Going back to Odsal in SL would yield the same results as last time...

Even thinking about it is ridiculous. I really don't miss SL. We have some great teams and rivalries in the Champs, aren't killing ourselves financially and each year at least one CH clubs gives an SL club a bloody nose in the Challenge Cup.

Yes, exactly this.
I've been watching this play out on twitter and the forums and the news from the RL and I have a sinking feeling of inevitability. Some deluded people seem to think that just putting the Bulls back in SL will bring back 10,000 home fans (no chance) and an army of away supporters travelling across the league to watch our team lose every week (not gonna happen after series of drubbings). All whilst playing out of a poor ground we (still) cant afford, with half the funding of everyone else. (we have the 1st hand experience of knowing how that ends, from a couple of admins back)
And I feel sometimes like I'm the only one that remembers how this ends. Of all the clubs in RL, we should be the ones who can recognise a poisoned chalice when we see it. Some SL club chairmen might want us in as we'll bring some away fans (assuming thats allowed in 2021) and with half funding we'll almost certainly be relegated so it gives them all another year of safety from the drop. Crazy. Where is the upside for us? How are we even giving this consideration? Have we found a magic money tree but just not told anyone?

Our application should fail, I'd go for Toulouse myself, but the criteria is woolly enough that you can make a case for the old Bulls to be promoted and the panel will just use the criteria to justify who they've already decided upon, and in the meantime its allowed all the old issues and negativity around the club to be re-aired, so we're now distracted from rebuilding, getting back to Bradford and winning promotion on merit for the spurious arguments of fast tracking our return...nuts.

If anyone can sell me on the positives if we win this raffle Id genuinely love to hear them, because I got nothing.

oh, and hello again everyone - hope you're all keeping safe in 2020,I just needed to have a brief return to have a whinge as twitter doesn't allow me enough characters!

Unless a multi multi millionaire comes in to back us we all know what the result of putting us back into SL. If they are interested in expansion then surely Toulouse is the answer. Caralan have proven themselves and even won the Challenge Cup. Continue this expansion with Toulouse so they can then have derbies and we'll see what happens.

Catalans don't have an academy and are a collection of imports. The CC final was half empty. they haven't brought a TV deal or anything to the game in France or the international game and there's no away fans. Other than it looks and sounds good there's absolutely nothing tangible one can say Catalans have brought. For me Toulouse bring less than Fev.

Kear in the T and A is 100% right in saying that whoever goes into SL must have an academy, AND as everyone on here is suggesting a lot of money. Unless Nigel has found another Koukash it has to be London.

AS I said it is dependant upon them being interested in expansion. If it is solely on away fan numbers SL here we come.

Im not sure how you lot feel but now we are both ruled out for me personally its one of relief. I believe promotion should be earned on the field and we are a long way off it. I guess if Fax were in SL I would likely go to every game because its what we do but I find the SL product overall dour and stale.

So many people I talk to also find SL boring and predictable.
Interesting last night to hear Jon Wells saying the important thing for the new club is to bring a fan base. Carney instantly said it's the Bulls then.
Coincidentally, the club must have finished 6th or higher in the championship which we finished 6th.

I don't want us to go up but it wouldn't surprise me if we were chosen. The only way we could if there was a secret funder to make up that £800k shortfall and some help with the stadium. I would rather us play at VP. There are a few teams who share grounds they they don't own.

Agree above about Catalan. They are just like Toronto but closer. Imported players and no youth set up.
I do get the feeling they want the bulls back but we are just not ready unless things are being sorted in the background.

Halifax are ruled out for not meeting the Intial Criteria
Bull aren't ruled out yet as meet Initial Criteria

4. In addition, the RFL and SLE have set Assessment Criteria against which any club wishing to obtain membership of Super League in 2021 will be assessed.

So the Bulls can still apply as its based on an Assessment of all points in the document.

Yeah I guess the Bulls can apply but the part about CCJ's is going to mean their bid will be unsucessful.

I truly hope you are correct.
My problem is that I can see little common sense in any of the people running the game, just greed and self service, so I would expect our pointless application to be considered. Maybe they see our academy? It is the shining light in our application, indeed it's probably our only light, and only thing currently at SL level tbh.

Most probably they expect large crowds to pop into all their grounds on a regular basis but not when our Championship level recruited squad starts to get hammered regularly, and we become certs for relegation surely? I guess they won't care if we go bust trying though. They'll have a permanent solution sorted by then, maybe. If they would know a permanent solution if it hit them in the face, that is.

There is no reason we can't become an SL club. But not next season, with no notice and on half money. Unless there is something very strange going on behind the scenes, I can't understand why the people running our club are going along with this nonsense.

I didn’t read that document as a club having to tick every box. I would assume the Bulls directors would point out the Ccj’s were satisfied/discharged and that there was a new ownership since then. Then they would expand on the positives.

Regarding SL, over the last 3 years it’s rare that I’ve watched a game to the end. I don’t know whether it’s the standard on show or that I no longer have a connection to it,
I don’t know whether SL going from 14 to 12 and losing Bradford and London was a symptom of the decline or a causative factor in the decline but that’s when SL began losing it for me

Yeah Ive just re-read it about 3 times and the wording is not very clear. It seems strange to have the initial criteria that must be met but then saying the rest are assed but then under the sub-sections says that you must not have done this or that. On the CCJ's I believe one of the latest was this year.

It is the interests of the other bigger clubs to get Bradford back up. They all have first teams squads that are way too big an way to expensive. As per the original Future of The Game thread, I expects the Bulls will be beneficiaries of a cull of squads at Leeds/Wigan & Warrington via the loan system.

It would only fair that Toulouse get the spot, but fairness does not always come into hard business decision making. What is best for the game is the Bulls back in SL.