RFL buys ODSAL stadium

[roughyedspud]

abit out the blue

http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyle...ME=rleague/12/01/24/RUGBYL_Odsal.html&BID=480

The Rugby Football League have purchased Odsal Stadium from Bradford Bulls and will rent the venue back to them.

The sport's governing body have revealed that they paid an undisclosed sum to buy the famous Yorkshire ground, with the Bulls now housed at the venue they occupied since 1934 as tenants rather than owners.

Bradford chairman Peter Hood has confirmed that his club had made the initial approach to the RFL and believes the deal is "excellent news".

RFL chairman Richard Lewis said the move would bring security to Odsal, which has recently been the subject of predatory approaches.

"This arrangement is absolutely the right thing to do because it safeguards the future of one of the sport's most famous stadia," Lewis said.

"Odsal is famous throughout the world and it would be a tragedy were the venue to be lost to the sport in the way that other evocative rugby league venues have already been lost.

"We have paid market value for the stadium and the Bulls will pay market value rental to the RFL to play their home fixtures at Odsal."

Hood said the recent collapse of plans to turn Odsal into a sporting village was a factor in the decision to look for a buyer, adding that the sale to the RFL would enable the club to face the future with confidence.

"This is excellent news for Bradford Bulls, for the Bradford district and for rugby league," he said.

"Odsal is an iconic rugby league venue and is strategically important to the Bradford district, located as it is at the head of the city's principal access corridor.

"The sale to the RFL safeguards our immediate future and keeps all the options open once the economy recovers from recession.

"On behalf of everyone in Bradford I would like to thank the RFL board of directors for their vision and support by investing in Odsal in the way they have."

Leeds businessman Steve Parkin, who made an unsuccessful bid to buy Wakefield last February, spoke last summer of a plan to take over both the Bulls and Bradford City and form a joint sporting club in a new stadium, but nothing materialised.

The RFL already own the ground of Bradford's neighbours Keighley Cougars and have stakes in several other stadia.

Odsal is famous for housing an attendance of 102,569 for the Challenge Cup final replay between Halifax and Warrington in 1954, a world record which stood until 2000 when it was broken by Australia's Olympic Stadium

interesting

 

[WireMan]

Whas so special about Bradford?

Yes Odsal had a big crowd a million years ago but the ground is no more special than any other ground like Wakey, Cas or recently KR or the Willows.

What about 'predatory approaches' by the Sale Sharks in Salford. Why could they not buy the Willows then let Salford pay them a rent.
Why not buy Leigh? That ground is killing that club or even Oldham? A very traditional Rugby league heartland in the middle of the Rugby League world, which, as you now more then most Roughy, could really do with the RFL buying up a ground there.


I have not (honest) got my "The RFL suck" cap on yet. But it would be interesting to see the justification for this spend, and what it means with relation to other clubs. Can Bradford fail on there Franchise due to the stadium in the future?

So many questions. I don't know why the RFL released such a nothing statement.

Basically.
"We are buying a ground of one of our teams, not any other team even though some have been or are desperately fighting for stadiums to survive a lot more than Bradford, especially as there is another stadium in Bradford they could use. But we are not telling you why."

 

[roughyedspud]

im pretty damn sure the RFL own some pitches/land in oldham somewhere.......im gonna ask around and find out...


as for oldham...we have our land now..just not a penny to fund the building of anything lol someof us on the oldham forum have done some research and discovered we could build a championship compliant stadium (3,000cap) for about £500,000
these down each touchline

and this the length of each goal line

sure its not going to win any design awards but its clean,tidy and functional....so if the RFL would like to chuck £500k this way we'd gladly take it lol


as for odsal......i really hope the RFL have plans for it and turn into a "mini national RL stadium" that would host tests, cup semi finals,championship finals etc...

 

[roughyedspud]

just had conformation of where and what land the RFL owns in oldham

this place
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en...a=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=3&ved=0CA0Q_AUoAg

that field next to the railway line.....its roughly 200m by 130m....plenty big enough to build a small stadium on....yet the RFL would rather sit back for 15 years and watch oldham struggle to find land in oldham to build a stadium on........something not right there


that field is only 5mins from the clubs old offices on lansdowne road too

 

[WireMan]

im pretty damn sure the RFL own some pitches/land in oldham somewhere.......im gonna ask around and find out...


as for oldham...we have our land now..just not a penny to fund the building of anything lol someof us on the oldham forum have done some research and discovered we could build a championship compliant stadium (3,000cap) for about £500,000

and this the length of each goal line

sure its not going to win any design awards but its clean,tidy and functional....so if the RFL would like to chuck £500k this way we'd gladly take it lol


as for odsal......i really hope the RFL have plans for it and turn into a "mini national RL stadium" that would host tests, cup semi finals,championship finals etc...

