Can you call it a back door reprieve when Leeds, St Helens, Warrington, Castleford and Huddersfield, along with Sky Sports and Robert Elstone want Bradford back in Super League to increase crowds, eyeballs and Sky Sports subscriptions?

Before anyone mentions it, yes, I know those above have no actual say in the process all five clubs that have applied are following but the point stands that it's informative to know what people would like if they had the chance and that reflects in the criteria which were set.

I just hope that the people saying let's stabilise in the Championship realise that there will be no central funding after next year for the Championship and League One, so how can clubs stabilise?

Listen to the interview and it'll give you a good idea. Indeed, you won't get much change out of £500,000 for getting the health and safety of the stadium to the government green guide specifications.

Steve Rees is the promoter who last run the stock cars at Odsal in 1997 when on the bank holiday Monday just over 10,000 turned up.

The fact that they are financing the opening of the Rooley Avenue terracing for the World Championships Final tells me that they expect to sell the 17,000 current capacity of Odsal out.

I think people just forget how big Stock Car racing is in Europe and beyond.

In the interests of fairness, I'll be happy to let them dig up the corners of our pitch every week if we can dig a few holes in their track. They'll soon adapt to having a strange pothole.

On the stock cars I think it will be reasonably popular (the monster truck event always packs out) I don't think for a minute we'll be starry eyed and having odsal packed to the rafters. But hopefully it will be popular enough to remain at Odsal so we can share the upkeep.

The situation I see is, sadly a new stadium just isn't going to happen. If it doesn't happen when there is a prime spot in the Richard Dunns site currently available, the Bulls out of the city, it will never happen.

So our options are limited. I like Dewsbury but the longer we stay the harder it is to get back. The attendances will eventually fall each year we stay there. Valley parade is a non starter. BPA isn't big enough.

The issue with Odsal isn't so much the rent or even the income we make off it. It's the upkeep and maintenance just to open the gates. If we can bring in another party to help with that, then that's good news.

This isn't going to be a case of 20k fans watching the stock cars, investment to put a roof on the stand, and we make thousands from all the burger and beer sales there. I think it's literally another party halving the maintenance costs to enable us to play in Bradford. It will be far from perfect but it's better than the alternative.

Has anyone got a link to the aforementioned interview please.

Also does anyone know what stadium work would be carried out for the reported 500k.
Thats more than just replacing a few urinals and a lick of paint.

Both you and I know we are not in Europe and that crowds will be smaller than a Huddersfield away crowd. This is just spin and bluster to hide the fact the advanced talks to build a new stadium on RD's was more bullpoop than the Superdome.

How much will it cost to open the stadium for 700 stock car fans when you were peddling Chalmers figure of £33k to open the ground for an RL game? It's. All. Bull. Sheet.

In total agreeance! I was massively looking forward to the season and also tempted to not stick to my plan of not going while we are Dewsbury

The smell of petrol and burnt motor oil should add to the ambience of match days once again if the Bulls actually end up back at Odsal!

My smell memories of winter rugby at Odsal are an attractive mix of cigar smoke and mushy peas.
(Also what attracted me to my better half )

I must say it all sounds very doubtful. It will apparently cost £500k to make the ground safe for stock cars etc. Who has that sort of money lying around? It's all very well the RFL giving permission for it to take place at Odsal but I bet they aren't putting any money into making it happen. So who is?

Even if someone has I'm dubious as to whether it's viable - 1997 was 23 years ago. Since then Speedway has gone down in popularity. The articles I've read suggest Stock Cars are the same.

Meanwhile it will still cost the same to open the ground.

Add to that the obvious money that needs spending on the crumbling terracing, rusting barriers and dilapidated bars etc. Where does the money come from for that?

Then there's the team which is mid table Championship quality. Perhaps with an outside shot at the top 6. Where does the money come from to turn that team into one that could stay in SL at this late stage with so few decent players left available?

I know the options are grim. The club can't stay at Dewsbury for long as it's certain to wither and die there. Park Avenue is too small. VP is too expensive. But Odsal is a parasite on the club in its current state. I fear this bid for SL is another Steve Ferres style "poop or bust" tilt at success.

I'll continue to watch this car crash unfold from afar.

Don't disagree with any of that.....it is all a very sad and re-occurring pattern isn't it, rolling from one disaster to the next.
I keep an eye on things from a distance these days, more out of duty than hope.

That said, it wouldn't surprise me to see us admitted, then the RFL change the rules to stop promotion and relegation, giving us a fighting chance and the SL becoming a franchised closed shop again.
This is probably the optimist in me, but god knows with our sport. The top tier would certainly be better with a competitive Bulls in it.

To echo some of the other opinion on here, I fear for the sport generally....

Quote: Wigan Bull "Don't disagree with any of that.....it is all a very sad and re-occurring pattern isn't it, rolling from one disaster to the next. I keep an eye on things from a distance these days, more out of duty than hope. That said, it wouldn't surprise me to see us admitted, then the RFL change the rules to stop promotion and relegation, giving us a fighting chance and the SL becoming a franchised closed shop again. This is probably the optimist in me, but god knows with our sport. The top tier would certainly be better with a competitive Bulls in it. To echo some of the other opinion on here, I fear for the sport generally....'" Well Mr Elstone who was on a reported £400k a year has apparently negotiated the pitiful TV deal we all saw coming. Penny for the thoughts for the likes of Sheffield and Workington who inexplicably voted with SL. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugby ... -2024.html

Quote: Wigan Bull "Don't disagree with any of that.....it is all a very sad and re-occurring pattern isn't it, rolling from one disaster to the next. I keep an eye on things from a distance these days, more out of duty than hope. That said, it wouldn't surprise me to see us admitted, then the RFL change the rules to stop promotion and relegation, giving us a fighting chance and the SL becoming a franchised closed shop again. This is probably the optimist in me, but god knows with our sport. The top tier would certainly be better with a competitive Bulls in it. To echo some of the other opinion on here, I fear for the sport generally....'" Well Mr Elstone who was on a reported £400k a year has apparently negotiated the pitiful TV deal we all saw coming. Penny for the thoughts for the likes of Sheffield and Workington who inexplicably voted with SL. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugby ... -2024.html

This is thoroughly depressing.

From a bright start to the year with our young lads taking absolutely no nonsense from any team, playing (at times) some really entertaining Rugby League with 110% effort and looking forward to a couple of seasons building and maturing a team to be prod of, we're now discussing swapping the hybrid, frugal car we can afford to run for a rusting old 1936 Bentley with terminal problems because it looked good back in the day and we think we can make it fit for the 2020s because someone with an equally hair brained scheme will take on half the costs which will still be three times more than we can afford..

FFS, the best sport in the world, bar none, run but absolute village idiots...

The report of David Hobbs finding a ball bearing on the pitch during a training session is pre internet unfortunately. Surely we don't want to go back to those days?

That was a big ball bearing too.