www.therfl.co.uk/news/article/25 ... -statement Quote Super League (Europe) Ltd has taken decisive action to secure the future of Bradford Bulls by tabling an offer to purchase the club from the official administrator on behalf of the Super League clubs. The bold offer was submitted to the administrator last night after Super League Chief Executive Nigel Wood and the Super League clubs put together an innovative rescue package. SLE now believes the offer represents the best solution to a problem that is threatening the survival of one of Rugby League’s most celebrated clubs and which remains the source of considerable uncertainty and disquiet across the whole sport. Wood said: “This saga has gone on for far too long and we are of the view that direct positive action is required to safeguard the future of Bradford Bulls.'"

www.therfl.co.uk/news/article/25 ... -statement Quote Super League (Europe) Ltd has taken decisive action to secure the future of Bradford Bulls by tabling an offer to purchase the club from the official administrator on behalf of the Super League clubs. The bold offer was submitted to the administrator last night after Super League Chief Executive Nigel Wood and the Super League clubs put together an innovative rescue package. SLE now believes the offer represents the best solution to a problem that is threatening the survival of one of Rugby League’s most celebrated clubs and which remains the source of considerable uncertainty and disquiet across the whole sport. Wood said: “This saga has gone on for far too long and we are of the view that direct positive action is required to safeguard the future of Bradford Bulls.'"

First we bought the ground, then we bought the club.

its a very bold step! I have re-edited my first post, as reading on they have said they will be looking for interested parties to purchase the club.

However, it is a massive step! Bradford must be important to them...

wow. I never realised how much the Bulls were worth to the RFL and SL. No relegation for them then.

For me the worse part is the lack of any movements of this sort to save other ailing (smaller clubs) they've let die by the wayside. Where was this help for Blackpool?

It shouldn't matter if your Blackpool, Bramley or Bradford, in essence I support helping them all (within limits) but there has to be a greater sense of parity to the help we give- no matter who you are. Rather than this too big to fail crap.

All I'm saying is that SHOULD Salford go belly up we better be prepared to buy a club with a lease they can't afford to pay.

"Super League Chief Executive Nigel Wood and the Super League clubs put together an innovative rescue package"
- So other teams are willing to help out Bradford, but when it came to Wakefield..

The People's Team. I thank you.

Hallelujah, shock horror, the RFL save the day, the evil empire in many Bradford fans minds

.

Who’ll be the first Bradford fan on hear gloating about S.L for life.

Those who thought the initial loan, followed by the purchase of the lease was an unfair decision, well, the ramifications of this will rumble on ad-infinitum.

Is it the 1st of April??

I joked this would happen but never thought it would!!! Unbelievable..

It's not going to be though, is it? They're hardly going to have one set of rules for one club and another for all the rest who, coincidentally, happen to own by proxy the club exempt from the same rules. The clubs themselves agreed to this (thank you, thank you, thank you) so why on earth would they be investing in an unfair playing field for themselves?

This is surely a move to buy time for someone to put together a bid without conditions, or one where they're prepared to name the directors rather than try and keep who's really behind the bid out of view.

It's not the RFL, it's the chairman of SL

1. The fact the clubs agreed to this shows just how stupid the owners of SL clubs are
2. Why would SL kick out a club they own? They wouldn't, it makes no business sense.

The clubs have saved Bradford by creating an even bigger unfair advantage, this is why the sport will always be small time.

Utterly, utterly ridiculous nobody wanted to buy the club so they should have been left to die, they are NOT bigger than the sport which is what Nigel Wood has tried to make them out to be.

WOW.

still can't believe that this has not been planned (or planned as a"back-up" plan) since the beginning

this situation is ridiculous, we joked when the rfl bought the ground that bradford were safe for life, this just confirms it.

when other clubs feel the pinch, they will not get anywhere near this level of support, if any at all.

There needs to be more detail on how this will work asap. Is it just until the end of the season then they sell it on? Who is paying their liabilities and how does this work will HMRC? What happens if a club bids for a Bradford player? Will every club get the same treatment from now on? Etc, etc...

Well that's me done now, corruption stinks.

How can there ever be a future credible round of franchise applications.
This is utterley astonishing and while the sentiments, to save a pro rugby league club, may be worthy, what sort of precident does this set ??

What an absolute disgrace and greggs chief pie tester should be asked to resign for coming up with such a disgraceful and biased idea.Also if AG and the chairmen of other small clubs(Salford,Cas)etc have agreed to this I hope they have guarantees that until the Bulls are sold on that they are guaranteed SL status for as long as it takes whether it be 1 week or 10 years.How can we have so much pressure about the ground yet this is allowed to happen?

No arguments from me.





If you look at it from a purely business perspective. As far as I can see this is a measure until the end of the season to stop us from going bust before then and make sure the fixtures are played. I'm more inclined to believe that this cements our position out of SL for next year tbh. I certainly don't see clubs unanimously agreeing to a different set of rules for one club than themselves whilst financing by proxy that very same situation. They might be stupid, but that stupid? Really?

Where did I say it was?

I still await the first Bradford fan coming on here gloating, as they did a few months ago when the evil empire bought the lease after failing to recoup a penny piece from their £700k loan.

I don't get why the other clubs have agreed to it? Whats in it for them? As i've said the RFL need to clarify the detail on this pretty damn quick because right now it just looks like favouritism without all the relevent info. If its to get them through to the end of september then sell on or liquidate then ok. But long term it surely isn't an option.

(don't expect an answer, rhetorical questions)


is the new club now "skint", as the governing body has paid them up front, so where is the rest of the money coming from?

probably expecting them to get there 6 points back as the owners decide it was unfair.

more than full cap to be spent next year, as the owners will not penalise themselves

does andrew glover now own 2 teams?

etc etc etc.

It was a very good rebuttal of a point that I made. I seem to have completely imagined the point I was rebutting. I'm doing that a lot these days.

Incredible. Gob smacked.
Is this even legal? A ruling body owning a member club?
The details should be interesting.
How much more of the sport's money is being gambled away?