Possibly but we're not, we are a well run SL club who now has started to challenge for honours. I'd say a quick fix over 18 years isn't a quick fix. We've come from the 2nd division, got relegated, won promotion again then year on year improved our playing staff, academy and on field performances.

You've already got an academy so no real outlay is needed and if you were to go down going off the players you've brought through in the past fast track them through to the first team instead of relying on established high earners. Don't know too much about the rental agreement with the RFL over Odsal but I can't see them pricing you out of playing there.

OK can we finally rule out VP as the playing surface is not long enough. Similarly any bid from the owners of City would mean the Bulls will still be playing at Odsal. And by the way the playing surface at VP is not big enough. We got special dispensation to move to VP short term while tests were done at Odsal regarding the proposed development. It was only allowed short term because the playing surface is not big enough.

Don't know if I mentioned it but the pitch at VP is too small. Thought I'd better add that.

Strange when I lived in Birkenshaw I paid my council tax to Bradford council but i bow to your knowledge. As rugby clubs Birky play in the Bradford cup Drig don't.

I hear ya, so moving to VP would be viable then. Good news.

My ex-boss used to live in Birkenshaw and he paid to Leeds, so I guess, as one of those ribbon type places, it straddles both?

In that situation the lease reverts back to the council.

You can agree or not & you can be afraid if you like but no exaggeration, just count them

So, what you're saying is if we had someone on the council in our corner we could get out of the deal with the RFL then get the lease back?

If we were willing to go down a questionable route, that is

Would probably get the ok from the RFL. Never let a good rule stand in their way do them guys.
(Chocolate digestives and trebles all round)

Never been to VP but I can guess its a pig to get away from especially if you don't live in bradford, odsal is in a great spot easy in and out with plenty of roads plus the motorway close by, have been known to make kickoff in 30mins whilst driving from Leigh (dont tell the rozzers)

from the council. So the big losers would be the RFL who are paying 'peppercorn, to the council and receiving a commercial rent from the club. There is no advantage to us of course, unless a cheaper alternative is found.

The only other way for us to gain would be to buy back the primary lease from the RFL but they seem reluctant to sell, which is no real surprise given what they are making on it.

Well I prefer Odsal to VP as do most Bulls fans, but I prefer having a team to watch more. So consider this option as I suspect several of the "interested parties have": Lets assume that the ground is worth more on the open market than the £700k the RFL paid for it - so Bulls move somewhere else - Council buy the RFL out and then sell on to the highest bidder. Result council get some money back , and RFL are not in the awkward position of having the lease of one of the club's grounds.

Of course it would be nice to think a new owner could be found with a few million to sort out the club and a few more million to bing Odsal up to modern standards but unfortunately that is as likely as me winning the lottery. Maybe both Odsal and VP sold and the clubs moved to a new modern ground?

The major problem with developing Odsal has always been the fact it was a waste tipping site and no-one knows quite what has been dumped there in the past. Not that a toxic waste clean up would necessarily be a game breaker but it would be a totally uncosted, and open ended, item on any re build or conversion to other uses.

Don't bet on it. My former workplace was a chemical firm manufacturing for over 100 years. On its site now sits a pub and restaurant, a hotel and a costa coffee. As past environmental scientist who regularly checked the soil air and groundwater I know some of what was on that site- but it didn't seem to matter.

I'm pretty certain that cash from the EU was earmarked to decontaminate the entire site.

When I was a lad I used to go to the tip and the wagon sank and then would spring back, as if the ground were foam rubber. Be a great cushion against earthquakes.

and what isn't, but at Odsal, back in the day, it was pretty much uncontrolled, unregulated tipping and no-one has a clue what might come to the surface....or indeed, might be still slowly seeping into the ground water. I guess you may be more au fait with the system than I am but it all still seems a bit dodgy to me.

Think Dewsburys ground at Shaw Cross is built on an old tip.

As has been said already. It depends what’s in the tip. When Odsal was used as a tip there were no records kept of what was put in it and it was before a lot of H&S law so there could be all sorts of nasties in it. I remember that when they did the survey for the ill fated new stadium at Odsal in 2001/2 they turned up all sorts. The bottom line is they don’t want to disturb it too much as that could release all sorts. The plan then was to fill in the bowl and build on top. The land to the Coral Stand end has vents to allow gas to escape IIRC.

Not sure about the land Owl Lane is on but it may be that they have a record of what was dumped there.

In another life I worked on EU grants. The money that isn’t spent or is spent on the wrong thing can be clawed back by the Government. The Bulls have experience in this area as two members of my team had to get Abi Ekoku to sign a big cheque a few back to claw some money back, but this was unrelated to the stadium.

No idea what grants might have been claimed for clearing up the site. It won’t have been European Regional Development money though as there has to be signage up to say so and there’s been none.

My ex firm had been there over 100 years and no records of exactly what was done on site remained- although they did have a "waste pit" it was also known they they were dealing with types of chemicals since known to be carcinogen /mutagen. The developers got a bit of testing done. Then All they did was remove a bit of soil, line then put new uncontaminated soil on top. As long as certain substances are below certain levels in the samples they take you can develop. If they can build eating places where my old firm was they should be able to at least stick an industrial unit at odsal.