Bradford to play at Dewsbury next season

[HuddsTigers]

Confirmed by the club.

[Fumper27]

Why

[tigerfeat]

The owner has basically being saying invest in the stadium or you won't have a rugby team in Bradford and he appears to have carried out that threat now

[Tamworth Tiger]

I thought the RFL owned Odsal or did they sell it on?

[tigerfeat]

The RL own the lease I expect the costs of paying between 300 - 400k a year to just keep the club running the owner as said enough is enough he may be hoping the RL let him buy the lease on good terms to keep the club going at Odsal but I don't think that will happen
I was at Odsal early in the season and the ground is falling to bits it would take a awful lot of money spent on it now to get it in shape
There was also a report in one of the rugby papers that the RL had blocked them making any new signings before the Aug 9th deadline because they were concerned over there financial situation at least I took that as what was meant

[yorky]

now saying on teletext that the bulls are hoping to build a new stadium in 2 years time?

[tigerfeat]

Yes I just seen that Yorky ..good luck to them with that ha
If they move out of Bradford the only way I see them moving back is if they share with the football clubs

[mart0042]

It would make sense using the football club but apparently they'd get nothing from food and drink sales.

Bradford got the begging bowl out to make the rfl buy odsal and save them. They haven't done the same for other teams.

Ultimately, the rfl is losing money each year, they can't afford to keep the lease and let the bulls play for peanuts.

The clubs that own nothing but players and a name need to put the money into bricks and mortar.

[tigerfeat]

ive got more cynical as ive got older but that statement about moving out for two years then moving back into a new stadium is hogwash done to try and make the fans happy for a while

[heritage1926]

That's the end of Bradford Bulls. The crowds may follow them to Dewsbury for so long, but there is only so much travelling back and forwards you can do. It's like an away game every week.

Valley Parade was too expensive and a funded stadium is pipe line dreams.

[The Firm]

The 2 to 4 year timescales for a move back to Bradford is a non-starter. The believers will soon realise that and after a year at Dewsbury the crowds will plummet. Bradford are done and it is a shame, they did an awful lot in the first 10 years if superleague to make sure it was a success and survived. Sadly though they have been a basket case for years.

[lurcher]

ever since chalmers took over its been a game of brinksmanship. he knew the score when he mysteriously acquired the club and i think the rfl are sick of him blaming them and have finally called his bluff.
they did try for valley parade but were knocked back. other venues they tried weren't big enough.

[HuddsTigers]

Some latest updates:

The RFL have come out and said that no application to move has been made and that the Board have to consider it and do what’s in the interests of the sport. Read into that what you will.

The owners of Bradford Park Avenue have released a statement saying they are still open to groundsharing. However, if Bradford move out of BD then they will set up a new club playing at Horsfall Stadium.

Chalmers’ bluff has been well and truly called.

[lurcher]

there could be a problem with the horsfall stadium (bradford park avenue) as the capacity is only 3,500. think it has an athletics track around it too.

[Tamworth Tiger]

Sounds like the old Sheffield Eagles Stadium at Meadowhall

[HuddsTigers]

there could be a problem with the horsfall stadium (bradford park avenue) as the capacity is only 3,500. think it has an athletics track around it too.

They said they are looking at a new stand to take it above 5k.

[mart0042]

Apart from the odd match 5k would be fine, they could look at other stadiums should they need to.