LOL at one or two of the Bradford fans jumping on their high horse about Wakefield after this episode, I don't think hardly anyone has said a bad word about the Bulls, just questioning the RFL's conflict of interests but apparently if you have a opinion about this your a whinger or jealous, you couldn't make it up.

Two points:

1 - It becomes increasingly clear that this transaction is a thinly-disguised loan to the Bulls. Bulls get lump sum now; Bulls repay through rent over next very few years. Dress it up how you want, that is how it looks to me. A loan. Simple as.

2 - Then we ask why the club suddenly needs £1m plus NOW anyway? My guess is to settle the image rights etc liability assessed by HMRC. The alternative would be to do as you did, and go bust and a phoenix company rises - free of liabilities for the past. Since, like you, without a sugar daddy or corporate owner we could not hope to meet such liabilities.

Now, looked at in that light, would you rather that the RFL had loaned YOU a substantial sum? That you had to repay out of future income somehow? Or would you rather be as you are: a new entity, free from historic liabilities (except through choice)?

You escaped all past liabilities for tax on image rights and the like. If I am right, we will not.

Does this scenario make some people a little less apoplectic?

I'm amazed that so many people are shocked by this 'deal'. The RFL make the FA look like a bastion of competency and integrity.

What is staggering here is the RFL's desperation to "save one of the games most iconic stadia".
Central Park gone, The Boulevard gone, Wilderspool gone, Belle Vue and Wheldon Road going.
Now, Idont mind a bit of History, without history there is no future, but why Odsal ?
If Bradford had a good option to move to Valley Parade, which is certainly a more up to date stadium,
why does Odsal need some kind of "preservation order" ?

Well this whole affair appears nothing more than a loan of £1M plus from the RFL to the Bulls. The RFL have taken the lease of the ground over as security, end of.

The interesting bit is that Steve Parkin has obviously been in the background regarding the Bulls. Whatever his true intentions were for the Bulls, Odsal etc we may never know. However should we get the green light in the next couple of months I wonder if he is looking at us again ?

Read adeybulls post , this is nothing to do with Odsal , that was just the usual RFL spin ,this is a loan to the Bulls to keep them in business, plain and simple

, but that's in the long term, not a big cash pay-out now," explained Hughes.

The RFL HAVE helped other clubs. Regularly. Including your own, with loans in the past, and recently by allowing a completely new entity to retain and continue with the franchise despite a substantial loss to the taxpayer and others and despite a previous insolvency. They could easily have insisted the new entity starts again at the bottom, and promoted (say) Fax into SL instead. Indeed, the Fax fans were generally seething that the RFL did NOT do this.



How so?

A successful franchise bid consists of a number of elements, of which the stadium is but part. The RFL could quite easily award a franchise to play at Odsal to another team or entity - even you lot. They would still collect the rent as return on their original investment.

Wrong.

We paid a peppercorn to the council.

We will pay a commercial rent to the RFL.

In exchange for that additional annual cost, we get a sum up front. Bit like equity release on your house.

Where is the subsidy in that? (clue: nowhere).