The Demise of Bradford Bulls - From Wests Tigers to West Wales - Next Stop: Dewsbury
“And Bradford goes berserk! They are dancing on the terraces
like they haven’t danced for 20 years”. These were the words of the BBC’s Dave
Woods as Bradford Bulls defeated fierce rivals Leeds Rhinos in the sixth round
of the 2019 Challenge Cup in front of over 10,000 supporters at Odsal in May.
Since 2007, Bradford had watched their rivals Leeds win seven Super League titles, two Challenge Cups, two World Club Challenges and two League Leaders Shields. Meanwhile they had not dined at the top table for many a year.
For that one moment in time, on that May day, the enduring pain of that last decade was released in a burst of joy. It was raw, sporting emotion at its finest. It was a reminder to not only the people of Bradford but to the rugby league community as a whole of the passion that this city still has for its rugby league team.
And that passion must have been tested over the years. Sporting fans on the whole are a loyal bunch. We put money into our clubs even when we know they lose money. We follow them around the country and beyond. We even plan holidays around the fixture list.
The ties are strong, but do not always endure forever. In 2003, Bradford had an average attendance of 15,284. Over time, those ties have severed with many fans. For some, it may have been the lack of success of the latter part of the 2000’s. For others, the first administration. For some more, the fact that over £500,000 was raised to save the Bulls, yet they soon hit more financial difficulties culminating in a further administration, with questions raised as to what was done with that money.
Some former players even sold their winners medals to save the club, they may ask now whether that was worthwhile. Relegation from Super League in 2014 will have had a detrimental impact on some, to pull at their ties with Bradford. For some more, the club’s liquidation and restart in League 1 may have been that final straw.
The point I am trying to make is that Bradford Bulls fans have been put through the wringer. They have had more than enough reasons to walk away. However, several thousand did not. They stayed loyal. They did so admirably, perhaps against what is rational. Even to this day, Bradford maintain crowds better than some Super League clubs and have a healthy average attendance.
My concern is that Bradford Bulls impending move to Dewsbury next year may prove to be the final straw for many. In what has been a period marked by unrest and disruption, one constant has always remained for Bradford. Odsal. In 2020 and 2021, Bradford will play their home fixtures in Dewsbury. The day that many feared and no-one wanted has arrived. The city of Bradford will no longer have a professional rugby league presence in it.
This would have been impossible to comprehend in the halcyon days of “Bullmania”. Nobody would have seen this coming in September 1999, when Bradford set a then-record Super League attendance and beat Leeds courtesy of a Michael Withers drop goal, in an all time classic. It certainly wasn’t foreseeable when Bradford made every Grand Final between 2001 and 2005, winning 3 of those 5 appearances.
It wasn’t foreseeable when Bradford Bulls led by an inspired Stuart Fielden, ripped apart the NRL premiers Wests Tigers in the 2006 World Club Challenge. But since then, Bradford have gone from Wests Tigers to West Wales Raiders, and the next step on the journey is calling at Dewsbury.
In his statement announcing Bradford’s move to Dewsbury, Andrew Chalmers stresses that Bradford’s move is temporary and that talks are ongoing regarding a return to the city.
What interested me about the statement is that Mr Chalmers highlighted that staying at Odsal or moving to either Valley Parade or Horsfall Stadium were all uneconomic. If that is the case now, then it begs the question of how will the situation change in the short or medium term?
Mr Chalmers points out that work is ongoing to “work through the task of developing an.. affordable boutique stadium development in Bradford.” Call me a sceptic, but if this is Bradford’s plan, it is not cheap and it is not quick.
I am not privy to the financial situation of the Bradford Bulls, but if moving to one of the cities other stadiums is unaffordable, that I cannot see how a boutique stadium development in Bradford will be.
Even if it is, past experience tells us that new stadiums take many years to turn from a plan to a rugby field.
I worry that what is intended to be a short-term move may end up becoming more permanent. And that may leave the RFL with an uncomfortable decision. Are they content with a team in the name of Bradford playing outside the city for so long? Yet equally, can the sport afford to lose Bradford Bulls?
Perhaps I am being too negative. Rotherham United moved out of their town to play at Sheffield’s Don Valley Stadium before returning to the slick New York Stadium a few years ago. Even in rugby league, Sheffield Eagles had a period of time playing at Wakefield and have moved back to the city now. I sincerely hope that Bradford too make a return to their home before too long.
What this sorry saga reminds us of, is the importance of modern facilities in the sport and how clubs without such facilities risk being left to flounder. Bradford’s demise also reminds us of the uncompromising nature of sport. One minute your side can be on top of the world, before you know it, you’re staring into the abyss.
If you are not a Bradford Bulls fan, you may question why this affects you. But it does. It impacts upon us all. That is because the RFL are the leaseholder of Odsal and are now without a tenant. The issues highlighted by Mr Chalmers regarding disrepair and maintenance costs in his statement would be equally applicable to a new tenant. I cannot see that a crumbling stadium with high maintenance costs is an attractive proposition for a prospective tenant.
Subject to the terms of the lease, this may leave the RFL with a white elephant. A rent to pay to the council with no subtenant to cover those costs. This will affect the RFL’s budgeting and ability to develop the game. It is a huge concern.
