Not that daft in some respects. I feel a merged side playing in a stadium with it's halfway line on the municipal border somewhere in Shelf could have been a goer. Fax have got their own problems right now though.

The average crowds in the first year back at Odsal were higher than in the last three years at Odsal before the move to Valley Parade.

Crowds started dropping off after the first year back at Odsal.

1996 10,346
1997 15,159
1998 13,022
1999 13,212
2000 14,520
2001 13,000 (VP)
2002 13,912 (VP)
2003 14,939
2004 13,495
2005 12,786

....which are? Pray enlighten us.

5000 increase from 96-97.

Keep Bradford at Odsal because we need stadiums that take us back to the 80s. If every club moved into a modern stadium nothing would be nostalgic anymore.

1880's?

Thats rubbish as usual Damo

The only way RL can move forward is modern stadiums. No one wants to pay £22 to get soaking wet at Odsal

As we used to sing to them during there moment in the spotlight "where was you when you was ?"

It's the coaches fault!!! Sack him

Oh he's only been in charge a week!!!

Must be some other reason then.

I know!!!





















It's the match officials fault for the Bulls demise



No hang on!!!!

















It's the fans fault for not coming the the gates in big enough numbers






Hmmm













I know who is not at fault!!!!!!!!!!!




THE PLAYERS!!!!


I mean they are doing the job they are well paid to do are they not

People don’t want to pay £22 to see mediocre matches. Ok you’ll get your hardcore who’ll watch rugby league whoever is playing week in, week out. However come Grand Final time whenever it be the challenge cup or super league you’ll get many rugby league fans coming out in they droves because they’ll be expecting a good rugby league match.

It’s a well known fact that the better the teams = better the attendances.

Look at how many rugby league and Leeds Rhinos fans turn out for the world club challenge for example.

A big problem in this country is people aren’t very accepting of the weather that we have here and we let it dictate our lives. Its like people haven’t ever heard of raincoats or anything like that really!

But that goes to show you what good marketing can do for a club

Oh definitely, don't think we'll ever see that percentage rise again by a club (in the space of one season like that!

).

Remember having that 1996-97 Compaq home shirt, absolute classic, bet it's still the biggest selling SL shirt to date (e.g. with the two Wembley trips they had those two years).

Have got a 'Super League 1997 Season Review' VHS tape somewhere, hard to believe their crowd yesterday when you consider back then they took over 8000 to Sheffield on a Saturday night Sky game.

Sponsor bust, lost friendlies, early NRC exit, cup cock up, coaching issues.

Do you mean the [i18[/i80's?

before I posted.

Absolute rubbish (as always from Meast), there have been very few Huddersfield fans seen in Huddersfield in the past 3 years, never mind Bradford. Bradford have never recovered from the Harris court saga. It was never disclosed how much they lost over it, but it hit them very hard and the last 3-4 years has seen good players leave to be replaced by others who are distinctly inferior. the Matt Orford signing has been a disaster and the Club is in dire need of some new marketing ideas and a big cash injection. Until that happens things will just get worse.

Only becuase you do not understand his post



When Bullmani started and theyb were succesful they sucked in RL fans from all over West Yorkshire. Loads of Bulls fans came from Huddersfield, Keighley , Halifax etc. You regularly used to see Bulls fans going from Huddersfield. Now the bubble hs burst those fans have left them. The Bulls will not be able to win those fans back who have deserted them. they will have to maintain their core support and win new fans from Bradford. that is not going to be a overnight task.

Bulls are going through a ' sticky patch ' , to pronounce their demise maybe a bit premature .
Bradford haven't had the funding to finance another Vainikolo or Hape for a while .
the 6,380 crowd probably won't increase on their next home game ( Catalan ) and Bradford Warrington / Bradford Hull home games averaged 8,100 - 8,400
Sundays Game - Bulls on a big losing run - coach left - big signings injured - playing against a side that's 'unfancied ' ,weather forecast raining. season ticket holders & Freebies excepting , money's tight and Bradford fans I guess will be Cautious. Same goes for the Salford fans , on the back of a 60-10 battering by wigan , not won at Odsal for 23 years , not the recipe for a record crowd by any means.
I've been a Odsal on a Frozen January with 3,500 on in the old Northern days and a 6pm Sunday kickoff in the sun in the 2000's and I'd much prefer the latter.
I'd guess the best recipe would be to throw the young home grown talent for the rest of the season, give them a go , nothing else to lose so better times may just be around the corner.
Jodie Broughton wasn't born last time we beat Bradford at Odsal, couldn't get a game for the Rhinos, now he's running in 90 metre trys for us and looking like a great prospect .

Without wanting to sound racist or stereotyping how does having a club in an area with an ever increasing Asian community draw in the fans when the sport played by most Asians is cricket and football ?

What steps have Bradford, the RFL and the amateur clubs in the surrounding area made to appeal to a community with no history of rugby ?

Times change and the demographic of Bradford has changed vastly in the last 50 years, i honestly don't think a winning team and new stadium would be enough to draw in the crowds in the future if nothing is done to address the 'new' generation/community.

But I do understand his post. I just think it's a bit rich that someone from Hudds can make comment about the lack of support for another club after your turnouts in the 4th and 5th round of the cup. He also seems to delight in Bradford's current plight. Then again, maybe I'm different, Wire fan and RL fan.

Our 5th round game had only 350 fans less than the Bradford QF game (against the same opponent). What's your point?

But again you seem to misunderstand the post he is taking the mickey out of the fact that Bulls fans took delight in having a go at Huddersfield and now find themselves in a similar if worst position than Huddersfield were, if only for the fact that do not have a lenegan or davy.
But maybe i understand it and am not trying to use it to have a go at Huddersfield as i am a RL fan first and a Giants fan second.

Excellent post. And we are putting the kids in through necessity, young finigan who played wing and FB on Sunday is still part time but managed to score 2 on debut. We have Whitehead, Crossley, Kopczak, finigan, Addy, Donaldson, Wardle, Southenwood who have all come through into the 1st team this year. Some planned, some unplanned, some have made spots their own already like Whitehead and others look promising but without injuries wouldn't have been rushed in. Hopefully we can reap the benefits of this group coming through and developing into the 1st team, freeing up what little cash we do have to plug the gaps in the backline with decent recruits. Only time will tell I guess.

And I was also at Odsal to watch Northern on days with about 3000 other brave souls, and when we had 20,000 plus at our peak. Neither was set in stone as what the Bradford attendance could be, and TBF with a spectacular fall from grace over an agonising 4 years, 10 game losing streak, money being tight for club and fans alike, no coach, little entertainment I think the crowds could have been worse than they have been. As has been said, we're not a traditional hot bed of RL like a Hull or a Wigan, and some of our [inew [/i SL fans were always going to be put off by such a downturn.

With good recruitment, better coaching with hopefully competitive displays on pitch next year and our home grown lads developing I see no reason why we can't return to a 10K+ average in the medium term.



At least even in decline we're offering some form of entertainment with threads like these

Not too many of them were from Huddersfield. People in glass houses etc....

To see Bradford in the state that they are in now is such a shame.
When Superleague started they were probably the leading club in the game.