The new Stretford end!!! :lol:

Can't knock it, you should see where Warrington Town play there football. Awesome stuff.


Odsal would be good for a national stadium, but:
Thats a lot of coin that needs spending there,
we have Wembley,
the media just moved to Manc. not Yorkshire,
if that was the plan, why the secrecy?

I think we are going to have to wait for this story to develop.

just had conformation of where and what land the RFL owns in oldham

this place
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en...a=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=3&ved=0CA0Q_AUoAg

that field next to the railway line.....its roughly 200m by 130m....plenty big enough to build a small stadium on....yet the RFL would rather sit back for 15 years and watch oldham struggle to find land in oldham to build a stadium on........something not right there


that field is only 5mins from the clubs old offices on lansdowne road too

Completely agree. I'm sure they could help sort something out if they wanted to. Wakey are building some bolt ons to Bell Vue so if they get the new stadium could they donate them to you? Or rob the old shed from the willows? There must be at least some plastic seats and a roof going.

As you say, it won't win awards, but so what.

 

[roughyedspud]

like i said it's not meant to win awards :lol: its to get fans back to watching ORLFC who won't got to whitebank in its current state cos its a shithole.......and for roughly £400-500k you can't grumble...plus it'd be one of the better looking stadiums in our league lol

 

[WireMan]

like i said it's not meant to win awards :lol: its to get fans back to watching ORLFC who won't got to whitebank in its current state cos its a shithole.......and for roughly £400-500k you can't grumble...plus it'd be one of the better looking stadiums in our league lol

Stick a community centre on it and get some subsidies.

Surely Oldham could do with some development. Good luck getting anything from Manc council though, they need there billions for the Metro link, universities, arts centres, redevolpments etc. etc. etc. etc.

 

[deluded pom?]

Don't the RFL also own Cougar Park, Spotland and a couple of amateur grounds too?

 

[BODISGOD]

Wow. Forgive me but does it say how much they've paid?

Are Bradford in deep financial trouble? I'm not sure that it's really fair on other franchises.

Barring the name and location there's not a lot special about the ground. It would need work on it to bring it upto an International class stadium.

 

[roughyedspud]

Don't the RFL also own Cougar Park, Spotland and a couple of amateur grounds too?

as i understand it.....i think they own the lease on cougar park like they do odsal now, they took rochdale hornets 45% share in spotland as collateral when they bailed hornets out a couple of seasons ago....and yeah they own countless fields where amateur grounds are....like i mentioned that playing field in oldham,it has 3 pitches on it and is home to hollinwood ARLFC

Surely Oldham could do with some development. Good luck getting anything from Manc council though, they need there billions for the Metro link, universities, arts centres, redevolpments etc. etc. etc. etc.

development in oldham won't start until the trams arrive.......and we're noti n manchester so we won't ever get a penny out of manc council.........

 

[WireMan]

development in oldham won't start until the trams arrive.......and we're noti n manchester so we won't ever get a penny out of manc council.........

I thought Oldham was in Gtr Manc, and so would get development cash through them? Oh well no matter.


I have no problem with the RFL bailing out Bradford.

I just wish they would be honest, and not go on about saving Odsal as the RFL have not shed a tear at other grounds going and insisted on it in some circumstances.


It would be interesting to hear why they are giving Bradford money and not other clubs who need(ed) it to build grounds of there own.

Also is there a conflict of interest between a body who gives out Franchises owning the ground lease of one of these franchises?

Also with all the talk about Crusaders and Wakey in the last round of Franchises did Bradford sneak in under the radar. Not long ago they were awarded a franchise on the back of being financially sound.
They are clearly not.
So maybe Halifax are entitled to another cry?

To many questions. They are with the RFL though.
Good luck to Bradford, hopefully they don't blow this cash like they did with previous cash injections.

 

[roughyedspud]

nah we get c**k all from manchester council.......we (orlfc) could get some kind of regeneration funding via the northwest development agency (if it still exists?) lottery funding,sport england.......but we're too effing dumb to put our hand out for anything......

 

[Teddyboy]

Bradford got some massive crowds back in the start of Super League till early 2000's.

 

[LeedsStorm]

Isn't so the RFL can park their new Superleague Stobart livery trucks there? (when not spreading the highly valued gospel of rugby league around the country)

 

[roughyedspud]

Bradford got some massive crowds back in the start of Super League till early 2000's.

they got decent crowds last season......placed 3rd behind wigan then leeds


http://www.superleaguefans.com/rugby-league/2011/05/11/wigan-top-average-attendance-figures.html

 

[franklin2323]

Seems strange. A few things:

If they bought it to upgrade to have a decent stadium in RL heartland. It seems strange to have the history mentioned.

Are they going to buy other stadiums? I'd imagine if Halifax etc get overlooked next time. They could call conflict of interest & go to court