Maybe Toronto’s 56 investors have decided Bradford is the chosen club

Well said GFB, I couldn't agree more.

It's strange that the Fax 'fans' who would feel so annoyed if we got picked don't realise that it would probably kill us, or any Championship side which accepts this poisoned chalice.

Which act does playing 6/7 seasons in Dewsbury fall into? When you say I'd prefer to stay where we are there's a suggestion that the club have reached a plateau form where they will further stabilise etc. Isn't a more likely situation is that team's that play in Dewsbury become Dewsbury (no disrespect to our gracious landlords)? Gallagher, Scurr, Doyle will one by one go to lower level SL clubs with a the odd Bentley and even a Bateman thrown in? There will be increasing pressure to jettison the academy and less genuine pressure to get the club back to Bradford. No TV money will exacerbate this.

I don't see an alternative to getting back to Odsal if at all possible and that demands we aim for SL.

I’ve not commented too much on this but here is my take.

In terms of SL ‘are we ready’? Honestly, we are not in the ‘ideal’ situation given the issues with the ground and recent financial troubles. However when will we be ready? After 2021 the funding is likely to be slashed dramatically and who knows what effect COVID will have on the Championship and the game as a whole in 2021. Wouldn’t it be great if we could slowly nurture our homegrown players and gradually build up a team capable of winning promotion. Unfortunately the reality is that they are picked off by SL clubs before that can happen... see James Bentley/Storton etc for recent examples.

After 2021 all I see is the gradual decline in quality at Championship level and the gap between us and SL being even greater. So in many ways I don’t see us having a great deal to lose by applying and possibly getting the nod. The SL season will probably be disrupted again and they will likely scrap relegation part way through due to some issue with integrity of the competition etc. Yes we would get thrashed most weeks but with some additions we could probably be competitive with the lower 2 or 3 clubs. Personally I don’t see why what we have to lose as long as the spending is within our means and the funding received.

On the other hand I think next year’s championship has the potential to a great competition so I wouldn’t be disappointed to be watching that. I just worry where it will be from 2022 onwards..

I think that's the issue? I don't seen any alternative that's successful. There is no suggestion from me that Dewsbury becomes a permanent fixture. However, there is something that seems a little knee jerk in the desperation to get back to Odsal.

We seem to have stabilised but are we in a rock solid position? If so why jeopardise it? Why not stay put for a year or two in a very uncertain world and build on the platform when/if circumstances ease.

If we aren't then why join SL to get our backsides handed to us week in week out in a stadium we can't afford and undo all the work and pain we've gone through so far by getting immediately relegated and handing the lower SL chairmen the get out of jail free cards it seem that this grab for an extra club seems to be?

Sure, the bright lights of SL get further away the more the years at Dewsbury slide by but unless there's been a nod and a wink to the CH sides applying regarding the SL drawbridge being pulled up once they are in then it appears suicidal to go back to a stadium we couldn't afford to run 2 years ago. Even if it is pulled up we all must be fully aware that Odsal killed us and that death started in SL.

Those with the money to run the club wanted the lease, the RFL always said no. Even if they sell to Wood the hasty wedding to stock cars seems to indicate there is no desire in the slightest to improve the dump and lets be honest, as much as were emotionally attached to the place, its long passed it's sell by date and a couple of coats of Dulux will do nothing to change that. If the RFL retain the lease they don't have a pot to relieve themselves in.

Whichever way I look at it, unless the finances receive a decent and continued boost from someone with more money than sense then the future is looking very dark to me? Whether bottom of the SL or scratching in the CH we won't keep hold of the kids and Hudds, KR etc will still pick them off?

Even staying at Dewsbury looks grim but surely we'll survive there longer with no central funding that at Odsal, whether we have a years in SL or not?

I don't know either. It's heart attack vs stroke. I watch SL and at the bottom end it's rubbish so I'm marginally more optimistic than most on here but accept we're heavy favourites for the drop.

Whilst I haven’t seen any club accounts, I did get the administrators reports. Here’s my tuppence worth.
Our last few seasons on SL, we were paying out full cap, our back room & admin (non performance) was bloated, we were in Odsal, TV money was approx £1.2m and we were losing about £700k per year.(although OK got shafted here) The year after we got relegated, TV money went to £1.8m. With just some cloth cutting, we would have broken even. Anyway, down we went.
Cloth cutting - both performance and non-performance sides happened, but not in pace with our central funding drop so more financial problems.
Now, compared to the club that got relegated, we are lean. Cloth cutting has occurred, efficiencies have been developed.
Purely basing it on Diskin’s prematch interview last year where he said our player spend was 3x Batleys, I think our spend is about £550k - £600k. And we seem to be comfortable with that with our new owners. And that is on 6th place central funding of £300k was it?
What I’m getting at is the majority of the 12th place extra funding can be given straight to JK for performance. We wouldn’t be far off. Crucially, to keep the likes of Doyle & Scurr, we need to be in SL. Otherwise this next academy group will go at the end of next year

Your right There the country is on its the game we all love is on its without a big money backer we are doomed to failure

I've swayed back and forth on this since it was announce that there would be a bidding process but have settled on the idea of going up as worth a punt.

