Haters are motivators. The view of a few Wakey and Fax rlfans who have enjoyed our demise shouldn't disguise us from the fact that SL has declined since our collapse. There aren't enough well supported clubs producing decent level players.

However, unless we are going to VP I don't see what the point would be making an application. Odsal has failed. Talks of a new ground are just that and the changes to the pitch at VP would be a fraction of the cost of a new stadium (which isn't going to be built). Dewsbury is a non starter as is Horsfall. I watch City a bit and dire doesn't describe it. The two clubs should come together. It can't get much worse for either of them. VP or don;t bother

Our bid is going to be based on playing at Odsal. Negotiations are close to a deal. Bulls will be back at Odsal next year whichever league we are in.

So even if we don't get a SL place, we get a huge financial millstone instead. Ace.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we're going back to our spiritial home. I just wish it wasn't going to ruin us. Again.

I have no sense of what your average fans thinks of Odsal these days. Personally the glory days are so long ago now that the affection is literally all gone and I just view it as a millstone. Doesn't anyone fancy me in starting to build a boutique stadium on the Richard Dunn site? Feath fans erected two new stands so surely we can crack on. Admittedly I'm just a Civil Servant so would be mainly watching and providing press releases, but some of you lot must be more practical?

I understand the fear of going back to Odsal with the costs involved. But each year we are out of the city, the harder it is to get back and we really could end up in the wildernesses of just playing at Dewsbury. Fans can put up with it for a season or two, but long term the crowds would fall of the edge of the cliff. Hopefully the rumour of stock cars returning could help off-set some of the costs.

If it's a choice of Dewsbury or Odsal then, yes it has to be Odsal but I really don't want to go back there without some assurances that improvements will be made, such as a roof on the terracing, decent toilets with soap and warm water and a proper supporters bar with real ale in proper glasses.

As for Super League, yes I long to see my team back in the big time but if it is through getting voted in then no thanks. For me it should be London, if not then Leigh or Toulouse. If we are going back to licensing then Salford, Huddersfield and Wakefield wouldn't be in.

Not sure how return of stock cars would help with costs. It might help with maintenance costs but would imagine RFL would still charge us the same rent (other clubs would play hell if they dropped it signifcantly) and charge stock cars same again. Might have been different if we still held the sub lease and were sub letting again to stock cars.

I'm not sure what current status of lease is TBH. When we left Odsal Chalmers said we were at end of the lease, But the recent adverts for open cinema were talking about 'in conjunction with Bradford Bulls' as if we still held a lease.

One possibility I thought of is if stock cars re-instate the pits where the Southbank is, and then the Southbank was moved onto the away terrace. Reduces capacity of the ground by approx 10k but also halves the amount of terracing that needs maintaining. 15k capacity would be plenty for forseeable future and would reduce maintenance costs significantly I would imagine.

I'd guess we've forfeited the lease by not paying this year, though I'm pretty sure the lease was for for quite s few more years. Guessing again, but I'd say that leaves us in the same position as any other business which defaults on a lease due to being unable to pay. Which seems to be that you leave owing nothing but lose the use of the facilities; little point in the owner of the head lease suing due the blood from a stone get-out clause.

Being nothing more than a fan I know nothing about the finances, but it would seem likely that every club is going through a 'ropey phase' right now, and personally IF, and that's a supersize IF, SL offered us the position without a fair shake of the money that every other club gets, then I'd tell them where to go.

Nobody is mentioning the Mirror article about reduced funding. I have been disgusted at the treatment of Toronto regarding funding and even their demand for Catalans to guarantee money to be alowed into the chalenge cup. The SL clubs think of themselves and nothing else. The Mirror story may not be true but if it is then that is not fair.
If the new club is only to get just over half the funding then leave me out. I have become disilusioned with RL after 45 years of loving the Northern and lately the Bulls to the point I have now cancelled Sky sports as it was only taken for RL which a few years ago would never have been considered. I find SL boring and predictable and if we join it with half the income and a still run down delapidated stadium then no thanks - but best of luck.
I think the Bulls will be looked upon favourably by the other 11 clubs due to the cash they will get at the turnstiles but lets not have another season where we are punished financially before the season kicks off.
If Sky are insisting of 12 clubs then all championship clubs must say now that it must be 12 equal payments or go take a hike.

100% the Championship clubs should boycott this arrangement. Presumably the SL clubs will ask for proof of £X million to prevent an administration mid season. That begs the question who is behind Nigel as our squad is 6-8 proven SL players to stand a chance of finishing 11th. The move back to Odsal and entry into SL looks like a minimum £1million pound being produced from somewhere. So er.... Where?

how much was Nigels golden handshake from RFL again



Problem with championship clubs boycotting if they don't give an equal share to 12th club is there are 1 or 2 clubs with cashed up owners who can afford to make up the shortfall so can't see them joining boycott.

Is there actually any guarantee that there's a promotion spot up for grabs at end of 2021 season when sturcture changes?. There was this year but not sure its set in stone next year. Can see a few clubs thinking its better to be in SL as an incumbent when structure changes in case they remove promotion and go back to licensing.

This is a genuine question as a Fax fan that didn't enjoy your demise. I spoke to a ex Bulls chairman a few years back and he was very clear about the fact that Bradford simply could not afford to play out of Odsal due to maintanance costs along with other upkeep costs and said the best thing for them would be to move out of that stadium. Now we have a good idea that not a lot has changed over those years and Odsal is in need of more than a bit of a touch up so I just wonder why Bradford seem to be getting rail roaded in to going back to play in a stadium that they can't afford to play in?

