Totally agree in terms of the cash flow. RL is not a rich sport and when you compare it with football clubs you can see why things can spiral out quickly.

Yes the Bulls have had a terrible track record but this was as a result of the consequences of sanctions, inexperienced owners without the wealth to underpin a club (all chosen and approved might I add by the RFL).

And yes there are some who are arrogant enough to believe Bulls should be a SL team, but I think you will find most of us are realistic to know we shouldn't be until we earn the right to go up.

However don't confuse being ed off with how the club has declined with arrogance... our clubs decline has been compounded time and time again by ad-hoc decisions by RFL and the other clubs who have just made up the rules regarding this as they've gone on.

2012 - Club is very badly run and makes terrible decision to ask RFL to buy leasehold on the ground in order to raise some cash liquidity. Results in bank withdrawing overdraft as the club now had not tangible assets (cue spiral downwards) and hence falls into admin with relatively low debt for a sports club.

2012 - Admin sell club to Omar Khan who doesn't have great wealth or experience to run club. RFL agree and SL clubs withhold sky funding (splitting it between themselves in a moment of self interest). Club run at loss and run up higher debts than is sustainable. Results in Admin No2.

2014 - Admin No.2 and club sold to Marc Green, who has a bit more money that Omar Khan but isn't the most trustworth in his dealings. RFL agrees to this and dock club more funding and a six point deduction. Club relegated and funding decreases further.

2016 - Club running at a loss for another two years has run up even bigger debts and now gambles on a top 4 finish. Miss top 4 and coincides with Greens security company going bust. Green no longer has money to fund vanity project and cue Admin No3 and Liquidation.

2017 - Club goes bust, RFL sell new licence with (guess what) no funding and 12pt deduction (for a new club pretty much a sandwich to get started with). With no funds from season tickets club relegated and funding drops further in League 1. Club run up biggest losses yet and by magic everything keeps getting paid out... until CCJ's drop in 2019.

Not going to play the poor us card, we deserve nothing from the league or other clubs but the decisions to kick the club whilst its down has happened several times now and would not be allowed to happen in any other sport. Therefore for anyone to suggest we get specialist treatment is laughable.

Looking at the Giants last set of accounts, I would suggest if your backers ever pulled out then I don't see how you would fund the gap in your accounts. Same could be said for most clubs too. That's to worry when a sport is based on a limited number of moderately wealthy individuals.

On a more serious note however... how is it that you can't sustain a good chippie in Huddersfield?

Ah - I see you fail to mention who gets to check, validate and approve ownership of these owners who become "The Bulls".
It must be a great process and I can only guess the job description has an Essential of "must be hopeless at sums" and must be an arrogant tawt"
Because thats what we keep getting as our owner - it translates to the Bulls being arrogant - even though its just one man with a not very popular column in the local rag.

Most of us on here just wish he's shut up.

Anyway - I see the usual has happened - a thread about where we might play has turned into a bitch fest (again).
Can't think why....

Oh yes - we are part of that "Rugby League Family" - you know - the cynical, bitching, sniping negative one we all love to be part of.

I'll give you one thing though - there are some quality real ale pubs in the centre - and its a great railway station too...
Oooops thats two - can't count - typical Bulls fan.

What about not paying your share towards the redevelopment of the SHay? What about paying no rent and getting locked out while the football club in the duldrums manages to pay it all. As has been said glass houses

I still think by far the likeliest option is that we will be at Odsal next season

I think Chalmers is indulging in a bit of brinkmanship with the Council - perhaps he's been taking lessons off Michael Carter

I mean, Wakefield threaten to move to Dewsbury almost every year, but they are still at that dump Belle Vue aren't they?

None of the other options make much sense, and whatever the shortcomings of Odsal (plenty), it's a case of 'better the devil you know....'

Well if he is then it won't work. You will struggle to find a worse council than Bradford when it comes to decision making on stuff like this.

As has been proved in the past - if anything they are worse now.

