If the previous leaseholder was about to sell to Tesco, would you be happy playing the Bulls on Tesco's car park after 4.00pm on a Sunday?

The RFL already has an established and constantly changing property portfolio which includes ownership and/or interests in many other professional and community Rugby League stadia. As a matter of course the governing body regularly sells on and redevelops stadia if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the current tenants and the game as a whole. So any guesses as to which other grounds the RFL either own or have invested in?
Could Headingley be one, they seem to get more than a fair share of neutral venue cup games and internationals

If Bradford chose to do that that' their problem isn't it. So what do the RFL get out of forking out a 7 figure fee to Bradford for the lease? In my eyes the details should be completely transparent to us all

Same as Humberside County Council got for buying back the freehold of New Craven Park perhaps when Rovers were in administration? Maybe Bradford were in financial difficulties and their survival was threatened?

It would make sense to buy the freehold though but in this instance the rfl haven't have they?

Is this confirmed? Started reading the thread on the Bradford board, but got bored. Adeybull, who is the font of all knowledge on this sort of thing, said it was unclear whether the council had sold the freehold to the RFL or Bradford had assigned them the lease which is 140 years, so effectively a freehold anyway.

I'm just going on what I read today all be it on the suns web page. www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sp ... inner.html

I'm just going on what I read today all be it on the suns web page. www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sp ... inner.html

No idea what went on, but it would seem reasonable to assume that Bradford were struggling financially (the Iestyn Harris thing nearly did for them, I think) plus compared to 5 years ago their commercial revenue streams must be hugely reduced. Perhaps, and this is pure and unfounded speculation/guesswork on my part (business as usual, then

), if they had perhaps not complied with some technicality of their lease maybe someone like Tesco were putting forward a compelling scheme (financially) to the council who are skint and maybe had a way to make the current 140 year lease with the bulls void. Maybe the RFL stepped in to stop this given Bradford's pivotal role in the early years of the SL era and potential from a fanbase perspective at least to be one of the game's biggest clubs. This is all made up, but probably some bits of it are reasonable supposition.

Would they have taken the pledge if you're passes were full price and not at £60-£100???

Their ground is owned by Paul Caddick i think?

Quote ="MrPhilb"I'm just going on what I read today all be it on the suns web page. www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sp ... inner.html'" Shock Horror! Philb reads the 'Sun' On topic: Odsal Stadium has vast potential as a venue for the RFL. Internationals/semi finals/finals/exhibition matches all at a lower cost than the likes of Elland Rd and both the Manchester stadia et al. All very much local to the heartlands and the majority fan base. This isn't a "Sod expansion" rant btw it's just looking at it from a logistical point of view. Good move for all concerned Imo - Provided it gets some much needed TLC.

Quote ="MrPhilb"I'm just going on what I read today all be it on the suns web page. www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sp ... inner.html'" Shock Horror! Philb reads the 'Sun' On topic: Odsal Stadium has vast potential as a venue for the RFL. Internationals/semi finals/finals/exhibition matches all at a lower cost than the likes of Elland Rd and both the Manchester stadia et al. All very much local to the heartlands and the majority fan base. This isn't a "Sod expansion" rant btw it's just looking at it from a logistical point of view. Good move for all concerned Imo - Provided it gets some much needed TLC.

Was that the first or second time they sold it?

Maybe Phil Lowe and Colin Hutton should give lessons on how to sell grounds

Makes you proud to be British.I presume he is wearing Jesus sandals with the socks pulled up?

This thread is hilarious.

The way some of you are going on you'd think we had merged with another club, taking with them a guarenteed place in Super League, extra TV money and a squad whiched finished far higher in the previous season.

I could almost understand the reaction had it been suspected that half of our team had been taking a banned substance and the RFL instead of telling this to the drug testers had decided to keep quiet.

Of course both of those scenarios are so far fetched that it would never happen.... WOULD IT???

Quite, its a shame the Bulls were too busy point scoring over Leeds by signing an Loiner reject old welsh rugby Union kid who was way past it, who actually raped your club to its knees, you are still paying for him now, i just hope he was worth it.

You actually think thats why the RFL bought the stadium???







The money is almost paid off and the clubs not on its knees as it's not spent upto the salary cap for last few years (as the seasons results have clearly shown).

Its actually (if you could be d working it all out) that companies are sniffing out Odsal and that the Bulls would be homeless if that was to happen.

There is a lot more behind this move than meets the eye but then again thats the case with a lot of things. Just making a point that those in glass houses should throw stones (even if i had to break a few windows myself).

Can't understand why so many on this board want to see Bradford go to the knackers.

The problem with that theory is that the Bulls own (or at least [iowned[/i) a 90-odd year lease on the ground, so no matter who owns it they couldn't have been thrown out.

Try again.

We got help from the RFL, so why shouldn't other clubs?

I ddint suggest that the RFL buying Odsal was a direct link to Harris.

"the money is almosed paid off" thats a scandal, if i was a Bulls fan i'd be keeping my money in my sky rocket, paying for a player you had for one year 4 years after he leaves.

As for Odsal, just tell us what they can build on toxic waste contaminated land?

Self proclaimed "Peoples team" was it for me

See Mrs B's scenario above

Adeybull on the VT is hinting at something similar. I tend to go with the simple explanations without evidence of complexity, so the scenario outlined in the Sun article seems slightly more likely at present. I guess it will all come out eventually.

EDIT: [url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbulls/9492043.Could_RFL_deal_be_catalyst_for_Odsal_becoming_Wembley_of_the_north_/This article[/url confirms that The Sun got it pretty much correct. The RFL have bought the lease from the Bulls and not the freehold from BCC. It's essentially a loan to the Bulls paid back by renting the stadium to them. It seems that the 'predatory approaches' were for the [iclub[/i rather than the ground, with a view to moving them out to Valley Parade and redeveloping Odsal.

No reason whatsoever. And I'm enjoying the same folk who usually rant about helping 'heartlands' clubs have apoplexy over the RFL doing just that. However, there is a [ipotential[/i for a conflict of interest when it comes to SL licensing. Hopefully someone's already thought of that...

How did you work that one out??? Harris signed in 2004 and left in 2008 so thats 4 years if my maths doesn't let me down.

As for building at Odsal... i would presume nothing. The whole new stadium thing is pie in the sky and as far as i'm concerned this is about the RFL trying to stop a club becoming homeless rather than plans to build a new stadium.

Don't think the RFL will have it to be long tbh... just long enough to stop a certain football ground owner buying it up i should imagine.

WQhere on earth have you pulled that load of old fanny from?

They built a stadium on it and have been playing there for decades. It may have once been a council, household-waste tip but do you honestly think it's anything other than benign now?

Actually there is some contaminated land on or nearby the Odsal site. It was one of the reasons why redevelopment plans kept stalling - the expense of clearing it up. Nothing that a private developer couldn't deal with handily, mind.