To be honest, any negativity I feel towards Bradford isn't based on you lot who live in the city, its based on fact.

But what was the reaction, specifically? I will be honest and say that whenever I have heard people, on being told someone is from Bradford, try to be funny or take the pis5s, it only ever seems to be some racist fsck like, "Oh, you mean Braadistan", or similar. There was a brief period when people who could read, had a bit of fun at Bradford's expense following comments in a book by Bill Bryson, but that was very funny, if unfortunate, and not malicious and probably on balance the infamy bumped visitor numbers up.

I have rarely heard an outsider make any instant criticism of Bradford as a place as in, maybe, things to do, shopping facilities, housing, sports or anything else. The only ones who seem to come back with what they think is a derogatory putdown invariably seem to be those to whose "mind" it is a bad thing that "Pakis" live here.

Pointing out they are being a racist fsck sometimes does the trick, but I'm not interested in racists' views of Bradford to begin with.

Yeah then we could be sponsered by Northern Rock.

Generally the opinion that it was a run down,dirty dump full of car crime, unemployment and drugs, all of which is sadly true. It can be said that these problems also affect many other places but they seem far more prevalent in Bradford.
We left the city eight years ago as we could see the way things were going. My only contact nowadays is going to the rugby. Last year as a point of interest we drove through our old neigbourhood to have a look around and we were shocked and devastated at how run down and filthy 'our' nice street had become. My girlfriend who had lived there since the early sixties was almost in tears.

The bit you quoted from me was again in reference to changing grounds more than a name change.

I agree staying at Odsal with a name change is not much different to when Bradford Northern became Bradford Bulls, so a change to Northern Bulls would mean its the same club, but I still wouldn't agree to it.

As to being "more appealing", again thats subjective. Given I identify with the club as being the rugby league from the town I was born and raised in, Bradford, removing that identity is not appealing to me, it might be appealing to sponsors but ultimately I could care less about their detached view of my club. As long as they don't desert us completely, and tbh my guess is that sponsor/advertising spend is more about the amount of people who see/hear/associate with the companies message than it is about some subjective image problem. So Bradford as a city could be twice as worse as it is now, but if we averaged 28,000 fans to every home game you can bet the blue chip companies would be more keen on advertising space than they are now.

If people are embarrassed by the Bradford connection I'd suggest it's they who need to change, not the name of the club.

Why? Because we can see the realities of the state that this once proud city has degenerated to?
If you are happy to be associated with how things are then that's fine but i want better than that.

There is much truth there.

Major sponsors, in the national sense, don't have the same perception as locals anyway, nor do they read the T&A. Any business worth its salt will look at any prospective new area, see what's missing, and see an opportunity [inot[/i a reason to disengage and that attitude is likely to be one of the biggest reasons they became successful in the first place.

Some of the emotive nonsense in here about how Bradford is so much worse than everywhere else is laughable to anyone who moves around the country and keeps their eyes open. Sure Bradford has problems; so does [ievery[/i large urban area, have a wander round Gipton, Belle Isle (what a misnomer, beautiful island, indeed) or Osmandthorpe all in that area, slightly to the east, that people have a "much better perception" of.

The one probably 'unique' problem is the stalled shopping centre in the city centre, that apart we are little different from other similarly sized areas in the south, London, midlands or north; all have boarded up shops, beggars in the streets, massive drug crime figures, 'dodgy' red light areas, unemployment, poverty and deprivation. We are not alone.

Well said.

Most of the negativity and bitterness in Bradford seems to be 'internal' and based on divisions (perceived or otherwise) of race and class.

Yes, I agree. Though it's not been articulated there does seem to be a slight 'whiff' in the air.

Okay so after reading through 4 pages of this here goes.

1. There are a lot of people who are obviously unhappy about Bradford, I am probably one of them. To be honest I hate the place, it's a dump, full of immigrants and atm is a shi*hole.

2. However I am proud of my Bradford roots even at 16 years old the name 'Bradford Bulls' is the one I grew up with. Most of you will remember 'Bradford Northern'. And at 16 years old even I know that Bradford needs something to revitalise the place. Why can't that be a successful rugby (and football) teams?

3. Which brings me to point 3. If we can all get behind our local football and rugby teams. They might actually start to get better. I mean 10,000 a game is great but lets all try push for outstanding and get 15,000-20,000 a game. In both sports? Let's give Bradford something to shout about! So I hope that they both get together and have a season ticket for £250 which allows you into ALL City and Bulls home games.

Find another team then. Seriously. This one represents Bradford, as was stated above the door when you came in.

maybe a fair point for those with an interest in attending both sports. as long as the joint ticket is an extra option and you dont expect those of us with no interest in bradford city to fork out nearly twice as much for a bulls season ticket.

Yes I meant as a joint venture for people interested in both mate. I obv don't expect Bulls Fans to pay so much if all they are going to see is the Bulls.

No it's not. If it were, why would that be a problem?

