Well they also own other grounds, do the clubs that operate from those stadiums have a franchise for life? No they don't, if this was purely the case then they would. I'm not dressing anything up, it's there in black and white, as you have done so already, you'll make your own judgement up on it, more than to be likely clouded by anger, envy and sorrow though so it's understandable why people seem quite so bitter.

I don't need to convince myself of anything, I can see it for what it's for.

STAGGERING!!!! REALLY??!! I can barely believe it. I wish Bradford no ill whatsoevr; I don't subscribe to petty glee at other's misfortunes, but this cannot be the way for a fair sport to progress.

Good. Then you'll obvious see that the RFL have performed a rescue operation, and nothing more, secured against a very fragile asset. I have no problem with it, it's one that they had to perform in the short and medium-term interest of the sport. They've been somewhat disingenuous in the way they've tried to sell the deal to the fans of the sport, but to have a third Super League club crash within the space of a year would have serious implications for the credibility of the sport, certainly in terms of sponsorship and advertising revenues.

Bradford are still regarded as one of the top clubs in the competition (by outsiders, if no one else), even if they're living off the success they've enjoyed in the recent past. They have a large enough fan base to operate as a going concern, if they cut their cloth to suit their purse.

1. I see the RFL buying the lease to Odsal to stop your club going to the wall and trying to dress it up as best they can so they don't appear to be doing anything underhand.
2. I see the RFL making up some nonsense about preserving historical grounds when what they actually want to do is to get everyone into modern stadia and they don't care 2 hoots about history.

I imagine Bradford are happy because they have secured the immediate future of their club.
I imagine the RFL are happy because they have avoided the negative publicity of one of their "big" clubs going t*ts up.
I imagine any fan of Rugby League in general that is not a Bulls fan sees this as what it is, which is a blatant act of support for one club when they have refused to help others.

As for your dreamworld of the RFL developing Odsal in the future, how long has this been in the pipeline and yet nobody has been able to afford to do it, but you think the "cash-rich" RFL will have the finances to do it. If you believe any of what you have put on here then you are as mad as the people in charge of our game.

This.

If it means going under tough,no club as the god given right to be bailed out while others have struggled.I wouldn't loose any sleep if bulls fell by the wayside.R.F.L are a joke and corrupt.

I wouldn't lose sleep, only maybe for Wakey but I wouldn't want them to fold. Hardly good for the sport in general and wouldn't wish it on their fans after experiencing what we did last year. I wouldn't want any RFL charity we'd never here the bleeding last of it. Anyway if and when we get sorted off our own steam we will have much more cause for celebration

After what we've been through,and still going through....ie....ground upgrade and NM decision,I find it hard not to be bitter over today's anouncement.

Wouldn't want to lose any club tbh and I've always had plenty of time for the Bradford, they've got a good set of fans.
All I can think of is during all this, is if this was Wakefield that had been helped out in this exact same way, say for example when Ted was looking for help, i'd imagine a lot of those fans at Bradford and other clubs would suddenly very much have a problem with it.

Anyway I just want to get the season started and then get good news about Newmarket and it will all be gravy.

Couldnt have put it any better, Bulls fans dont want to believe this is a rescue package, fair enough , but theres no doubt thats what it is.
Lewis and Woods dont give a toss about 'evocative grounds', theyve been shutting them down for years , and if I hear one more Bulls fan say Odsal is in a prime location I'll boil my head
PRIME LOCATION FOR WHAT EXACTLY ???? ITS NOT SYDNEY HARBOUR FOR GODS SAKE

DITTO!!!!

In principle I agree. I practice, I think we had better be careful what we say and do whilst this adminstration rules and debases our once proud sport. I think we have to play a longer and craftier game and just support Trinity and nothing else in this game.

Any way you look at it, the RFL should not be getting directly involved in the playing facility provision and financial affairs of any club unless it is by clearly defined rules that apply to and are equal for all clubs. At the most, I would say this should be in the form of emergency loans to prevent clubs folding provided they agree to prescribed criteria for future financial conduct. This is a massive conflict of interest. How can you allow a club to slip out of the top league under any circumstances if your 'market value' rent is dependant on their success? The market value rent of odsal must be huge incidentally. If it's not, I would like to know how prime land in a big city isn't. I'm sorry Bulls fans, I wish you no ill at all. I'm a big believer in the RL family...or at least I used to be, but us scraping a last ditch SL place doesn't even begin to compare to the impact and implications of this. This will run and run.

At the inception of SL we were amongst a number of clubs unfairly booted out because we would not merge. We won the right back where everyone should; on the pitch. Most of this bitching we are seeing here comes down to the sad day when who plays in what league was altered to being decided in board rooms. In my view it will be the slow death of our game. As one poster states, back in the 60's Wakefield and Bramley assistedBradford in their hour of need. Now we argue and see untransparent and potentially damaging decisions made regularly that pull the game apart. This is all gross mismanagement of a sport. Will the FA or FL be buying Fratton Park from Portsmouth, or would they buy it's lease and part administer the club if that was the scenario? You don't see this happening in fair and serious sports, any of it - today, SL franchising, the 1995 inception disgrace that affected us, the treatment of Keighley being denied promotion twice, yes even Halifax's treatment this year...and much, much more. It has been wrong from the start so today does not surprise me.