To be honest I don't think we have any chance of SL in the future with either stock cars or speedway as co-tenants. That sort of stadium isn't the image that Elstone and the rest of SL are looking for. Trouble is I'm far from sure they are wrong and, for the record, I say that as someone who has very much enjoyed watching both stocks and speedway at Odsal and elsewhere.

I've seen stuff doing the rounds regarding stock cars going back to Odsal and the stadium being upgraded with the help of the stock car version of the RFL but that to get the actual ball rolling, they're going to need £500k

How likely any of this is, seems to me at least, to be in the same realm as the Super Dome. But stranger things have happened.

This bit says it all really. Along with my previous comment about what the SL clubs will be looking for, the fact that money isn't available means it is extremely unlikely to suddenly become so in the short to medium term. As a club, the Bulls don't have the cash to pay for general maintenance let alone 'improvements' which wouldn't benefit RL. We'd still be at Odsal if we did.

I think the 'superdome' quote sums it up quite accurately, tbh.

£500k needed to get stock cars back?













Well that isn't happening then is it?

They probably heard that we were gullible enough to do it in the past.

It's a nice thought but would be the final act in the history of the club. We couldn't survive yet another financial crisis. It's been clear for years you can only 'prosper' with a wealthy backer and we have never, ever had one and we certainly don't have one now.

Yeah like Amazon prime delivering the corners just before the players come out and then moved into place by drones.

Think of the sponsorship opportunities especially with us being back on sky sports.

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/se ... expansion/

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/se ... expansion/

I share all of the concerns expressed above. But what are the viable alternatives?

Valley parade X
Dewsbury long term X
Odsal without SL X

Replace De Niro and Walken in the Vietnamese jungle, two bullets in the gun, with Wood and Sawyer sat at Odsal Top and you might get some sense of the options available.

What about the boutique stadium over the road? The chances of building that are not dissimilar to the chances of us making Odsal economically viable. Bloody slim.

"Boutique stadium" one of Chalmers phrases I recall....

Yeah its such a cute phrase I can't help but use it. It does give a lovely mental picture of a 15,000 place though doesn't it. The Trevor Foster stand for seated season ticket holders. Directly opposite the main Brimah Kebbie stand. Behind the sticks the away fans are in the Nick Zisti which you expect to be good but is surprisingly crap.

I think I may have gone mad.

How about the Tame Toupou Main entrance?

On first sight so promising but once you're past that it's just the same old rhubarb in yet more disappointing clothes.

The Karl Pryce function room. Absolutely huge and able to cater for any event, but curiously no balls.

Daft thing is, though I would never have believed it, I'm pretty happy watching Championship rugby.

Would I like to watch SL again? Well, yes but I can't see it happening until we get a seriously wealthy backer who's prepared to put up the moolahs and he's not around yet, so far as I can see. Speedway, stock cars, horse carriage racing, world marbles championships (that should look great from the back of the stand, btw..) and all the rest is just typical empty paper talk with little or no substance.

I could see stock cars at Odsal but I can't see us being involved, if only because currently we have nothing to bring to the party, not sure if we could even manage a bottle for the opening.

The Matt Orford "Ox lounge", Its great for a while, but then when you go home you will never go back to it. Ever, ever.

The deal is about 95% of the way there to bring regular Stock Car meetings and the F1 Stock Car World Championships meeting in September to Odsal next year.

It's all sounding very positive behind the scenes with Nigel Wood, Mark Sawyer, Steve Rees and the RFL (Ralph and Tony) agreeing on a deal last week at Odsal Stadium.

If you listen to my interview with Steve, he explains everything in great detail about what will and won't happen, but be rest assured the Bradford Bulls and Stock Car racing will be back at the stadium next April.

It's all positive.

The key date for this going through is as I've put on Twitter, the next RFL board meeting on Thursday, December 3.

Ralph Rimmer and Simon Johnson are confident the deal benefits both Nigel, Mark and Steve.

call me cynical but is stock car racing even that big a sport to make any real difference to the club earning money?

Can you call it a back door reprieve when Leeds, St Helens, Warrington, Castleford and Huddersfield, along with Sky Sports and Robert Elstone want Bradford back in Super League to increase crowds, eyeballs and Sky Sports subscriptions?

Before anyone mentions it, yes, I know those above have no actual say in the process all five clubs that have applied are following but the point stands that it's informative to know what people would like if they had the chance and that reflects in the criteria which were set.

I just hope that the people saying let's stabilise in the Championship realise that there will be no central funding after next year for the Championship and League One, so how can clubs stabilise?

Listen to the interview and it'll give you a good idea. Indeed, you won't get much change out of £500,000 for getting the health and safety of the stadium to the government green guide specifications.

Steve Rees is the promoter who last run the stock cars at Odsal in 1997 when on the bank holiday Monday just over 10,000 turned up.

The fact that they are financing the opening of the Rooley Avenue terracing for the World Championships Final tells me that they expect to sell the 17,000 current capacity of Odsal out.

I think people just forget how big Stock Car racing is in Europe and beyond.

In the interests of fairness, I'll be happy to let them dig up the corners of our pitch every week if we can dig a few holes in their track. They'll soon adapt to having a strange pothole.

On the stock cars I think it will be reasonably popular (the monster truck event always packs out) I don't think for a minute we'll be starry eyed and having odsal packed to the rafters. But hopefully it will be popular enough to remain at Odsal so we can share the upkeep.

The situation I see is, sadly a new stadium just isn't going to happen. If it doesn't happen when there is a prime spot in the Richard Dunns site currently available, the Bulls out of the city, it will never happen.

So our options are limited. I like Dewsbury but the longer we stay the harder it is to get back. The attendances will eventually fall each year we stay there. Valley parade is a non starter. BPA isn't big enough.

The issue with Odsal isn't so much the rent or even the income we make off it. It's the upkeep and maintenance just to open the gates. If we can bring in another party to help with that, then that's good news.

This isn't going to be a case of 20k fans watching the stock cars, investment to put a roof on the stand, and we make thousands from all the burger and beer sales there. I think it's literally another party halving the maintenance costs to enable us to play in Bradford. It will be far from perfect but it's better than the alternative.

Has anyone got a link to the aforementioned interview please.

Also does anyone know what stadium work would be carried out for the reported 500k.
Thats more than just replacing a few urinals and a lick of paint.

Both you and I know we are not in Europe and that crowds will be smaller than a Huddersfield away crowd. This is just spin and bluster to hide the fact the advanced talks to build a new stadium on RD's was more bullpoop than the Superdome.

How much will it cost to open the stadium for 700 stock car fans when you were peddling Chalmers figure of £33k to open the ground for an RL game? It's. All. Bull. Sheet.