With the new season getting ever closer and with Bradford players finding new clubs, it does look increasingly likely that a new club just wont be ready for the new season.
Do we think that The RFL have a plan for going into the new season with 1 less Championship Club and if not, should any of the Championship 1 clubs have been given the nod, perhaps with exemption from relegation.

They should have at least made the offer to the Cumbrian clubs. Struggling to see how making a new Bradford team reform in the Championship was a benefit to anybody

Starting from so far behind the rest and without any kind of "full" squad, unless they were given exemption from relegation, it's difficult to see how they would avoid the drop.
The handling of this by The RFL looks nothing short of shambolic and as we get ever closer to the start of the new season, things look increasingly desperate.
Also, IF a new club isn't formed that plays at Odsal, what happens to the "iconic" ground and The RFL's "investment".

They would sell it for development and the new Bulls would play at Valley Parade in 2018.

I still think there is a chance for Toronto to step in. Plenty of Bradford connections.

One of the main concerns for the RFL is the 1,000+ ST holders of the Bulls in 2017.

Maybe but, they dont own it and will the lease that they have allow for it to be either sold or, re developed or, does it have to remain as a RL ground.

I don't think the RFL will give up the lease just a case a Bradford club is formed for the 2018 season, because i don't think there will be one this season.
I and others have heard a rumour that the RFL would like to move lock stock and Barrel to Odsal if they can get funding to do the place up and extend the lease

Which would probably be a poor move, unless we are going to turn Odsal into some sort of National RL stadium ?

Having said that, it would probably be cheaper to go for a new build, rather than try and make Odsal into a top class sporting venue.

It does make you wonder who, at RL HQ was responsible for the original "buying of the lease".

Indeed. But there was a loan first, also behind closed doors. Not sure how long before, but the lease was payment in kind.

So what was the alternative with the lease. If it had gone to either of the Bradford owners in place since that decision it could have been sold on and lost forever.

Announcement today ? Andrew Chalmers ? This registered at companies house :- www.totalrl.com/another-new-brad ... ies-house/

Announcement today ? Andrew Chalmers ? This registered at companies house :- www.totalrl.com/another-new-brad ... ies-house/

BBC have announced that new club in Championship on -12 point start. Good news Bradford has a team

RFL credibility now ZERO!!!!
No players, no administration, no coach, no history and now allowed in the championship yet other new clubs have to start in championship 1
Only this sport could be so out of touch and hypocritical.

Has it?

Confirmed on RFL website that deal been struck. Press conference next week and speaking to the players of former club.

Legal entity admitted to the League with players to be sourced if you prefer that approach

So which 2 nd tier Aussie team sells 6,000+ season tickets to fans that attend every game ?

I concur , it will be a season trying to avoid drowning , hopefully after they've get their feet under the table a meeting involving the new clubs owners , The RFL and the council can be held

Ultimately something has to be resolved with regards Odsal , if it doesn't happen , we'll be seeing this comedy all over again quite soon

Anyway , welcome back Bradford

A welcome bit of good news at last.

do we know who is involved yet ownership wise?

So having cut Bradfords funding and deducted them points in 2012 only to see them go back in to administration in 2014, the RFL tried deducting the Bradford Bulls points, stopped them signing players, saw them relegated and a massive cut in funding which saw the club liquidated in 2016.

With the Bradford Bulls now dead, the RFL have admitted a new brand new Bradford club just weeks before the season starts and an entire squad still to build, have thrown caution to the wind and tried something new, original and completely left-field. They have cut their funding and deducted them points.

I'm still intrigued with the RFL on this one,until all unfolds I'll reserve judgement.

Funding hasn't necessarily been cut as such in a way. I try to think of it like:

Old Bradford finished 5th, therefore would have got money based on this finishing position for 2017 (for arguments sake we will say £1,000 per position, 12th gets £1,000, 11th gets £2,000 and so on) so Old Bradford would have received £8,000. Then old Bradford were liquidated.

In the RFL's mind NEW BRADFORD gets a Champ place, due to it being so close to 2017 season and the League 1 clubs all have prepared for League 1. Plus needing to fill Summer Bash (Bradford take a lot of fans there, only Hull KR will take a significant amount if we aren't there) and they need someone to play at Odsal. So instead of being relegated we have been relegated to the lowest funding point in this league (12th position, £1,000). So not really a cut in essence. NEW BRADFORD starting from the bottom of the Champ table in terms of funding. Getting the same money as any other club who would have finished 12th (or last).

The points deduction I do not understand. New club should not have to face a points deduction as they have done nothing wrong. The only explanation I can think of is that the RFL needed a way to punish us due to not starting from League 1. There is uproar now about us starting in the Champ, imagine what it would be like if we started in the Champ without a deduction? For the record, most Bradford fans agree with most of the RL community in terms of we should be starting in League 1.

To stop clubs using this as a way of avoiding their financial responsibilities. Yes it's a penalty on a new owner, the players and the fans who has done nothing wrong, but ultimately that is the 'club' in it's entirety. If the new owner had bought the old club and payed the creditors no penalty.

As for the next 12 months possibly a tough time. In the last two years the team finishing 3rd bottom has achieved 14 points before the 8s that's having a team capable of winning 13 games with the penalty in place. Assuming at worst Bradford are no more than 2pts behind the third bottom team the 8s structure gives them a chance of finishing in the bottom two. It may be more the quality of squad that can be put in place by the start of the 8s than the 23 game pre-season Bradford are now about to enter.

I don't see that it does anything other than dissuade people from investing. People say it stops you from overspending in a way that suggests they actually believe it. It clearly doesn't. I'm not saying it shouldn't be done. I do not know what should be done. What I do know is pretending it stops clubs from overspending is just that, pretence. If you have systemic and unavoidable costs and your existence is predicated on them then you're going to spend it, and if that then constitutes overspending what the hell else were you supposed to do? What if the governing body then makes those costs a key requirement of the new regime? (Clue: they have). What do we do when it goes under again, as well it might? Punish the next lot for paying it?

So again it's the Elephant in the room , Odsal

Is there anybody in the Bradford political/sporting community that can drive discussions , something , anything to provide a new home for a Bradford RL club ?

In Leigh we had a piece of land ( the former Barla pitches and an adjacent small field/dumping ground for stolen cars ) that was originally proposed to be used for the ' Xscape ' indoor ski centre that ended up at Glasshoughton

That got turned down by planning , we then had local ex copper ( and Leigh Miners Chairman ) Trevor Barton and a couple of others come up with the LSV concept

You need something similar I'd suggest