I wouldn't like to predict where this will take us - but for sure Odsal is going down the tubes fast.

We can't even afford light bulbs for the floodlights.

I would personally find it a big wrench to leave Odsal but if the club can't get an agreement on reducing the costs of playing there then it's something i'll have to come to terms with if it means the club can move forward and finally put the issues of the last decade behind us. It's hard to envisage where the money for any form of redevelopment would come from given all the previous failed attempts so it's probably inevitable that we'll have to move at some point anyway.
I still think the stadium is fine for where we currently are and better than a rash move out of the city if a deal can be struck with the Rfl and council.

Long term i think VP may be the best option if an affordable arrangement can be made with city and the stadium owners. It would meet all our requirements if we ever get promoted and it was on standby (apparently) to stage the CC semi finals if Bolton were unable to so appears they are keen on having rugby played there again. I got used to us playing there back in 01/02, although i still wanted us to move back to Odsal. I have some fond memories( i only recall losing there twice) especially the last minute penalty goal from half way to beat Wigan. The down side to VP, for me, is parking and it's all seated. City have spent a lot on the pitch last year to improve drainage so it should be in a position to cope with extra use.

The other options, for me, are non starters.

Horsfall- too small, no parking and the pitch allways struggles over winter with just PA playing on it. Their games allways seem to be among the first to be called off in bad weather.

Dewsbury - is a nice little ground and i quite enjoy going there. However, it's out of the city and could alienate a lot of fans. I wouldn't go to as many games if we moved there. Also capacity could be an issue if most fans did decide to go.

Cougar Park - may be in Bradford Met but certainly not in the city. It is also further from Odsal than Dewsbury but for each supporter will obviously depend on where they live. Would probably be about same as Dewsbury for me. Capacity here would be an issue too and it's just as exposed to the elements as Odsal. We would also be as welcome as an Adder in a lucky dip so it's a definate no for me

So , to sum up, my heart says stay at Odsal but my head says VP if we have to move.

I agree on this one with. Hopebull. To me Horsfall reminds me a bit like North Wales ground and it's more or less in Haro!d Park. I would prefer V.P. if it was possible to move there, but we will have to see what happens in the next few weeks.

Well, AC's column is out and it makes interesting reading.... https://www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/article ... exit-looms

Well, AC's column is out and it makes interesting reading.... https://www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/article ... exit-looms

I've been a supporter of Chalmers up until now but I don't like the tone of that article. It seems that like his apparent hero Boris, he doesn't actually have a plan, but is just making threats to leave. Like Brexit, it seems a high risk strategy.
Bang goes my season ticket next year I'm afraid. So frustrating that after a very enjoyable season it seems we're back into Crisisville!

We need to be clear on things here.

This day has been coming since Hoods plans for Odsal Sposts Vilage failed in 2007.

Since then its been a slow but unrelenting spiral of disrepair for the stadium.

Scoreboard failed - not fixed.
Coral stand paintwork almost completely gone - not fixed.
Floodlights - hardly any bulbs.
We have to pump every litre of water from dressing rooms upto the sewer system as its so far below levels - if that pump fails - its a fortune to fix
On and on it goes.

Its a bottomless pit for absorbing funds and at some point - the day was going to come when it could no longer be sustained - its just taken a long time to get here.

For this reason I don't see AC's words as idle threat - just a way of putting across where we are.

I think, no matter what decision he makes - there will be an outcry and we will lose some support.

A rocky road is ahead of us.

I thought Chalmers article was one of his most sensible yet. Sometimes if you don't like the answer you shouldn't ask the question.

Look at the numbers he's quoting instead of the 'tone'. Odsal is going to kill this club if we don't do something about it. Chalmers is smarter than I thought by refusing to sign a lease deal - it sounds like the RFL were trying to tie him (and the club) down to a commitment right from minute one the sly gits.
Unfortunately for us, he's trying to barter with two parties who don't have a pot to p*ss in between them, so I don't really see how this reaches a satisfactory resolution for anyone involved.

