level, seemingly bowing down to pressure from the yorkshire mafia and preventing the game from moving forwards. We seem to have a habit in RL of working to the lowest common denominator instead of the highest, and thus bringing everything down because Wakey or Cas dont want to spend money on their grounds, full salary cap etc etc
fozzieskem
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Re: Bradford Bulls planning Odsal return whether they get in Super League or not

Post by fozzieskem »

the pieman wrote: Wed Nov 25, 2020 8:36 am
fozzieskem wrote: Tue Nov 24, 2020 10:37 pm Owned,in part by one Nigel Wood..I wonder if he will get his side into super league?
that was the last point i was making :).

i really hope he p***ed off some of the other owners so much that they will not support him being in charge in SL. IMO he has been a failure for rugby league at both national and international level, seemingly bowing down to pressure from the yorkshire mafia and preventing the game from moving forwards. We seem to have a habit in RL of working to the lowest common denominator instead of the highest, and thus bringing everything down because Wakey or Cas dont want to spend money on their grounds, full salary cap etc etc
I shouldn't post when half asleep :lol:

Apart from Big Nige I do feel this is a much that Bradford would automatically bring huge crowds with them, the support does seem to have drifted away with the continual miss management (which for me alone should preclude them from any thoughts of SL at present).

My choice would be either London or York,york in particular have a new ground ready to go not the slag heap that is odsall,

As for the big lad then I agree with you he has held the sport back let him have a season in charge of Bradford where they actually play s game unlike this one where they didn't really get to play to see if his tenure will end in tears of joy or happiness, the sport has just chucked out one side with no cash to invite another one potentially is madness.
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Re: Bradford Bulls planning Odsal return whether they get in Super League or not

Post by Wiganer Ted »

Bradford should not be allowed into SL for some years. They need to prove financial management rather than mismanagement. Their ambition to play again at Odsal shows that reality is some way off those in change at the Bulls.
Odsal costs a fortune to maintain and that is just to keep it as the dump it is and has been for decades. Any talk of upgrading the hole in the ground brings a price with it that no SL club could remotely afford.
We need to look at other city clubs who have a RL heritage, can bring in large crowds together with considerable sponsorship.
the pieman
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Re: Bradford Bulls planning Odsal return whether they get in Super League or not

Post by the pieman »

one of the things that irks me with regards to Bradford, and quite a few other clubs is that they talk about being well supported. Yes, they were at home in their pomp, but the away support was pretty poor generally, same with Leeds who dont bring decent numbers to the DW. I can recall at least 1 game with Bradford where the away end wasnt even opened, so that tells us all we need to know from a Wigan perspective.

I know a club shouldnt need to rely on away support to bump attendances up for revenue purposes, but it can create a better atmosphere in the ground, compared to when Catalans / London are in town.

So as a game, if we are looking at short term and putting away fans into grounds you would need to look at Leigh / Widnes who are more likely to bring some fans, especially to Wigan. However, if people want to look longer term and developing the game and its presence elsewhere, then it would need to be a team outside of the M62 corridor, but as a game we would need to accept that there may not be many fans at home / away games for that team as they build and develop.

Catalans are a classic example as they have a solid home following, but they get the benefit that the English fans see it as a weekend away, so get decent numbers of away fans for all of their games. However, we see a handful of Cats fans at all the home games, especially when played on a Friday night (admittedly they wouldnt bring 2.5k if we played them on a Saturday).

So for me, it wouldnt be Bradford in SL, and Nigel Wood at the helm just confirms that further. i dont particularly have a preference as to who is in SL, but would prefer some thought about the expansion of the game, and it not just be a 12 month whim. If a club from outside of the heartlands does make it into SL, then i think SL needs to have a 3 year exemption (franchise) to allow them to build and grow, but also put criteria in place for the existing team to ensure that they meet agreed criteria as it it currently conventiently ignored i.e. stadium, academy or reserve teams
Gerrumonside
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Re: Bradford Bulls planning Odsal return whether they get in Super League or not

Post by Gerrumonside »

Well for me it’s nuts that we all believe we can grow the game around the globe when our own league is suffering - let the NRL do that, they are loaded!

It needs to be a team from our shores and if needs be from the ‘corridor’ Cumbria or London to tick the growth box but let’s start walking before we try running - we grow sustainably from within before we can grow elsewhere and I honestly believe our game is struggling here. Hopefully we can get more teams in the league and from there a solid foundation for the future...
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