As Highlander and Scarey have alluded to, we have stripped the club back to its bare essentials and is in a position where it is spending within its means on £300k central funding. Give it another £700k in the first year back at SL level with some modest stadium upgrades paid through the RFL/Government Loan and we have a shot at beating relegation (if it even happens at all that is). After that you get a full years central funding and take it from there.

My gut feeling is that there is a strong possibility SL becomes a closed shop from 2021, and something that Chalmers said in one of his first fans forums rings some bells. He made a big case saying licensing from 2021 would happen and the way it is now can anyone really say its not a consideration?

This is in my opinion our one and only shot at getting back to the top league. With the ty TV deal coming and smaller central funding, we will essentially go year to year living on selling our best talent to bigger teams. We will never (no matter what anyone says) get close to seeing the full potential of these players to enable us a crack of promotion.

The other consideration is why would the owners choose to make such a bid if they didn't think they could make a go of it? For what reason would Wood and Sawyer have for putting the club in a position that it would fail financially again? There is no benefit to having a failed business on your directors record. They must know something we don't.

My guess is that Odsal unlocks the answer. The lease held by the RFL is still desirable given that it appears as appetizing as a sandwich... ask yourself why. Could it still be possible that there is some value in the land awaiting to be unlocked and that between the two unoccupied sites (Dunnes and Odsal) is an opportunity for the council and leasehold to make some serious money and provide a cost efficient ground for the club and community use?

Wood and Sawyer applied because they had to. Only a handful of clubs actually met the criteria to be eligible. Can you imagine they outcry from (some) Bulls fans if they just didn't bother applying?
I don't for one second think we will be the team to go up.

I on the other had think the criteria was set just to make sure the Bulls made it. Otherwise why say you had to finish Top 6 in the past two seasons? Surely you’d go by playoff places which is 1-5. Why include the 6th team? Do you think they would have said Top 6 if Bradford had made the playoffs?

Its good to see everyones differing opinions on this and to see peoples way if thinking. Creates good debate

The criteria certainly ensures we have a real good chance. Especially the financial aspect of the bid. You have to have a turnover of at least £300,000 in either 2018 or 2019. In 2019 we had financial trouble, hence the selling of Minchella, Keyes, Milnes and Mutodi plus why James Green left. However as we didn’t go into administration, did the sale of those players take us over the £300,000 mark? Can’t see us having that turnover in 2018 when we were in League 1.

The away support will be a big pull. More money for other clubs, bigger crowds on TV make the game look better. it’s a story to sell. “Ex World Champions Rise from the ashes”. Can guarantee before our first televised game there will be a big X Factor esc sob story about our fall and rise.

Ah I’ve only read about the judges today. I was under the impressions that it was SL to decide. Even so, SL have made sure we meet pretty much every single criteria and the one we dont is ground ownership which won’t make a difference I don’t think.

I agree with your assessment on the other clubs. York have an outside chance. New ground, business run well, investment is there, it’s a new area to expand, no competition with football since York City’s fall from grace, good day out, good prospects for the future in terms of results on the field and a young british coach. For me Leigh and Bradford have the strongest bids, regardless of barmpot owner, he invests in the team, it’s already got many SL standard players, great ground, performances deserve it, crowd is good numbers, not bad away following. For me Leigh should be the team to go up.

Agree on London though. Done unreal since Ward and Langley took over! Especially in terms of development.

Yeah mate that Leigh game was mental! Was a bloody great day and great atmosphere. Never forget that! You going next season pal?

With all the rumours/finances floating around, other corporate interest and the shortness of the new tv deal, I think we live in interesting times. This scenario is a possibility. I don’t know the exact timeframe, but over the next 3 year TV deal I think Bulls will be the 12th club. Private equity will come in and relegation will be stopped/postponed. Private equity will take over marketing, they’ll recommend a 14 club league, 2 out of London, York and Toulouse will be invited, the Tv deal for 2024 will be significantly improved, with a french broadcaster, a streaming broadcaster and still some Free to air games. And we’ll probably move back to franchises.