Green confident that Bradford can buy Odsal back

Bradford Bulls chairman Marc Green is confident that his club will own Odsal again by the end of the season.

The RFL bought the stadium for £1.25 million in 2012. It has been the home of Bradford since 1934.

Green wants to develop the site into a modern sporting facility, and admits at the moment that the stadium is a “dinosaur”.

The Bulls need to demonstrate to the RFL that they are financially stable before they will be allowed to buy the ground back, however.

“We’re still in discussions with the RFL and they have taken a very pragmatic approach,” he told the Bradford Telegraph & Argus.

“They want comfort in the business having stability before they are willing to allow the title to transfer over.

“I understand that because the last thing they want is to be selling the lease back to the club only to find the club is in trouble and they have got to rescue it again and be left embarrassed. 

“When I say we are in negotiations, the negotiations aren’t merely over how much we’re willing to pay, how much they want for it and then we meet somewhere in the middle.

“It’s about demonstrating that we have a stable and viable business that is rock-solid enough for them to feel comfortable that this is the right decision.

“I’m confident that we will have it done before the end of the season.

“The plans include, amongst other things, the eventual delivery of a facility to our supporters that is in line with the 21st century and not something that is an 80-year-old dinosaur, which is what this place is at the moment.