Mat, if we WERE to drop to a C grade this time round (on last time's criteria we should be 1 point safe in B grade still, I calculate, but goalposts have been known to move in the RFL - per PH they already have regarding the solvency criterion, to our relative detriment as a solvent club) and if other C-grade clubs scored more than we did, how would we be safe?

Another decade . . . . . another failed scheme. Meh.

Don't think anyone would complain with that.


I can just see VP looming in the distance though, and it's right in the middle of the tunnel, it's certainly not the light at the end!

What are the specific reasons for current-state Odsal not being up to SL standard?
I'm not sure how they are graded and so unaware what exactly needs improving for us to reamin grade b or whatever.

None.

It is.

What will the council do with Odsal if the Bulls leave for Valley Parade? Let the community use it as green space? Sell it to property developers? Could/should the council sell Odsal and put the proceeds towards developing a new Rugby stadium in the vacant hole in the City Centre? Maybe with VP

Was just an idea, our major sponsor will have contacts in the motor industry can't hurt to offer the unique sponsorship oppertunity to several companies, I wouldn't object to watching the Nissan Bulls in Nissan arena, the company would get years of publicity from it, and I would imagine that the story would give the company alot of media coverage in the days after the announcement

Never understood this fascination with modern stadia. You go to watch rugby not admire the fittings and when the weather's nice there's nowt wrong with Odsal. Wherever you go the bogs still stink of pi$s at half time, just that the porcelain is better at the new places.

Obviously the cost of running the place is an issue with it being so vast. But on a warm summer's day it's perfect.

A couple of million for remedial work should see it fit for another 25 years. A roof on the popular terrace and suddenly it wouldn't be a problem.

way they said it last time was that only clubs currently on a grade c would be considered for the potential drop. if we did drop to a grade c then we would be in the frame for the next franchising round. iirc this time round clubs on grade c and those applying for a franchise have to submit much more detailed information than those clubs on A and B licenses. And like you say provided they havent made sweeping changes to the criteria we should still be in the B bracket anyway.

You reckon?

Well in a few days time Landfill Tax rises to £48 per tonne.

Before I lived here I always liked coming to Odsal, even the weather was part of the experience. IMO there's nowt wrong with the ground, although I realise the running costs must be stifling. Maybe a roof over the popular side, but that's never bothered me personally. There's no way in a million years will Bardford not get a licence in 2011. Cas, Wakey or Salford - unless they increase the number of teams.

I started supporting Northern when I was 10, in 1987. we were crap but as I am from Bradford, it was my team. Many people in my family and friendship circle followed Halifax, because they got to Wembley. I didnt. Many of my work colleagues now follow Leeds, because they are successful and Leeds is seen as a "good night out". I dont.

I follow Bradford Bulls because I am from Bradford and they are my team. If the Bulls drop Bradford from their name, or move out of the city (which would include BPA's proposed new ground in Leeds!!) then they are no longer my team whatever the past might have been.

I can only imagine Trevor Foster looking down from his heavenly perch and being absolutely disgusted with the suggestions of moving the club out of the City .

Bradford it is and Bradford it should always be, for better or worse. And if the club decides to move out, then we start another one, In Bradford, in it's place.

We are not franchise RLFC. WE ARE BRADFORD!!!

When you became successful you drew support from the surrounding areas. These people do not consider themselves Bradfordians and probably would not bother about where they played. That is one of the risks of expansion.

You are in a very difficult position at the moment, with money being tight all round. Any money that was seen to be gifted to the Bulls by the council would draw screams of protest from all sorts of directions and pressure groups. I always thought your best chance was with Tescos.

Bradford is rapidly becoming a ghost town. I used to enjoy nights out in Bradford, but very rarely do so anymore.

I never picked that up - so, if that is the case, see what you mean and at least reduced pressure this time round.

I'd have no problem with that either, if it meant I continued to have a team to watch.

The problem is - and I speak with some commercial experience here - that the sponsor's and the fans' expectations regarding what their sponsorship is worth TO THE SPONSOR tends to be a million miles apart.

Example - if a company is prepared to spend say 5% of any incrementally-generated sales on directly-attributable marketing, then if you want a £15m stadium then the Sponsor would need to be SURE of getting at least £300m of ADDITIONAL sales just to fund that...

