It has been announced that the Bradford club is to be liquidated - very sad for their fans and RL generally. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/38418199 Not clear what will happen next. The 'brand' could be bought and a 'continuity' club could be formed - presumably playing in Champ 1 (which'd be pretty of pointless, apart from the name) or with a big points deduction in the Championship (possibly risking relegation). A completely new club could start in champ 1, or saddest of all there may be no pro team at Odsal (in 2017, at least). Of immediate relevance to Hull KR, our first competitive fixture of 2017 is up in the air.

It has been announced that the Bradford club is to be liquidated - very sad for their fans and RL generally. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/38418199 Not clear what will happen next. The 'brand' could be bought and a 'continuity' club could be formed - presumably playing in Champ 1 (which'd be pretty of pointless, apart from the name) or with a big points deduction in the Championship (possibly risking relegation). A completely new club could start in champ 1, or saddest of all there may be no pro team at Odsal (in 2017, at least). Of immediate relevance to Hull KR, our first competitive fixture of 2017 is up in the air.

Been following saga and hoped it wouldn't come to this.think bradford fans expected this but still it's awful for them and the staff there.nothing but empathy for them.only positive is at least it must be rock bottom now and only way is up? Whatever comes from the ruins must be built solidly preferably by someone/group of people with that community at heart.

The RFL seems to favour a new Bradford club in the Championship with a 12 point deduction.

Has the advantage of convenience, I suppose. On the flipside, a club with no team has a month or so to get ready for a season where they need 6 wins to get to 0. (He said, tempting fate - they're going to beat us aren't they?)

Plus, if anybody in Champ 1 (e.g. Whitehaven) actually wanted the gig, it seems a bit unfair. The Odsal lease situation makes things ethically complex as well. There is no good solution, in fairness to the RFL.

Just read their page and it's a mess. Fans in lot of pain.few characters putting boot in while they at their lowest point.think we remember our bankruptcy etc and like I said I have nothing but sorrow for the loyal fans.will be interesting to see how rfl solve this situation but think whatever new regime starts up they gonna pay for multiple past mismanagement. Crap situation

Terrible situation made more real to us, by the fact there are players in that team that folk on here will know personally.
The RFL though yet again appear to have made an almighty cock-up by basically saying that anyone in the area that fancies needs to give them a ring and they are in!

I must presume they have already spoken to the two relegated teams and sounded them out?

The other point, is as the existing players are effectively OOC, they will be looking for a club and stability, whilst there will be clubs looking to top up their rosters with decent players, so there may not even be players out there to form a half decent C1 side let alone a Championship side!

The RFL need a club in Bradford or how do they justify owning Odsal!

The whole thing is just a sorry shameful mess

The solution is the rule that states all 'new' clubs start in the lower tier, and that is exactly what should happen for the integrity of the game.

I wonder how Barrow feel (losing finalist in the relegation battle) and Toronto Wolfpack who have to start from the bottom.

As for fairness to the RFL, this decision demonstrates another example of not 'fit for purpose'.

There's a lot of clubs, teams, companies, organisations and entities throughout sport and beyond that are poorly managed.

The recent history of the Bradford Bulls and their liquidation today is a graphic example of a litany of appalling decision making and the over reliance of living beyond means hoping for the good times to return. It's a fine line getting the right people involved in your operation and I can speak from direct personal experience in this regard.

From a Hull KR perspective, some hands-off bad management, a lack of scrutiny, dodgy contracts and poor coaching and recruitment decisions have caused a tsunami of positive reaction and intervention by our board to our recent self inflicted and adverse turn of events.

The Bradford situation marks a bleak day and low point for Rugby League in this hemisphere. The structure of our game in this country is currently shaky at best and needs an urgent makeover. Our governing body carries little credo and does not inspire confidence. How they respond to today's crisis may define their future and that of the sport. On the evidence of first responses so far, the omens don't look promising.

I feel angry and equally upset for the staff at Bradford and the bradford fans who have bought season passes and have lost money. The management must have known their was in trouble it's borderline fraud to do this?

Although it's a terrible situation for the fans they did have a great 10-15 years won everything more than most have in a 100 years but they will reform and start from the bottom a bit like us or Oldham

I reckon that there is a big chunk of Bradfords support who would gladly swap those 10 years of success for a stable Club now. I'm gutted for them.

Could you imagine waking up one morning and finding out your Club was gone? I would rather wake up to find the wife had gone.

On the flip side, we need props.

What I would like to see though, assuming The re born Bulls are ready to play round 1 is the Bradford fans who purchased season memberships to be given discounted entry to the match.

The thing is the club isn't gone even though it's been liquidated there will be a club for them to support even if it's at the bottom level and we've all been there

You'd hope, right? Nah.

Another year of steady decline, dwindling crowds and hopes fought for but dashed on ever decreasing budgets and still with Odsal around our necks and dragging us under. Possibly enough to ensure administration happens by the end of the year instead of with the now traditional two year gap.

We're in the Championship. We *might* have a team by the time the season starts. We certainly won't have one that has prepared to play together. We're on -12 points. It might turn out to be one of those things where future generations watch their version of Jossie's Giants and it's all based on what whatever collection of kids is still left achieve this coming year.

