I can't make the meeting, but any group of fans meeting anywhere for anything to try to help our club can't be a bad thing, can it?

Correct!! The intention is there - the more guidance available the better

2 heads better than one blah blah blah

Turn up if you can people

If anyone from the organisors of this is online (I cant get to facebook at work), is BG there just to observe or is he taking questions or leading any aspect of it?

Is this going to be advertised through the t&a?

Is there any sort of rough agenda or is it just questions and suggestions from the floor?

And lastly I guess its open to anyone? Not sure if I can make it but might try to.


Its great that fans want to get involved and help, I just hope we can do it in an organised way to make best use of the extremely limited timeframe. Has anyone from the Monday group/facebook group invited the Bullbuilder board?

I'm not involved in setting up or anything but to answer you queries -

Not sure on BG's role

Been in todays T&A and the revised bvenue is in the online versions

An agenda has been set - still waiting to see it

it is open to all

I have suggested that Bullbuilder are brought on board in a prominent role if possible

Posting this in a personal capacity only, but I think may be relevant.

Two of the organisers (named) contacted Supporters' Direct regarding setting up a Supporter's Trust. Jaquie Forster of SD rang me (as Secretary - our Chairman was in the middle of giving a radio interview at the time) yesterday afternoon, asking if we knew anything about them doing so (we did not) and wondering why they were looking at setting up a ST when we already have one established. She was especially concerned not to see fragmentation of the fans' voices.

I brought her up to date with the current situation, although she was already pretty well briefed, and she explained she is familiar with Guilfoyle from working with the established supporters' trusts in previous administrations such as Plymouth Argyle and Leeds United.

She asked permission to pass Bullbuilder (The Bradford Rugby League Supporters' Society Limited) contact details on to them (said she had to ask first) which of course I gave. Details on the website anyway.

In case anyone is unaware, there are quite a few legalities involved in setting up a supporters' trust - and the board takes on the same legal responsibilities as directors of a limited company - which is what a supporters trust actually is. For all practical purposes, you need model rules (the equivilent of the Articles of Association of a trading company), suitably tailored, that have already been registered with the financial authorities by Supporters Direct, and they have to sponsor you.

And you need time, not least waiting on the authorities. You then need more time (and a load more legalities) to set up the bank account. I think it took us about three months to establish Bullbuilder, although it could be done a fair bit quicker at need. I subsequently gave the benefit of our experience to those who were setting up their own supporters' trust at Wakey, and again time was a big issue there. We had in turn received considerable and much-appreciated assistance from the Warrington supporters' trust, on which our was loosely modelled. The RL family is alive and well amongst the dedicated fans!

Supporters Direct, and the financial authorities, are extremely keen on the corporate governance and democracy aspects, and there have to be strict rules and processes for appointing board members and various other decisions and activities. Trusts also have to be audited each year, or subject to independent financial examination up to certain income limits. The objects (purposes) of the trust need to be quite widely drawn to demonstrate benefit the wider community - just saying e.g. "our sole purpose is to save the Bulls and make sure it all never happens again and hang the buggers high" is probably what many people would love to see happen, but has some chance of inviting rejection!



Hope some of that is informative.

Adey - will Bullbuilder be getting involved? or you inparticular? you have wealth of knowledge which will be too valuable for words in this current situation.

I wonder if some of your vocal detractors on here will show up?

time to for the Bulls fanbase to act as one, time for petty squabbles and arguments later

To be honest I find the timing a to be a bit early. If we go through the admin period and then are liquidated and [istill[/i no-one comes in with a bid, then there is a useful role for a specially organised fans' group to work specifically on setting up a new club. At that point the objectives would be totally clear and there would be some flag to rally round.

I really can't see what purpose it is going to serve right now. I don't doubt the sincerity of the people involved though and hope it remains constructive.

I think it has been pointed out a length on several threads how long it can take to set up and organise any sort of formal body - so cannot hurt to at least see if there is sufficient interest now. Whatever does emerge from the ashes it will need the supporters behind it and the better orgainsed they are the better.

But like Bullpower2012 I was wondering if Bullbuilder would be at the meeting as they are already a fully constituted Bulls supporters group - who knows they might even pick up some more members?

As a member of the BullBuilder board, I'll be there - work permitting - in an indivdual capacity.

There has been no invitation or other direct communication between the organisers of this event and the BullBuilder board, but as far as I can see, individual fans are welcome, so I'll attend on that basis.

This.

Although I have such heavy work commitments for the next two months (as well as tonight being the financial year end) that the chances of me being able to attend are not good.

Has anybody heard anything from last nights hastily organised RFL meeting with the Super League Clubs yet?

I did mention this on the firm's website.. they said they'd try and get someone from bullbuilder there.. latest reports are that it is understood that the joint administrator Brendan Guilfoyle will also be at the meeting.

In fact, I've just been informed that our chairman did receive an invitation. There was just nothing the last time I'd checked.

As I mentioned, I was going to try to attend anyway.

