BRADFORD will be the leaseholders of Bartercard Odsal Stadium from this Friday – but have warned fans it will take a combination of private and public sector money to drive significant redevelopment.
The ground has been owned by the Rugby Football League since January 2012, when the governing body paid £1.2 million to the then version of the club.
That move, under which the Bulls became tenants rather than owners, was to safeguard the future of the famous venue, situated on prime land close to a motorway and a gateway to the city.
The lease of the stadium, which opened in 1933 and was first used by then Bradford Northern in 1934, was put up for sale in October 2023.
The Bulls submitted their expression of interest at the last minute in January, and it was then confirmed they had held off two rival bids.
It was suggested at that stage that the deal is for an initial £100,000, with a further £160,000 to be paid over five years, with the payments in that period being deducted from the Bulls’ share of the central distribution.
Jason Hirst, chief executive of the Championship club, told the Telegraph and Argus: “We will have to find additional money to take on the lease and maintain upkeep and make improvements to the stadium.
“We are fortunate that our four co-owners are willing to put their money where their mouth is and help with that, but we don’t have a sugar daddy here like other clubs do, so it will be a challenge.
“The bigger picture is that this has been our spiritual home for 90 years, and this has been predominantly a Rugby League venue that whole time.
“This is our home, and as leaseholders, we have a degree of protection and certainty, being masters of our own destiny to an extent.
“If the lease had gone to a private investor, who is to know what the future would have been for the Bulls?
“Now we’re the leaseholders, we can start to plan for the future.”
But Hirst added: “Anyone who believes us getting the lease will lead to a revamp, with a 20,000-seater stadium, any time soon is sadly mistaken.”
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