Absolutely spot on.

If people are saying that the governing body of what we would like to think is an important sport in this country can buy a stadium leased by one its leading clubs without disclosing the details of that deal and expect to avoid criticism and suspicion then that is just ridiculous!

How can we as fans have any confidence in the integrity of the competition when important things like this are kept secret?

The fact that the RFL appear to think their best course of action is to keep things secret speaks volumes. Failing to disclose the deal at best looks like contempt for the fans and at worst looks like a cover up. When you couple this with a failure to explain how the RFL will manage the conflict of interests going forward, it just looks really bad. Hopefully this is just amateurish errors rather than anything more sinister, but what a mess they have got themselves in on this issue.

You think the governing body of a national sport and WalMart are analogous?



I wish the RFL were as well managed as WalMart...

"[size=200COMMERCIAL ORGANISATIONS IN POSITIVELY WORDED SHORT PRESS RELEASE SHOCK[/size"

Such a thing can never ever have happened before, in the history of business. Can it? Would any business actually contemplate doing such a heinous thing?

Bulls have done pretty well to get two squeezes out of it!

You DO realise though that there are profound consequences of the RFL's actions? So profound that only one or two have so far touched the edges of this fundamental issue?

Henceforth, it will be nigh-on IMPOSSIBLE for any Bulls fan to accuse the RFL of having an anti-bulls agenda, bias or whatever. Indeed, it will be necessary to dig out the mat and bow down and pray to Rot - sorry RED Hall on a regular basis. This really will not do at all. The very heart of Bulls fans' belief system has just been ripped out. All that we held to be the Truth has now been laid bare, and we have all been found wanting. This is bound to leave a massive hollow feeling inside. It is a painful and traumatic thing indeed to lose one's faith so quicjkly and devastatingly. In a less cruel world, others would have pity on us, and even buy us beers unlooked-for. For we'll sure as hell need a lot of those to get over this apocalyptic event...

At least the Arch-Antichrist himself has not (yet?) come out of the Headingley bunker, and said he wholeheartedly supports the RFL's actions, and wishes the Bulls every success. THAT is a shock to the system few Bulls fans could take, and the consequences for the NHS do not bear thinking about. In the interests of humanity, let us hope that that one rock of stability, that one certainty, that knowledge that he truly hates and despises us and spends his every waking minute plotting our downfall, is not pulled away from us. If it IS, I truly fear for us all.

Seems valid to me.

What is in it for the RFL?

If this is merely a 'bail out' by another name it doen't inspire much confidence in the licencing process in that less than a year has passed since the Bulls' business plan/future income projections etc were 'thoroughly' scrutinised.......

Although, if it's all due to image rights payments, as some have suggested, I expect the RFL will quite likely 'own' quite a few more grounds before long. After all they will have set a precedent....

Just wait for Bradford to win a game through a 50/50 call or maybe even an incorrect refereeing decision. The message boards will be red hot!!

Without knowing the full ins and outs, nobody can be sure, but from the few things published so far, this is a tarted up bail out. Nothing more, nothing less.

That the current 14 SL clubs will finish the season

Your point on the immediate need for the bail out is probably correct supported by the probability that were the club to enter administration or worse, be liquidated the long lease would not necessarily be passed to the new owner and even if it were it would contain the same clauses that demanded the Bulls play their home games at Odsal. Therefore, the idea of a predatory approach seeing the Bulls as vulnerable does not stand up as it would not mean the 'approachee' would ever get their hands on the Odsal site without the Bulls in it. Additionally, the RFL has about 6/7 clubs that could realistically sell 20 000 tickets for a final and the Bulls are one of them.

However, I'd be interested in the sequence of events. If Hood approached the RFL and asked for the SKY money and explained precisley why, it wouldn't shock me to hear the idea of buying lease came from the RFL. Odsal is unique in its size, scope and location. The RFL could never dream of getting its hands on a comparable site for £25 million let alone the reported 7 figure sum (whatever that may be). Simply put the grounds of Cas, Wakey, Saints, Oldham are worthless to the RFL whereas Odsal is big enough to potentiall realise something truly priceless for rugby league in this country.

