Odsal Stadium latest with Bradford Bulls lease purchase debated by clubs

Bradford Bulls’ plans to purchase back the lease of Odsal Stadium appear to have a green light through to completion after the proposed deal passed through a crucial Rugby Football League meeting this week without drama.

Love Rugby League revealed earlier this month how the Bulls were set to win the race to buy back the lease to their historic home, over a decade on after selling it to the governing body for £1.2million at the height of their financial problems.

They saw off interest from an unnamed third-party and a local motorsport company to purchase the lease for an initial fee of £100,000 – far less than the deal which then-chair of the RFL, Nigel Wood, orchestrated to purchase the lease from the Bulls at the time.

This deal was subject to it being ratified at a Rugby League Council meeting this week – and there had been an expectation in some quarters that there would be heated debate at the very least from some clubs who have long been outspoken about the way the situation has been handled.

But Love Rugby League has been told that the discussion about the lease was straightforward and with minimal fuss. It is therefore now expected to be ratified by the RFL Board after coming through Council without a hitch.

They will now formally approve Bradford’s bid as the winner and complete on a transfer of the lease back to the Championship club in the coming weeks.

Earlier this month, Bulls CEO Jason Hirst said: “It is well documented that the running costs of Odsal are very, very substantial so once the RFL decided to sell the lease we had to think hard about whether we could afford to take it on.

“The club’s board concluded that Odsal was our spiritual home and we should do all we can to bring the stadium back into the ownership of the club, to protect rugby league in the city.”

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