More pertinently, Bradford is one of the few cities in this country where rugby league has a major footprint. Come next season, that will have gone and it is unclear when or if it will return. And that will have a profound impact on anyone who takes an interest in our sport.
Since 2007, Bradford had watched their rivals Leeds win seven Super League titles, two Challenge Cups, two World Club Challenges and two League Leaders Shields. Meanwhile they had not dined at the top table for many a year.
For that one moment in time, on that May day, the enduring pain of that last decade was released in a burst of joy. It was raw, sporting emotion at its finest. It was a reminder to not only the people of Bradford but to the rugby league community as a whole of the passion that this city still has for its rugby league team.
And that passion must have been tested over the years. Sporting fans on the whole are a loyal bunch. We put money into our clubs even when we know they lose money. We follow them around the country and beyond. We even plan holidays around the fixture list.
The ties are strong, but do not always endure forever. In 2003, Bradford had an average attendance of 15,284. Over time, those ties have severed with many fans. For some, it may have been the lack of success of the latter part of the 2000’s. For others, the first administration. For some more, the fact that over £500,000 was raised to save the Bulls, yet they soon hit more financial difficulties culminating in a further administration, with questions raised as to what was done with that money.
Some former players even sold their winners medals to save the club, they may ask now whether that was worthwhile. Relegation from Super League in 2014 will have had a detrimental impact on some, to pull at their ties with Bradford. For some more, the club’s liquidation and restart in League 1 may have been that final straw.
The point I am trying to make is that Bradford Bulls fans have been put through the wringer. They have had more than enough reasons to walk away. However, several thousand did not. They stayed loyal. They did so admirably, perhaps against what is rational. Even to this day, Bradford maintain crowds better than some Super League clubs and have a healthy average attendance.
My concern is that Bradford Bulls impending move to Dewsbury next year may prove to be the final straw for many. In what has been a period marked by unrest and disruption, one constant has always remained for Bradford. Odsal. In 2020 and 2021, Bradford will play their home fixtures in Dewsbury. The day that many feared and no-one wanted has arrived. The city of Bradford will no longer have a professional rugby league presence in it.
This would have been impossible to comprehend in the halcyon days of “Bullmania”. Nobody would have seen this coming in September 1999, when Bradford set a then-record Super League attendance and beat Leeds courtesy of a Michael Withers drop goal, in an all time classic. It certainly wasn’t foreseeable when Bradford made every Grand Final between 2001 and 2005, winning 3 of those 5 appearances.
It wasn’t foreseeable when Bradford Bulls led by an inspired Stuart Fielden, ripped apart the NRL premiers Wests Tigers in the 2006 World Club Challenge. But since then, Bradford have gone from Wests Tigers to West Wales Raiders, and the next step on the journey is calling at Dewsbury.
In his statement announcing Bradford’s move to Dewsbury, Andrew Chalmers stresses that Bradford’s move is temporary and that talks are ongoing regarding a return to the city.
What interested me about the statement is that Mr Chalmers highlighted that staying at Odsal or moving to either Valley Parade or Horsfall Stadium were all uneconomic. If that is the case now, then it begs the question of how will the situation change in the short or medium term?
Mr Chalmers points out that work is ongoing to “work through the task of developing an.. affordable boutique stadium development in Bradford.” Call me a sceptic, but if this is Bradford’s plan, it is not cheap and it is not quick.
I am not privy to the financial situation of the Bradford Bulls, but if moving to one of the cities other stadiums is unaffordable, that I cannot see how a boutique stadium development in Bradford will be.
Even if it is, past experience tells us that new stadiums take many years to turn from a plan to a rugby field.
I worry that what is intended to be a short-term move may end up becoming more permanent. And that may leave the RFL with an uncomfortable decision. Are they content with a team in the name of Bradford playing outside the city for so long? Yet equally, can the sport afford to lose Bradford Bulls?
Perhaps I am being too negative. Rotherham United moved out of their town to play at Sheffield’s Don Valley Stadium before returning to the slick New York Stadium a few years ago. Even in rugby league, Sheffield Eagles had a period of time playing at Wakefield and have moved back to the city now. I sincerely hope that Bradford too make a return to their home before too long.
What this sorry saga reminds us of, is the importance of modern facilities in the sport and how clubs without such facilities risk being left to flounder. Bradford’s demise also reminds us of the uncompromising nature of sport. One minute your side can be on top of the world, before you know it, you’re staring into the abyss.
If you are not a Bradford Bulls fan, you may question why this affects you. But it does. It impacts upon us all. That is because the RFL are the leaseholder of Odsal and are now without a tenant. The issues highlighted by Mr Chalmers regarding disrepair and maintenance costs in his statement would be equally applicable to a new tenant. I cannot see that a crumbling stadium with high maintenance costs is an attractive proposition for a prospective tenant.
Subject to the terms of the lease, this may leave the RFL with a white elephant. A rent to pay to the council with no subtenant to cover those costs. This will affect the RFL’s budgeting and ability to develop the game. It is a huge concern.
More pertinently, Bradford is one of the few cities in this country where rugby league has a major footprint. Come next season, that will have gone and it is unclear when or if it will return. And that will have a profound impact on anyone who takes an interest in our sport.
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