Adey I couldn't agree more, the RFL and sky make the game out to be something it isn't.
This whole license thing is an absolute sham, not one thing has worked and much of it has caused financial over stretching for the clubs.

Awful news,best of luck for the future.

At the end of the day clubs should live within their means. It's really as simple as that.

Fax have managed to turn a profit this year without a backer.

Good luck from a Fax fan though.

Thanks for that. But does "means" include the wealthy benefactor"? or are you saying these should not be allowed? How would you outlaw them?

Any club unable to generate its own income should not be a viable business and therefore not a SL club.
How many SL clubs that would leave is anyones guess, but I would imagine it would be a lot less that you could count on one hand.
When will the RFL be brought to book??

Hello Martin. The accounts do indeed show that figure and yes I refer to monthly. If you listen to Peter Guilfoyle on his Sky Sports interview this morning he also confirms the true figure is nearer 300k per month.

Your cost cutting preferences makes perfect sense but in saying that, the primary concern I would imagine is increasing revenue streams both significantly and rapidly. We also need to remember the club has taken a hit in terms of credibility in perception so I doubt anybody is undertaking this with any narcissistic self interested aims; the risks are too high. Shares have zero value if a club has zero value. One positive is being able to reduce said hefty wage bill along with some horrendously average players, and let's be honest we k ow who they are and that as fans they simply aren't the quality we wish to see no matter what the situation.

As for the franchise situation, there is in essence no franchise model for SL, merely clubs/businesses who have been granted a licence for the competition for a determined time period. There is no simple drop in drop out concept, ie Halifax can't just suddenly wave a flag and say "hello it's our place now please" because their previous business model was evidently flawed (not that ours has been something Warren Buffet would advocate).

As I've said recently, the element of blame at this stage of proceedings is to degree, immaterial. Finding the right solution and go forward is the primary concern IMO.

Brought to book for what? The [iclubs[/i make the rules that govern SL.

How many sports clubs in the top flight of [iany[/i sport generate enough income to operate without taking cash from a wealthy owner or BOD? How many operate at break-even, let alone a profit? What on Earth makes you think that RL can create an entirely new paradigm in professional sport finances? If it were that simple, do you not think that someone would already have done it?

And BTW - did it escape your attention that RL clubs have been going bust pretty much forever? It's hardly an invention of the SL era, no matter how much some people want to believe so.

Thats a fairly obvious prediction. Even if the game was in rude health, you cant legislate for an individual business being poorly run.

There are obviously broader issues with the game as a whole but the elephant in the room in this specific case is the disastrous mismanagent of the club and the financial fallout which stemmed from that.

This was made hugely worse by the hatred among the shareholders who perhaps correctly blamed each other. As a result the club could not be sold to one party, nor were each prty able or prepared to bring in investment owing to the inherent instability at boardroom level.

To Mat I never said admin was entirely positive, only it was inevitable as the club was unmanageable and heading in one clear and obvious direction.

Whilst the money is significant, I feel it is not the real problem. The real problem is actually one of personalities. What we are seeing is as much a putsch as an administration. Redundancies will certainly follow but I;d be surprised to see the club allowed to walk on large amounts of tax. What I suspect investors are saying is "If I pay the bill I want to choose the menu".

Totally agree adeybull. I can only think of three clubs in the whole of the RL making a profit & Workington are one of those.

The game is in a dreadful financial state. There will be more insolvencies AND most likely within weeks. RFL need to act now and produce a blueprint for all to follow and that includes SL clubs to make a net profit - no matter their gate income and overheads. The Sky money is X and all expenses are a percentage of X. Overseas players down to 2 max per club etc etc. Simples.

Sorry I was being sarcastic, as I pointed out with my final comment, there wouldn't be enough teams to generate a league.
What the RFL shouldn't do though is make the league out to be something it isn't, one of the points emphasised time and time again is the clubs as amazing business' something that clearly isn't the case.
They are business' with little if any foundations, living a hand to mouth existence with few assets banking on sponsors or benefactors to maintain their existences.
Funnily enough I don't see that mentioned here:

QuoteBradford Bulls - Grade B

Bradford Bulls provided a solid submission detailing a strategy, tactical plan and targets to achieve improved commercial and financial performance. The club has a solid fan base, a strong brand and good operating structure/governance in place. However the club faces some challenges. These include the local economic environment, poor recent on-field performance and an ageing facility. The application acknowledges these challenges; however the club believes that its business plan for the next three years will move it to a position of sustainability with good prospects for further growth. The club has invested heavily in its youth performance programme in recent years, and it is expected that the club will soon start to reap the rewards of this investment with improved performances and increased numbers of quality club-trained players.

