It would be an interesting development if we were to let the lease [from the RFL] go, since, as I understand it, as no Bradford club would then be playing at the ground, one of the major conditions of the primary lease [the RFL's] would also be be broken and the council would be withing it's rights to cancel it.

I guess the RFL could ask/coerce one of the local amateur clubs to play there, so as to keep their 'investment'.

There is also the other point about the 'Odsal settlement', whereby the club had to repay a proportion of the monies received if they left before 2019. Of course, with the comings and goings, owners coming in and going out [and presumably, changes to the lease wording/] it might be hard to work out who had responsibility to pay, though I suspect it might be 'the club' rather than any holding company.

Equally, there was meant to be a clause in the original deal that if Odsal were ever developed for non-rugby purposes, the Rfl are constrained to build a 16000 stadium in the Bradford district for Bradford Bulls to use.

Admittedly, Hood told me this. And hindsight tells me otherwise.

Equally there have been 2 administrations since then and several changes of ownership.

But again, if the clause says "the club" rather than the company, assuming it exists of course, and everyone actually signed the damn thing....

Wakefield need a ground, the RFL have one.....

Edit: the RFL have a ground, for as long as a Bradford rugby club play more than 90% of their home games there. Otherwise the whole site reverts to the council.

Legally the club is not an entity, each time a new owner arrives it is a case of entering into a new lease / sublease. So BBNL would have entered into a new sublease with RFL, with the consent of the head lessee (BMDC).

You'd assume that all the terms would normally remain the same, but without seeing the new lease, it's hard to say. But you wouldn't expect any landlord to water down its own protections / advantages / tenant's responsibilities, to its own detriment.

One obvious sticking point is the "repayment" clause. I would suggest it improbable the RFL "took over" that clause since it wasn't they who received the money.

One thing we can all be sure though is if the main parties find it expedient, a way could easily be found to end the whole "rugby at Odsal" arrangement and plead necessity.

Didn't Marc Green come out and say he intended to re-purchase the long leasehold from the RFL?
If he and the RFL are both true to their word (long shot, I know), then next season may see Marc acquire the lease back from them.

Not only that, but Marc also mentioned purchasing the freehold from Bradford Council!

Mr Green and the RFL keeping their word....

Good one.

If there's some deal to get us out and develop the place or landfill or whatever then I can see that. Some people may be able to see Green acquiring the ground for us to play Championship rugby but I'm not one of them.

Can't see us affording the upkeep of Odsal in the Championship. Why would anyone want to but it?

The story doing the rounds at the time of the debenture was that Green had got a valuation on the place and the figure IIRC was £38m. Presumably free of all present strings of course. Now, if there's that sort of money available then a cynic might not be surprised if those able to do, did.

So what do you think Bfd Council would sell it for?

I guess the council could do as they wish, since it was their clause in the first place, I assume they can ignore it, if they decide its in the public interest. If the "improvement" in the economy actually begins to appear on the ground and starts to help industry it may well be the council are sitting on a potential 'gold mine' at the end of the M606 and they would be happy to see the Bulls out of the way.

I am afraid the function of the M606 is to provide a quick way out of Bradford, but our "iconic" stadium is certainly worth more without a fading RL club in occupation. Maybe that is the RFL game plan, see out the fixtures then come to some arrangement to vacate Odsal and return the site to the council for a % of the proceeds?

First parts of Greens Plan B are: Odsal, another coach and a full time squad.

To be confirmed, the squad, if "SL only" contract status confirmed by Roger, can be completely rebuilt with new team and new contracts.

Odsal is the only disappointment in that lot.