What is The Firm?

Firstly, well done to the organisers of the Guide Post meet. Whether it is productive or not it will be a rally for those of us who currently feel disillusioned and impotent. We want to do something to help but dont know what.

I shall be there but have reservations atm for what's going to happen.

What is the purpose of the meeting? What are it's objectives and what will it seek to achieve?
What is the agenda, and who will run the meeting so that it sticks to it's objectives - otherwise it could degenerate into a mob shouting match.

"Bull Builder" is the Bradford Bulls Supporters Trust with all legal admin and structure in place so priorities should not include setting up another Trust.
Perhaps Bull Builder have been remiss in not organising a similar meeting, but they clearly need to be invited now to help this meeting.

Personally again:

I will argue not at all; but look out for a statement shortly which should both clarify that point and provide some background for the forthcoming meeting.

Can the meeting organisers please post the agenda? So those attending have the opportunity for any necessary preparation and maybe research? I understand it is up on Facebook, which is of little use to those of us who do not us FB.

[url=http://www.bullbuilder.co.uk/NewsItem.aspx?GUID=37417d59-398c-48ea-b5bd-dc043a7f238d=#800000See here for information and explanation on the view and actions of the Bullbuilder board, up to now.[/url

Thanks Adey,
It fairly explains the limitation of legal remit the Bradford Bulls Supporters Trust presently hold. and why they are legally impotent in other respects atm.

Agreed, I'd like to see an agenda for the GuidePostMeet. Nothing on Facebook yet.

I would like to hear by the end of the weekend if Mr Caisley's consortium are looking to put a bid to the administrator or not.

I think we deserve at least that. I think he has his number !!!

Reading the statement it still seems to have a strong presumption that someone is going to come in with sufficient cash to buy the company from the administrator and keep our current status albeit with a reduced cost base (= weaker team). I hope this much at least turns out to be the case but I get the feeling that even such a "white knight" will not have much working capital to inject and the situation will continue to be uncertain.

So I would argue that some extra injection from the fans would bring a degree of extra stabilty, reassure potential sponsors/investors and maybe allow us to retain a more competitive squad - but in exchange for something more tangible - say shares for Bullbuilder and a place on the board. So I am not suggesting a supporters trust take over - but a middle way between that and the rather optimisitic hope we get a new owner who champion of virtue and quite happy to bung in £2m a year to the club.

Is not going to happen. Sugar Daddies in other SL Clubs are already making ominous sounds about pulling out.

Whatever cash might now be raised from fans would in no way be sufficient to affect the power players in this game.
Certainly they would not wish devolve shares to anyone outside of their dealings.

I don't think the "sugar daddy" was ever even remotely possible for Bradford that's why I said it was the extreme chance - and it looks like the current ones at other clubs are going down with SL diabetes.

So a club which balances it's books from it's gate money and TV cash will be well placed to survive the storm about to hit professional sport.

Sound management and a solid fan base - forget the wealthy benefactors

We fans deserve a lot more but we are'nt going be even considered in the endgame and we'll get no information until the top dogs have made a deal. There will be deal, there will be players in the shadows.
Where that leaves Bradford Bulls as a rugby team remains to seen.

The Bullbuilder statement is realistic. No way can it get involved in any form of takeover, given the time factor and particularly the scale of any such action in view of its limited full-time management resources and constitutional complexities.
To be effective in any future Bulls reformation, a priority must be to establishe a firm and clean line of communication between Bullbuilder and any new management, once known, at the earliest opportunity. My experience is that this is vital.

Peter Hood made reference, just before Bullmageddon, to a future new model for ownership. I suspect that the long term future will indeed require a new ownership model. And it becomes increasingly clear to me that, in the absence of a sugar daddy, that model will have to involve the fans in some measure.

It has also been pretty clear to me that such a new model will take time and care to determine and establish.

Born out of a crisis maybe, I have never believed that a satisfactory sustainable long-term solution could be forged in the middle of a crisis. We need someone to put the fires out for now and buy enough time to do it properly. This is what I suspect the RFL may have been alluding to the other day.

Indeed, in supporting the pledge I hoped that that was what we were doing, although the Intervention seems to have put paid to that.

Maybe, just maybe, someone - I do not see how it can be the fans in the first instance, it has to be someone ready willing and immediately able to step in and finance and run it from day 1 - has the same idea. And will seek engagement with the fans about turning the club into some form of co- operative model for the longer term. That of course is where the vehicle of a supporters trust comes to the fore.

But we need that first step. Someone to buy us time to complete the season, whilst the future is put together. Which means someone who is prepared to themselves stand back in the future, once their transitional role has been completed.

If there is such a person out there, prepared to make a bid now and on that basis, they have every chance of being lauded by history in the same way as the great Trevor Foster has been. I think there might just be such a person, and if so that person would have my full support and to the best of my abilities.

Go on - you know you want to!

And Mr. Guilfoyle is of course obligated to consider any reasonable proposals, even if not what was expected, so it is not too late.