It is something of bordering on a sick joke!!

It's no good talking about changing the rules now, the horse has bolted. It's obvious Bradford have been over spending for years thus buying success. None of you were bothered about it when you were lifting trophies.

Will many Bradford fans make the trip to Wigan on friday night? Shouldn't be far from 20k on because it has been picked as our heritage day game. Should be a cracking atmosphere.

Don't you know its that nasty Mr Caisley who's scuppered all Saint Peter's plans.

Well, obviously.

But it's actually a good thing, Hood proved how great he was at running the club before being forced out by the evil one, now Caisley has failed Hood can come back, his masterplan will kick in and he'll lead us to glory.

I don't know why anyone is worried.

Tricky to call. We're clearly going to get stuffed, you guys are on fire, everyone here is p!ssed off, no idea which players will be available... I wasn't going to go anyway.....but, I've now rearranged my work for Friday after the announcement today and nothing will stop me attending this one.

Might be the last time this version of Bradford Rugby League play Wigan, hell, if it goes seriously t!ts up it might be the last time full stop. So I'm there, and I'll still be cheering like an idiot for my team when you pass the 50 mark and at the final whislte.


....just keep it to 2 figures if possible, ta.

What about the training facility at Tong? Do the Bulls own that? What will happen to it?

www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/ ... l-to-Bulls players to be there

www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/ ... l-to-Bulls players to be there

This entire situation just appears to be part of the script.

Caisley & Co (i don't think Caisley is the only one to blame) came in with 1 intention and they are carrying that out to plan.

The RFL will be worrying as they were relying on Bradford to pay rent on the stadia, there were rumours Caisley was trying to change the terms, he will probably say, stuff your Odsal, get someone else to pay your rent.

It would be nice if 1 'unknown' buyer attempted to gazump any plan that Caisley & Co had. Earlier posts commented that KM will now stay away if Tordoff got involved, i don't think that's the case, the administrators should look at the best deal for the creditors and the club....

I'm not saying that Hood was an angel but between Caisley and the major shareholders, they could have stumped up the needed cash. Caisley & Co just want to ensure they get rid of the unwanted shareholders and gain full control.

As a fan, i hope the current regime know what they are doing, and we have a club to support in years to come!

Wasn't going to go originally, i've got a week off after that game and plenty of money been spent throughout the week, plus i think you will give us a beasting.

But as another poster has said, i'll 100% be there now with 4 others.

Sorry to hear about this latest situation folks. I wish you all the best in the fight to keep your club in business and in the elite.

In all honesty that is a very good but tricky question to answer and one that I'm not even going to attempt to!

Halifax don't have a wealthy benefactor but this year we've managed to make a profit due to a massive restructure that took place a year or so ago. Individuals that were at the club identified that if we carried on the way we were going there would be no Halifax RLFC. Thankfully, we now have a sustainable club for the future.

Hopefully the same will now happen to Bradford should you guys get through this.

I have no joy in recalling my post of 29th March, calling for ring-fencing of the almost £500k coughed up by loyal fans, and it sickens me that this sum has now been swallowed up by the enormous debt monster which refuses to lie down, instead of now being available towards the future restructuring that the Club must now inevitably face. Perhaps it helped pay wages for a few weeks, but the writing was on the wall months, if not years, ago. I feel sorry for the playing staff, whom I applaud , both players and coaches,for the way in which they have performed in these circumstances, and I hope they will be able to move forward and pursue their careers. Moreover, incessantly blaming personalities, old and current, for this debacle, is now futile. Encouraging for me are the posts from other clubs giving us at least moral support. I believe Bradford will continue to have a professional RL team, in a different format, and I for one, shall continue to support it.

OMG I've got a twin

I here Glasgow Rangers are interested in buying the club so they can be in europe next season - has anyone told them its a 13 man game !