Wigan have paid theirs £78K if my memory serves me right.

What you say about Odsal may be correct, but given its present ste, the cost of converting the site intosome form of "Northern Wembley" would possibly be more than starting from scratch on new ground, which could perhaps have some form of development status.
Although almost choking whilst typing, Glasshoughton, for instance.
So I dont go for the "potential asset" theory, more like the "Bailout Brigade"
I hope it works out though, there appears to be clouds on the horizon with this one.

How big is the stadium/site at Glasshoughton?

Just checked it's 13,300 capacity. What use is that to the RFL trying to market a World cup/Tri Nations etc?

Good point. At least there will be no further instances of Mr Hood contacting his landlords and demanding two league points when the heroics of the Rhinos earn them with legitimate late game tries.

Absolutely correct; I couldn't have put it better myself, so I won't try.

Pathetic.

Erm, no.

Think I might go out of my way to go to a few games actually.

I like the line about saving an evocative old stadium. Is this the same type of evocative old stadium the RFL are wanting rid off in favour of concrete lego stadiums?.

I had some good long chats with all four of the Bulls' senior management team tonight, including the Chairman. I really don't know any easy way of breaking this to you gently, dear readers, so I won't try. It is my duty to report to you now that, it transpires, the RFL press release was actually pretty factual. It was not really spun much at all.

I know, its a shock.

But it seems it was indeed substantially the truth.

I now have a much clearer understanding of where the threat to the Bulls' continuing tenure at Odsal came from, and of the background to the RFL's intervention and their interest in Odsal. And, if you are a Bulls fan, its a hell of a lot more positive than anything we have had served up to us in many a day.

It was ' substantially ' the truth, so not completely the truth, so what makes you think we believe what you were told or what you are telling us is the complete truth?

Sorry Adey , it matters not, you were ' bailed out ' , hopefully you wont need bailing out again

If I was a Bulls fan I would be ecstatic as they have been saved, their stadium is secured and all paid for by the Governing body who are funded by???
The rest of the sport called RL.
Nice one.

Many clubs in football have got into trouble with their landlords in fact two have only recently Northwich Victoria and Darlington and the football governing bodies have quite rightly kept out of it as it is not their concern as its up to individual clubs to ensure they have a home to play in, taking on a stadium liability is not what the Governing bodies are for end of story.
This I repeat is morally wrong and the RFL are smoke screening it that it is about a 'historical stadium' when in fact it is just a ground where one of their members plays in.
Odsal has never become what some have wanted it to be in its near 80 year history even despite numerous grand plans and lets face it that it never will as it is in the wrong place and it would cost far too much.
I am still annoyed that the RFL yet again do just what they want without consulting the wider membership as they have total control and jhen try justify it with bull that its a good deal and all that claptrap.

Adey,that reads like an rfl press release

Some of you lot are going to look very silly in years to come, you know. Write that down someplace so you don't forget.

The RFL intervention saved Bradford from the probability of having to abandon Odsal to the developers, and move into the hell hole that is Valley Parade, as very unequal partners slowly withering away starved of resources by new owners only interested in the soccer. The only thing any "interested party" was interested in was getting their hands on Bradford City and getting their hands on the Odsal site for development, to pay for it. Bulls were - as in 2001 - the sacrificial lamb.

"Bailout" it was not. "Rescue" it was not. Saving the club from escalating decline and eventual death by neglect it certainly was. Saving the game losing yet another non-soccer stadium, and especially one of such strategic importance for the future, again it certainly was. Hell, even the bloody council is happy with the outcome!

Anyway, I am now quite satisfied with what I have been told, and I do not believe the RFL has done anything to disadvantage the game or any of its constituent clubs. Indeed, quite the opposite. And so, quite frankly, I no longer care whether or not some of you choose to believe or disbelieve me.