To get Odsal redeveloped we need a partner.
This time around our partners were the council and the college
The other option would be a supermarket partner. Morrisons & Asda are already represented nearby. We tried the Tesco option and that was messed with. Just a thought - if Byers (who has already been suspended from the PLP) is found guilty of anything that breaches parliamentary rules - how far back can we go to scrutinise/overturn decisions?
Tesco has now developed the canal road site & the one heading over Shelf way so will not be interested I would assume.
It is a shame we could not have become involved with the big M& S depot development at the top of the M606 somehow - but that ship has sailed. An M& S store would be more of an option if we built a new stadium near Ilkley


That leaves Sainsburys. Is the store at Greengates their nearest one to Odsal?

Other partners - a big hotel chain? Already represented with the Cedar Court at the top of the M606

The main asset we have is the freehold of the Odsal site itself. We are tied to that for a few more years due to the deal with the council. Any attempt to move would be with the council's permission only.

The best I can come up with is the council buys VP from the Gibbs pension fund. The council, Bulls and City all have an equal share (or it remains fully council owned). Odsal & Richard Dunne get fully redeveloped as a 21st century sporting facility - but without a stadium. And us & City have to learn to give & take & get along - with the council as the final say

Now that Stephen Byers (who wrote off the previous Bulls application with Tesco due to Morrisons objections) has been shown to be a person who is swayed by money, surely Tesco could be persuaded to re apply on the grounds of suspected/alledged duplicity by Byers!

The first bit in bold is why this scheme has been dead in the water for a long time. The money for the whole scheme has just never been there and was always a mixture of promised funds (some genuine and present I grant you) and hoped for development loans.

The second bit I can answer, we'll have some more meetings planned, some feasibilty reports to prepare and some more meetings. See you again in 2012 for this same cycle to be repeated.

I'd hazard a guess it would cost around £10 million to cover the popular side

Would just adding some covers and seating solve Odsals problems? I thought it was costing too much to maintain, and surely this wouldn't solve the problem?

For some huge gold-plated cantilever wonder maybe, but not for basic if cheap cover with vertical supports.

Wasn't VP rumoured to be for sale at only £2.5m? We could buy 4 of them at that price!

It is ironic that a Bradford Council engineer named Wardley drew up a plan in 1951 for a 92,000 capacity ‘European’ style stadium, which would then have cost £250,000. If only . . .

An Ikea - type stand, a bit like Warrington

Do Ikea sell stands? I bet they are not £10 million.

Bugger, I didn't allow for the gold plating

In this day and age tho' would a stand be built with vertical pillar support?
The problem is in fact Odsal's biggest benefit, that is it's shape. Ideal for fair weather veiwing, but an engineers nightmare when constructing a roof to allow good viewing from the back of said stand.
One possible way is to build the covered part 3/4 or 1/2 of the way down from the concourse, good for the guys at the back tough if you like to stand at the front.

I haven't read the last 6 pages, because I expect it'll be an echo of what I'm about to say.

It's pretty predictable what was going to come out sooner or later, it's just nice to have it confirmed what everyone knew, that going for the £75m redevelopment option whilst in the midst of a recession was nothing short of farcical.

If we do have to move to VP, it'll be appalling. Even as a BCFC fan, I can proudly say it's in a horrible location, there's nothing around it, and to be honest, it just isn't Odsal. But it's still Bradford, and we'll still be the Bradford Bulls. Moving out of Bradford is NOT an option, it's just unfeasible to think of going to watch the Bulls somewhere else!

I caught a post at the top of this page mentioning the fact we wouldn't be chopped in the next round of licensing, which is right. Only clubs that recieved a grade C will be considered for the drop in 2011. So an option I suppose if we're clutching at Odsal shaped straws would be to stay at Odsal, and see if we can push for a cheaper redevelopment? I always wanted BCFC to come up here, I don't know the ins and outs of the VP leasehold with Gordon Gibb, but I expect City could walk away from VP if they so chose to. But you'd have umpteen thousand BCFC fans saying the same as us, they don't want to move away from their home, even if it is a godforsaken hellhole.

I think the T&A said there's 5 cheaper options, two of which don't involve touching Odsal at all, which is fair enough, as we're a PLC and the Council are looking to redevelop the area. However, we should push for all we've got to be included. In my mind, leaving Odsal would be unthinkable.