the cost for something like that would be astronomical, way out of the rfls ability to achieve

The most sensible course of action would be a new community stadium on the Richard Dunn site across the road - the sports there is due to close shortly as there is a new site being built around the corner.
The new stadium could be used to house both the Bulls and Bradford Park Ave who play up the road at the Horsfall Stadium (another council owned ground). This gives both clubs the facilities they need to progress in their sports as well as give the council a new venue for other events and allows the council to make back some of the money by selling off the unrequired old stadiums for redevelopment

Won't happen because that's a sensible plan that solves everyone's problems

So if the RFL are paying a peppercorn rent and there's a covenant on the ground stipulating RL must be played there, what's stopping the RFL handing the lease back? All the risk appears to be with Bradford on getting a suitable venue, both now and in the future.

I have many great and not so good memories of Odsal, but one thing which always sticks in my mind is that fantastic picture of the Challenge cup replay “I think” over 100,000 attended this match and if memory serves me right Warry and Gerry Helme was involved.

The picture or print of this iconic occasion was to me as a young lad in the sixties, such a powerful part of rugby leagues history.

Good luck to all Bradford’s fans on this proposed venture, and a sad farewell to another part of rugby league folklore.

Just to clear up some misconceptions here.

The RFL have a leasehold on the ground that has 130 odd years left to run. There was a covenant that it’s primary use had to be as a rugby league stadium. That ended 31st May 2019.

The Company trading as Bradford Bulls has a sub lease that runs out 30th September 2019.

Also Michael Carter and Neil Hudgell have gone public in their desire to purchase RFL’s leasehold. Unless that was b0ll0x from a pair of gobsh17es.

So everyone is a winner apart from the fans who have to travel to home games for the foreseeable.

I’ve seen this “due diligence” rubbish spouted by a few people including the usual “experts” in the press. The knobs at forty20 magazine.

Fact is you can only do “due diligence” based on accounts made available by the administrator. These are inturn what the administrator has managed to put together in a rush based on what they could find. Given the people running the club before the last administration (Marc Green’s crew) proved to be not that great at accounting I’m guessing the true scale of the costs involved weren’t that obvious. They certainly were after Chalmers had had to pump in half a million after year one to cover the losses.

You know cutting your cloth and all that other garbage people come out with.

You think any of who you refer to are still involved?

The covenant that ran out in may 2019 was related to the odsal settlement made when bulls moved back to odsal from Valley parade. It locked bulls into playing majority of their first team games at odsal. If they moved before this date they had to repay part of the settlement money.

The Covenant saying the ground has to be used for professional rugby is for the duration of the head lease, ie another 130 yrs.

IIRC The RFL bailed out Bradford by buying the stadium at a large price and now the are still complaining about rent etc?

So if this move is allowed to go through, the RFL will have sunk a large amount of money into this single club and the only chance of now getting their money back is a sale if the ground which might not be possible?

In hindsight (and many said this at the time) Bradford should have been allowed to fold. If they had, a reformed Bradford might have rebuilt better than the current team already.

Cool story Bro, however, the R.F.L. didn't buy the stadium!

And the RFL who, despite "helping" Bradford on numerous occasions, now look like being left with a lease which is no good to them and although they could possibly offload this back to Bradford Council, just how much would the council or anyone else pay them for the lease ??

They (the RFL) seem to have little choice other than to "force" Bradford to stay - interesting times.

If Chalmers is telling the truth, rather than this being brinkmanship, then the RFL refusing approval would surely put the Bulls back into admin.

What a massive conflict of interest, out of character for the RFL to male an almighty cock up.