Here's how I see it.

1. There is no way the RFL can ever sell one clubs ground to another club. Conflict of interest. Everyone knows it was wrong for the RFL to buy Odsal. But that decision triggered administration and then the other SL clubs benefitted from our sky money. So it's not as if we benefitted and everyone else lost out.

2. I don't believe Carter or Hudgell see it as a business interest despite what they claimed earlier in the year. The RFL own the lease. The council own the land. So if Bradford moved out, were kicked out, or went bust. They would have a lease with no tenant. They can't just fill it in as they're new build houses all around it and I'm not 100% sure they could just build houses on it due to it previously being land fill. Even if they could, a building company isn't going to pay much for the leade. The land will be what they're forking out for. I'm not sure the council would be too happy either if we were homeless. I doubt they'd just allow two other SL teams to make a nice profit and screw their own sports team over. Like I said it's not a business decision from them.

I've said it before, the politics need to stop and all the chairman keep their egos out of the limelight(and I 100% include my own) . I want to be talking about Tom Johnstone, Konrad Hurrell, Blake Austin. Not Andrew. Chalmers, Michael Carter or Ian Leneghan. We. Saw the poltics with the "Yorkshire cup" which isn't really the Yorkshire cup but just the teams who were part of the championship committee last year. There is real animosity between Chalmers and Hudgell and its rearing its ugly head with off-field politics taking over.

They all need to stop and be locked in a room. They are all great at running their own clubs. Unfortunately they are all trying to get as much power as possible.

Quote: Bull Mania "Here's how I see it. 1. There is no way the RFL can ever sell one clubs ground to another club. Conflict of interest. Everyone knows it was wrong for the RFL to buy Odsal. But that decision triggered administration and then the other SL clubs benefitted from our sky money. So it's not as if we benefitted and everyone else lost out. '" While I agree with much of the sentiment you've expressed, was it wrong for the RFL to buy the lease? Certainly not everyone was of that opinion at the time https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/16709752 And it could be argued that it staved off administration rather than triggering it.

Quote: Bull Mania "Here's how I see it. 1. There is no way the RFL can ever sell one clubs ground to another club. Conflict of interest. Everyone knows it was wrong for the RFL to buy Odsal. But that decision triggered administration and then the other SL clubs benefitted from our sky money. So it's not as if we benefitted and everyone else lost out. '" While I agree with much of the sentiment you've expressed, was it wrong for the RFL to buy the lease? Certainly not everyone was of that opinion at the time https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/16709752 And it could be argued that it staved off administration rather than triggering it.

Then they make an offer of what they deem it to be worth. How is that artificially inflating the market? I'd imagine they have a pretty good idea of what it should be worth.

I don't really know the politics and from what I've read there is nothing but hearsay about what is actually happening but the one thing I do know is Carter and/or Wakefield Trinity don't have money to splash around buying other team's stadiums.

It doesn’t matter what they think it’s worth. It’s worth what someone who can actually buy it will pay for it. They can’t buy it so they’re artificially raising the price for other potential buyers.

Imagine if the RFL were selling land to Wakefield for a new stadium but Leeds and Wigan kept putting bids in on the land for no other reason tha to make it more expensive for Wakefield to buy. The Wakefield fans would rightly be going crazy.

If Hudgell and Carter want to publicly criticise the RFL for selling the lease too cheaply then they can do that. That’s where their involvement ends.

All part of the power struggle going on in the game IMO. If the RFL knocks back C&H's bid, however spurious, the SL chairmen can then make a stink if the RFL later negotiates a lower value deal with another party. This would benefit C&H 3 ways:
it puts a spoke in the wheel of a rival with that might otherwise out-perform their own operations;
it serves to undermine the RFL whose remit is to serve the game as a whole, often at the expense of the top sides;
it ingratiates them with the real movers and shakers within the would-be 11 club cartel. Who - and let's be clear about this - will drop them both like a red-hot rivet if and when more lucrative opposition materialises.

That said, I'd imagine the RFL has been conducting itself with its usual evasiveness in the midst of all this. Had it made the position clear from the outset there'd be less risk of its position being compromised.

If they can't buy it how can they artificially raise the price?

Like everything people make bids for what they can afford, if the highest bidder walks then it goes to the next one. If there are only two interested parties than Chambers only has to offer want he wants/can and wait for Carter and Hudgell to walk away.

Anyhow in answer to the orginal post, supposedly there is some mutterings about a deal to redevelop Belle Vue that will be agreed in January next year.

Sadly I'll believe it when I'm stood in it.

So they can either force the buyer to pay what they deem to be the market value or to use as pressure against the RFL in the media by saying they are selling it below the value of other bids (ie theirs).
There is no other reason for Carter & Hudgell to bid on it.

Either way, they shouldn’t be doing it.

Do you think they have because I do not I think it is fake news of someone who has nothing better to do
.

You seriously think the owner of Bradford has gone to the trouble of inexplicably writing a long and fictional tale? What really? I think running Bradford is unlikely to leave him in the "nothing better to do" category. Thats a bit too Donald Trump for me.

This is all coming from a fairly reputable RL journo.

I think they have. Looks like some owners of the smaller SL clubs worried about Bradford getting themselves back to the top tier and wanting to make life hard as possible for them. This is just another tactic to try safeguard a SL spot IMO just like Carter doesn’t want the SC to rise nor a fan of marquee signings because he knows his club can’t compete financially and hence him saying clubs shouldn’t be allowed to make marquee signings if they don’t run reserves.