I don't dispute the numbers and am well aware what a drain on the club Odsal is but like the Brexiteers he quotes, Chalmers isn't proposing a solution, just threatening to chuck his toys out of the pram. As you say without any financial help from the Council or the RFL where the hell do we go next?

Surely he has mentioned a solution by looking at other venues and making a decision on these by the 15th August?

Went into the club shop this morning and AC's article was all they were talking about - VP isn't an option as the costs to pay and play are too high, and Dewsbury or Batley are the options....

Wonder what the RFL and CBMDC will do with the hole in the ground?

Fill it in and build houses?

They can build on the land behind the South Bank. I doubt they can get planning permission to fill the bowl given the proximity to the new housing.

A move outside Bradford is a non-starter. I remember Caisley proposing that in the T&A back in 2002 and moving us to Hudders and renaming us the West Yorkshire Bulls. It was just kite flying to get a reaction – it didn’t work then when we were world champions and had 5 figure crowds. Such tactics now are unlikely to work. If Chalmers takes us to Dewsbury or Batley then I’m out. It would be repeating what has happened to Oldham and Swinton.

I thought it would be Horsfall, that was my thinking until Irvine got moved out. That suggests all isn’t well up there. Having read a few posts from people who know the BPA situation they’re skint too – despite Roberts’ reputed millions. He’s not as minted as many think. Could be the two skint clubs thrown together. We need more than a 3500 capacity though.

Can’t see us at VP, the rent is going to be more than £72k per annum isn’t it? Overheads may be lower but it’ll cost plenty and lose a few fans.

By writing this article and giving such a short deadline it makes me wonder if Chalmers has already made his decision. There’s been no consultation. There’s not time to do it properly either. At the very least I would phone all season ticket holders from 2017 onwards – they’re the real hardcore to have put up with the past few years. Ring them up and do a poll.

This.

Think if they move out of bradford, they might as well put up the closed signs as attendances will drop at least 50%. Plus playing at someone elses stadium, we wont be getting bar takings and will be charged through nose for hospitality so less income there too. Park avenues too small and VPs too big for where we are now.

I suspect best we can hope for is a rent reduction and continue at Odsal whilst negotiations continue. Same as Wakefield did every year with Belle Vue.

Also suspect we thought we had a deal lined up for something at PA and Irvine tried to push it through with the article out of nowhere last week with all the talk of bulls and pa linkups Think he overstepped mark a bit and PA owners took umbrage and showed him the door.

He probably has made his mind up if the council and RFL don't give him what he needs. I would be gutted at leaving Odsal and it's memories of standing with my dad on our own little mud perch next to the steps where the players came down. The problem is that I also see the stadium as a death sentence to the club unless a millionaire steps in and I have been waiting for that for about 50 years now so that probably won't happen.
If we move out then all I ask of Chalmers is to be totally honest with the fans and lay out the facts clearly and fully so we can all see why he had to make that decision. We can't have supporters assuming and guessing and pretending they are in the know. Please tell us everything and we will decide knowing the full detail.

Quote ="Scarey71"Well, AC's column is out and it makes interesting reading.... https://www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/article ... exit-looms'" It may be interesting reading but, some of the 'facts' he quotes regarding funding for stadia elsewhere are quite simply, wrong.

Quote ="Scarey71"Well, AC's column is out and it makes interesting reading.... https://www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/article ... exit-looms'" It may be interesting reading but, some of the 'facts' he quotes regarding funding for stadia elsewhere are quite simply, wrong.

Is it an option to simply close the club down. Don't think it's been done before but...?

Except the Wakefield bit what else has Chalmers got wrong?

Whether we like it or not Odsal is a dump, RFL and BMC have not put a penny into the the Ground for years, we have been paying maybe 75K for a patch of grass to play on with little of no improvements.
Some fans seem to want to keep playing at a money sponge ground rather than move to maybe a better playing ground and maybe see a bit more money go into the team.
This is a catch 22 situation with no right or wrong course of action