Far more likely it'll be another year of more bad news and people with no money paying a lot of money to see something soul destroying.

The right thing for us is to be in L1 where there's only one direction.

I suspect the true sticking point is Toronto, strangely. Their backer has paid for all their travel and all their opponent's. That is probably all booked. You could swap out a L1 side for Bradford if you could maintain those travel arrangements. But we maybe don't even know where we're playing next year and so can make no guarantees about it. Maybe. Speculating a bit.

But the majority of the fans want one thing and that's for truly the only way to be up.

Thanks mate. We really do appreciate it.

I'm not sure I would swap those years tbh. If Odsal is the main factor, and I truly believe it is, then the majority of those cup winning years happened before the decisions that ultimately sealed some kind of downward trajectory fate for us did. That was in 2002 when the decision was made to move back to Odsal after its redevelopment was stopped.

Certainly some of the choices that were made after that don't cast the primary actors in a good light (Iestyn Harris, the Coral Stand, the behind-closed-doors lease deal with the RFL over Odsal that those of us who remaun may yet still be saddled with). But still, the fundamental fact of Odsal is the problem. There was a solution to it before all this nonsense and it just didn't happen for us.



I think you're too late already, at least for the proven talent. This year it really was a leaner meaner squad and there were a couple of older heads and seemingly but as yet unproven better recruited understudies. The older heads are gone already in the pack. As are the try scorers from the backs.



Whether all parties are saying this or not I do not know but some at least are talking about honouring existing tickets. I understand there are about a thousand - we were in admin essentially since the start of November until yesterday so whatever Christmas rush there might have otherwise been did not happen. They are the biggest creditors of the club. I understand the sentiment, and they are after all the most important goodwill there is to your business. I hope it's possible.

I haven't bought one since '97 when we first won SL. Naturally I gave this decision all the credit and have never bought one since. That trick has got old though and it should probably retire. It doesn't quite seem to have the knack anymore.

Free to a good home.

Man, those two posts are depressing.

So sorry for the Brat-Fud fans, it's just ridiculously awful.

I agree about Odsal, it's just a complete millstone.

I went to the odd game during Bull Mania as I was trying to get the as then Ms. Terrorist into TGG and although the razzamataz wasn't for me, she liked it, the idiot. And a lot of families clearly did as there were loads of them there enjoying the barbecues, bouncy castles and the like.

I just can't believe how they've arrived at where they are, I can understand how they're feeling, in the early nineties I'd more or less given up on Rover's, I remember a particularly awful afternoon standing on a terrace at Fev, watching us be rubbish and thinking "Why am I doing this to myself?"

I think if history has given us one lesson of these scenarios, it's that when you hit rock bottom as now, the only way can be up.

I've written a post on Page 1 of this thread which takes a critical and oblique side swipe at the RFL. As more information has emerged, I am coming round to the idea that the new Bradford Phoenix team should remain in the Championship and use this season as a debt free existential experiment. I question the wisdom and severity of a 12 point deduction from the off and this should be appealed by the new entity, given the additional handicaps of little or no preparation time for recruitment and training etc.

However, there are two huge positives. You get to regenerate DEBT FREE and you get to stay in Bradford, where there are a lot of chimney pots. Cash is king above all else in any business and any new owners will go into this venture with the benefit of eyes wide open and a clean financial slate. It facilitates effective planning.

In addition, you should be able to tap into an emotional and partisan spike within the Bradford community in the coming months and generate additional revenues for next season, should the inevitable relegation befall the new entity. I genuinely hope relegation is avoided.

The RFL today claims 10 new interested party bids to take on the new franchise, so no shortage of opportunities. The RFL's ability to appoint the right and proper individuals to take this venture forward in a sustainably viable way will most certainly define their credibility and suitability to lead our sport.

Aye. It's the problem with bad news. Nobody can point to the day there weren't the crowds there had been. It just slowly shaves away.

Here's to another season.

I agree. Emotionally we are at rock bottom. It's just that in possible direction of travel we are not. And if that direction does go down, as it surely must, then we'll see what's below rock bottom.

I'm a big fan of history. I've got nothing against your history. I just think we should watch it have a fight with Murphy's Law first and then meet up again here afterwards.

Can't wish you anything but good wishes and good luck.

The Bradford fan's cannot be lost as they're ruddy funny and top people.

Cheers mate. Come what may we aren't going anywhere.

I believe the turning point was the signing of Harris and the financial penalties that ensued. The club have not been on a secure financial footing since.

And I believe you're a trolling little idiot determined to make this a morality story of the kind you can comprehend and which is inspired by those read to you at bed time.


The club has not been on a sound financial footing since choices made prior to that.

I remember going to a fans forum at Craven Park and it being mentioned by one of the panel, that Colin Hutton had been speaking to Bradfords chairman (Caisley I think?) that despite the attendance at Bradford averaging something like 17000 a game the price paid per head was just something like a fiver due to all the freebies etc. While you can't argue with the need to attract new fans, who will hopefully go on to be pass holders and regular payers, you have to wonder if it maybe got overdone, and possibly wasn't the most solid of foundations to build a club on.
Good luck to the fans, we've been there ourselves and know the pain you're feeling.

Surprised we're not after snapping up Chisholm. Looked good in mid 8s in 2015 for us.