On a moral level to me it seems wrong for reasons already stated. Have to wait and see what happens but it sets a dangerous precedent. Wakefield are a traditional club with a long history, the RFL were happy to let them go to . Crusaders were manufactured into a SL club by the RFL despite some disagreeing. Despite this, there was no help given by the RFL when things went tits up. Sometimes I wonder how ridiculous our sport looks and how poor some of the decisions are, then people say how come we arent a big sport in this country.. We dont help ourselves at all

=#FF0000Don't swear, MR.

I don't really believe in conspiracies, but if I did, I'd think the RFL/ESL already had this in mind and rejected the other offers. If this all goes through, the Bulls will definately stay in SL, so why not give the same assurances to the other bidders?

OK, away from the Bulls themselves, this sets a worrying precedence. The ESL will now HAVE to help out other clubs in the same way.

But even worse than that, is this the first move in the ESL actually owning ALL the SL clubs? If that's the case, then they will have complete control over all the franchises and rears the ugly head of not having too many clubs in one area. Personally, I don't think the ESL has enough money to do this, and is (hopefully) unrealistic. I doubt the Leeds' and Wigans of this world fancy handing over the reins of there clubs.

Bradford are to big to lose.

Thankfully the clubs and league have realised that.

You don't get bigger than Rangers in the SPL.

It seems the clubs and the SPL did'nt realise that.

It's exactly the same, you're right.

The SPL will be moaning soon enough.

If Wakefield hadn't got a buyer, would they have been "to big to lose" or would they have been allowed to go to the wall?

Unfortunately to the wall, which would have been a real shame looking at their attendances this season.

They've also brought through some very good youngsters.

Not having a go here, but what your saying then is if you're a big club and you mis-manage your finances, we'll save you for the good of the game, if you're a small club and do the same....

Yep, the smaller clubs can be replaced with other sides.

Our game isn't big enough to lose the big sides.

This isn't football.

They are not a big side for christ sake. They are not too big to fail. Life and SL would go on happily. There crowd sizes have always been inflated due to cheap season tickets and freebies. Yes they've won SL a few times but SL wouldn't miss them.

Well it's a good job for them the rfl and sl clubs don't agree with you.

Their fans wouldn't lose out, they could just go to the next cheapest place, Huddersfield.

I'm reserving judgement on this until the finer details of the package are released, but my initial concern is shrouded in 'conflict of interest'.

On the issue of 'saving' a big club, I seem to remember the RFL getting involved to save Wigan from relegation; an intervention which facilitated Noble and Fielding moving from the Bulls to Wigan. The rest is history - Wigan haven't looked back but the same cannot be said about the Bulls!!!!

I remember when we was in sh--e street they did not rush to help us it was instead talks of merger with hull now they are pleased we did not because of gates when we go away

Our away numbers have been nowt to write home about this season, particularly televised games. I can't see more than 5/600 going to Bradford next Friday. I was at Widnes last Sunday, and there was only about 500 there from Rovers. Dropped right off compared to 2 years ago. We took far more to Widnes in 2006 when in NL1.

If that were the main factor, I would regard it as an error of massive proportions even on a pragmatic level.
1. Bradford are not that big. They had an excellent spell, but other clubs have done that historically. RL has two teams that are inherently big - Leeds and Wigan. Bradford are second tier - no shame in that, of course.
2. Even if it were Leeds or Wigan, you can only undermine sporting principles so far and still call it a sport... or expect clubs not to react in undesirable ways.

They might not be the biggest club but they are a big club.

Of course it's still sport, the franchise system is used in the biggest leagues in the world.

My point is that SL and RL would go on without Bradford. It would be a loss of prestige, but not a crippling one.
They haven't been saved as a SL club - though they [imight[/i be yet - just given a temporary reprieve, to maintain the integrity of the 2012 competition as much as anything, and possibly to cut certain people out of the loop.
I suspect they have been saved as a RL club, and that I'm pleased about that. If no buyer comes forward, it'll be interesting. You'd hope that given a season (in the Championship) under SL ownership, there'd be time for a supporters trust to get organised - which wouldn't be a bad precedent, actually.

Having franchises is one thing, having two sets of rules is another. It would give a green light to profligacy amongst the elite and would provoke resentment amongst the others. We bend the rules plenty, and maybe we do have to compromise on principle for the sake of pragmatic necessity sometimes - but only where the pros outweigh the cons.
I don't think that is what the RFL intend in fairness, so it's moot.




Oh, and all assuming the bid is accepted.

The OP in this thread maybe paints a clearer picture of what is happening... viewtopic.php?f=19&t=533959&tsmp=1343996602

The OP in this thread maybe paints a clearer picture of what is happening... viewtopic.php?f=19&t=533959&tsmp=1343996602

Has anyone considered that Sky might want to renegotiate the TV deal if Bradford were to drop to the Championship without being replaced as they would be getting less for their money.

This would mean even more clubs in the same position as Bradford because most SL clubs are struggling financially now so less money can only mean more clubs in administration.

I might be a pessimist but this all seems to another step in the slow long lingering death of SL, at least as we know it now.

SKY can still screen 2 games a week so they lose nothing.

For more than a decade Super League had 12 teams so I'm sure it could survive with 13.

Biggest issue would be the need for a bye every week particularly awkward for the magic weekend.

I posted the below on the bradford board and they all put me on ignore and called me a troll!!!

Heads in sand!!!!!


I will keep this simple!

The RFL are a joke!

For the sake of rugby league in England, SLE must not be allowed to own the Bulls.

If SLE are going to pay the wages of the bulls players then the same amount of money should be given to every single SL club.

The RFL have dug themselves a hole and the rest of the SL clubs have to dig them out!!!

This is a joke, the RFL board need sacking and replacing with monkeys, I am sure monkeys could do the job as good as the current mod!!!!!!





I understand perfectly well what SLE are doing, and that all the clubs (supposedly) voted for the SLE take over.

What you and your blinkered colleagues can’t see is that this is dangerous for the game and for Bradford Bulls, who is going to come forward and buy Bradford now?

A buyer would have to........

A, Buy the ground back at 1.5m or lease it of the RFL (forever!).

B, Pay back the wages paid out by the RFL/SLE.

C, Pay back or not receive any SKY money next season as you have already had it!!!!

D, Re-Build a team from scratch, as the RFL will not pay massive wages next season.

If Bradford are not sold on by the RFL within a couple of months then I fear the worst for rugby league in this country, you tell me how all the other clubs can support a money pit of a club!!!

Throwing good money after bad has become a dangerous habit of the RFL in recent years, this take over makes no financial sense what so ever, and stinks of RFL incompetence again!

If the RFL did not own the Bulls ground then this would have been laughed out of red hall, the RFL are trying recover as much money as they can and save face, the first mistake was to buy the ground and attempt to cover up the poor state of affairs at the Bulls.

The Bulls have been a great team, but it is not up to the rest of SL to save you!

I support Hull KR not SLE or Bradford, I see no value in what the SL is doing!

So, you're not in favour then?

I think the truth hurts!!!