Bradford city centre may be a dump compared with many neighbouring towns and cities but it's not as if it's the only city in the country to have fallen on hard times.

I'd be against changing the name. The club is one of the good things about the city and as a Bradfordian I would say losing the "Bradford" part of the name would be like selling out and betraying my city when it's having a tough time. If others are comfortable with that then I'm shocked.

Because Tigertot, if you look at the Bulls crowd, there are very very little Asian/Eastern European fans if any so we need to try tap into them and try make them come watch the Bulls. It kills around 3 birds with one one stone. It improves crowds, gets another race/ethnicity involved in rugby league and ultimatley may make Bradford a better place.

I remember discussing this in about 2007/2008ish.

I don't come from Bradford and don't have any particular loyalty to the city so therefore I don't have any emotional ties to the name Bradford.

However... I would hate to see the club changing it's name for anything as cynical as a marketing ploy. The club were Bradford when I started watching them... it's not like I thought 'oh, I'll just ignore the Bradford bit...' or they mis-represented themselves! By all means focus on the Bulls part because it is very marketable and synonymous with the success we had, but... unlike Wigan (who had that remarkable spell of success) or even Leeds (who talked the talk despite not really walking the walk until they became 'Rhino's'), I don't think the 'Bradford' part sells itself in the Rugby League and especially the none RL world in the same way.

To be honest, you can't judge a city on what the local rag says - like all papers they tend to highlight the negative and, being a local paper their focus is purely on the city! Being an outsider and not a reader of the T&A (except the sports page on the website) the image I have of the city is of an incompetent council rather than a city that's any better of worse than any other. You have to remember that both new shopping precincts in Leeds were put on hold including one that, like Bradfords, had already started but unlike yours it at least looked like it was under way rather than being the now infamous hole so didn't get the bad press. Wakie also has the same situation I believe. I don't know whether Bradford will ever rid itself of the image it gained due to it's large Asian community and 1980's standups but it's up to the City to portray it as a negative thing and the club to exploit this largely untapped fanbase.

Lose the Bradford and, as has been mentioned, you leave yourself open to re-location. But the same could be said even if you keep the name if someone's wallet was big enough. You lose the sense of identity that makes local rivalries what they are. You lose the positives that a successful team can bring to a city. I know there are those on here who think the council should do more for the club but, to be honest, that's not what it's there for. Like any politician or political body I would fully expect them to jump on the back of any success but there job is running the city, not a privately owned sports club (in the same way the Leeds Council refused to loan LUFC money to buy back Elland Road)

Being from Bradford, i feel very strongly about keeping the name. The club represents Bradford in a positive light, and i would be disappointed if the 'Bradford' tag was dropped. The main argument with being against the Bradford name is that it connects us with a run down city with poor counseling etc. However, we are not the only club with a team in a city that has hit hard times. I would mention some but wouldn't want to offend. If we call ourselves Northern Bulls, this does nothing but cement Bradford's place as a second rate city, when infact by keeping the Bradford tag we can highlight the positives that Bradford has to offer and with Economic look and better political initiatives we can see Bradford vibrant again (Hopefully). I am sure the Non-Bradfordians here can accept the view that most of us Bradfordians have with our club and city, however poor both might be at the moment, long may that not continue!

Bradford's Bouncing Back, is it not?

It was a number of years ago when that slogan was coined. Maybe, superficial as it is, a similar campaign is needed today?

I cant believe that this thread has been started and commented upon by someone who relocated to Doncaster of all places, or is it a village outside Doncaster witha Doncaster Post code. Bradford is a northern industrial City that has fallen on hard times like many others. thats becuase the sources of employment that led to these towns and cities growing is no longer there! Places like Huddersfield, Wigan, St Helens, Warrington, Leigh, Halifax, Castleford, Pontefract, Dewsbury, Batley, Blackburn, Bolton, BUrnley, HUll, Sheffield, Doncaster, York, Wakefield etc..... Only Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds are growing, and thats because they hit the depths first!

Virtually every SL club would be seeking to relocate to Leeds or Manchester then????

all of thses places will have outlying districts that are very nice, but the town/city centres and some of the inner city areas will not be very nice! No Sh*t!!!

Would I walk alone in Moss-side, or Chapletown, or Toxteth after dark ??? no! nor would i walk through Manningham or Bradford Moor. Would I go out in Bingley, or Baildon, or Haworth? of course i would!

Bradford BUlls for me. I am a Bradfordian and follow them because they are the team that represents our city. end of. even keeping the name and moving the ground in to another locale would stop me supporting.

[url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/news_backing/"We're Backing Bradford!"[/url

Amusingly, not updated since around the time of the original completion date for the park.

Strangely, although that is quite recent, well, a lot more recent than the 'bouncing back' campaign, I don't remember it.


Maybe it's because I've become a bit disengaged and tend not read to the end of articles promising jam tomorrow? On the same theme, I wonder to myself, is my disengagement [imy[/i fault or is it the fault of the authorities in charge of leading us to paradise?