Why indeed. You don't have to be the sort of person to be in to conspiracy theories to think the shenanigans surrounding Odsal have been, and still are very odd. As you say, the hole in the ground needs investment to pass a safety certificate, and then a whole lot more to make it sustainably affordable going forward, and fit for the 21st century. Maybe I'm missing something but people pinning their hope on the return of stock cars and that sort of thing seems far-fetched. That will bring in pennies compared to what the place needs.

That's exactly right Pumpy.
There's no sense in us paying to "do up Odsal" only to be left with an almighty mortgage to pay, plus the ongoing costs, with our reduced income and underprepared team. I don't see the logic in anything coming out of the club with regard to SL at the moment. One of us is on a different planet, whether it's the board or me I really don't know, but it's not me who's had a skinfull I do know that...can't speak for anyone else!

Going back to Odsal in SL would yield the same results as last time...

Even thinking about it is ridiculous. I really don't miss SL. We have some great teams and rivalries in the Champs, aren't killing ourselves financially and each year at least one CH clubs gives an SL club a bloody nose in the Challenge Cup.

Yes, exactly this.
I've been watching this play out on twitter and the forums and the news from the RL and I have a sinking feeling of inevitability. Some deluded people seem to think that just putting the Bulls back in SL will bring back 10,000 home fans (no chance) and an army of away supporters travelling across the league to watch our team lose every week (not gonna happen after series of drubbings). All whilst playing out of a poor ground we (still) cant afford, with half the funding of everyone else. (we have the 1st hand experience of knowing how that ends, from a couple of admins back)
And I feel sometimes like I'm the only one that remembers how this ends. Of all the clubs in RL, we should be the ones who can recognise a poisoned chalice when we see it. Some SL club chairmen might want us in as we'll bring some away fans (assuming thats allowed in 2021) and with half funding we'll almost certainly be relegated so it gives them all another year of safety from the drop. Crazy. Where is the upside for us? How are we even giving this consideration? Have we found a magic money tree but just not told anyone?

Our application should fail, I'd go for Toulouse myself, but the criteria is woolly enough that you can make a case for the old Bulls to be promoted and the panel will just use the criteria to justify who they've already decided upon, and in the meantime its allowed all the old issues and negativity around the club to be re-aired, so we're now distracted from rebuilding, getting back to Bradford and winning promotion on merit for the spurious arguments of fast tracking our return...nuts.

If anyone can sell me on the positives if we win this raffle Id genuinely love to hear them, because I got nothing.

oh, and hello again everyone - hope you're all keeping safe in 2020,I just needed to have a brief return to have a whinge as twitter doesn't allow me enough characters!

Unless a multi multi millionaire comes in to back us we all know what the result of putting us back into SL. If they are interested in expansion then surely Toulouse is the answer. Caralan have proven themselves and even won the Challenge Cup. Continue this expansion with Toulouse so they can then have derbies and we'll see what happens.

Catalans don't have an academy and are a collection of imports. The CC final was half empty. they haven't brought a TV deal or anything to the game in France or the international game and there's no away fans. Other than it looks and sounds good there's absolutely nothing tangible one can say Catalans have brought. For me Toulouse bring less than Fev.

Kear in the T and A is 100% right in saying that whoever goes into SL must have an academy, AND as everyone on here is suggesting a lot of money. Unless Nigel has found another Koukash it has to be London.

AS I said it is dependant upon them being interested in expansion. If it is solely on away fan numbers SL here we come.

Im not sure how you lot feel but now we are both ruled out for me personally its one of relief. I believe promotion should be earned on the field and we are a long way off it. I guess if Fax were in SL I would likely go to every game because its what we do but I find the SL product overall dour and stale.

So many people I talk to also find SL boring and predictable.
Interesting last night to hear Jon Wells saying the important thing for the new club is to bring a fan base. Carney instantly said it's the Bulls then.
Coincidentally, the club must have finished 6th or higher in the championship which we finished 6th.

I don't want us to go up but it wouldn't surprise me if we were chosen. The only way we could if there was a secret funder to make up that £800k shortfall and some help with the stadium. I would rather us play at VP. There are a few teams who share grounds they they don't own.

Agree above about Catalan. They are just like Toronto but closer. Imported players and no youth set up.
I do get the feeling they want the bulls back but we are just not ready unless things are being sorted in the background.

Halifax are ruled out for not meeting the Intial Criteria
Bull aren't ruled out yet as meet Initial Criteria

4. In addition, the RFL and SLE have set Assessment Criteria against which any club wishing to obtain membership of Super League in 2021 will be assessed.

So the Bulls can still apply as its based on an Assessment of all points in the document.

Yeah I guess the Bulls can apply but the part about CCJ's is going to mean their bid will be unsucessful.

I truly hope you are correct.
My problem is that I can see little common sense in any of the people running the game, just greed and self service, so I would expect our pointless application to be considered. Maybe they see our academy? It is the shining light in our application, indeed it's probably our only light, and only thing currently at SL level tbh.

Most probably they expect large crowds to pop into all their grounds on a regular basis but not when our Championship level recruited squad starts to get hammered regularly, and we become certs for relegation surely? I guess they won't care if we go bust trying though. They'll have a permanent solution sorted by then, maybe. If they would know a permanent solution if it hit them in the face, that is.

There is no reason we can't become an SL club. But not next season, with no notice and on half money. Unless there is something very strange going on behind the scenes, I can't understand why the people running our club are going along with this nonsense.