Bradford Bulls Pledge Campaign

[HaroldShand]

Personally, I was absolutely horrified at the sight of the Bradford Bulls Pledge 10'000 promotion bus parked in the car park of the Yorkshire Mill Village (less than one mile from Mount Pleasant) in Batley this morning. I understand the bus also visited not only the Birstall area, from where my club draws a good number of fans, but the cente of Dewsbury.

Batley has a professional Rugby League club, as does Dewsbury, and we struggle year after year to attract fans on a miniscule promotional budget. In reality, we have to rely on our on-field success to attract floating, and fickle local supporters.

As well as this cynical and selfish campaign in our towns being both morally and ethically wrong, Batley and Dewsbury are not even located in the same local authority as Bradford.

In 1996, the Batley and Dewsbury clubs lost hundreds of existing and potential fans to Bradford Bulls, following a similarly cynical promotion drive, which included a school visitation programme in the Heavy Woollen district, despite the existence of similar schemes run by our professional sporting organisations.

If any Bradford Bulls supporters wish to bicker with me over their right to advertise in other towns that already have long-standing Rugby League clubs, I would like to ask them how they would feel about, lets say, a Leeds Rhinos drive to attract fans from the Bradford area, which included a blue and amber promotional bus parked in the middle of Forster Square.

Edited September 23, 2010 by HaroldShand

[scotthouston2008]

Survival of the fittest, go hard or go home.

[Kenilworth Tiger]

Personally, I was absolutely horrified at the sight of the Bradford Bulls Pledge 10'000 promotion bus parked in the car park of the Yorkshire Mill Village (less than one mile from Mount Pleasant) in Batley this morning. I understand the bus also visited not only the Birstall area, from where my club draws a good number of fans, but the cente of Dewsbury.

Batley has a professional Rugby League club, as does Dewsbury, and we struggle year after year to attract fans on a miniscule promotional budget. In reality, we have to rely on our on-field success to attract floating, and fickle local supporters.

As well as this cynical and selfish campaign in our towns being both morally and ethically wrong, Batley and Dewsbury are not even located in the same local authority as Bradford.

In 1996, the Batley and Dewsbury clubs lost hundreds of existing and potential fans to Bradford Bulls, following a similarly cynical promotion drive, which included a school visitation programme in the Heavy Woollen district, despite the existence of similar schemes run by our professional sporting organisations.

If any Bradford Bulls supporters wish to bicker with me over their right to advertise in other towns that already have long-standing Rugby League clubs, I would like to ask them how they would feel about, lets say, a Leeds Rhinos drive to attract fans from the Bradford area, which included a blue and amber promotional bus parked in the middle of Forster Square.

They've done nothing wrong - if you don't want a ticket dont pledge - if you do, the bus may just have reminded you that deadline day is not far off.

That's one hell of a rant

[HaroldShand]

They've done nothing wrong - if you don't want a ticket dont pledge - if you do, the bus may just have reminded you that deadline day is not far off.

That's one hell of a rant

So you'd be happy to see the Bradford Bulls peddling their cheap season tickets in the middle of Castleford? I bet a large number of your fans, and especially your clubs board of directors, would be deeply unhappy.

[HaroldShand]

Survival of the fittest, go hard or go home.

Without wishing to turn this into a personal slanging match, does this motto explain the roaring success of your own playing career?

[vitocorleone]

Without wishing to turn this into a personal slanging match, does this motto explain the roaring success of your own playing career?

Sounds like sour grapes to me!

[Mumby Magic]

Firstly, I can't understand why we've gone there whilst there are other areas of Bradford he could have gone, like Brighouse etc.

However.

We got slated when we went in and around Halifax in the early years of Super League. Halifax were in Super League. And?

Certain threads on here show why our sport is struggling. A club is proactive but "have to do it in certain areas". It's is a harder point to get across simply because Dewsbury and Batley are lower league. Before anyone slates me that I don't kknow what I am on about or am too biased because I am supporter of a Super League Club - I worked at Batley Bulldogs for 18 months.

The road to proverbial success is there for anyone. Every club can generate there own opportunities. The Bulls are spending money to promote the club. There is one point in that sentence alone.

[Agbrigg]

Harold

I wouldn't worry. The fact that they are having to drive around Batley and Dewsbury may show how desperate they are.

Now if you had Leeds in town ,then you may have something to worry about

[Mumby Magic]

............and in response to Leeds promoting in Bradford they don't need to! There are already a large proportion of people from Bradford support Leeds because we are a fickle lot.

[HaroldShand]

Firstly, I can't understand why we've gone there whilst there are other areas of Bradford he could have gone, like Brighouse etc.

However.

We got slated when we went in and around Halifax in the early years of Super League. Halifax were in Super League. And?

Certain threads on here show why our sport is struggling. A club is proactive but "have to do it in certain areas". It's is a harder point to get across simply because Dewsbury and Batley are lower league. Before anyone slates me that I don't kknow what I am on about or am too biased because I am supporter of a Super League Club - I worked at Batley Bulldogs for 18 months.

The road to proverbial success is there for anyone. Every club can generate there own opportunities. The Bulls are spending money to promote the club. There is one point in that sentence alone.

Theres nothing wrong in spending money to promote the club. Just don't spend that money on promoting the Bradford Bulls club in areas outside of Bradford that already have long-established Rugby League clubs that exist on a shoestring budget in terms of everything from player wages to self promotion. As I stressed, our clubs don't have the spending power to fund a glitzy promotional campaign, but that doesn't make it morally and ethically right for Bradford Bulls to pitch up less than a mile from both our respective grounds and start a recrtuitment drive.

[West Country Eagle]

Yep, harsh. A bit naughty from the Bulls IMHO.

It does highlight the problems of having so many pro RL clubs close together - you're all chasing the same fans. RL strength is also it's weakness. It's easier for clubs in big cities (e.g Leeds), as there are plenty of places to promote. Bradford, Halifax etc are so close together it makes it tough.

[a.n Other]

Firstly, I can't understand why we've gone there whilst there are other areas of Bradford he could have gone, like Brighouse etc.

When did they move Brighouse into Bradford?

[Mumby Magic]

Theres nothing wrong in spending money to promote the club. Just don't spend that money on promoting the Bradford Bulls club in areas outside of Bradford that already have long-established Rugby League clubs that exist on a shoestring budget in terms of everything from player wages to self promotion. As I stressed, our clubs don't have the spending power to fund a glitzy promotional campaign, but that doesn't make it morally and ethically right for Bradford Bulls to pitch up less than a mile from both our respective grounds and start a recrtuitment drive.

Yep, I do partly agree with you. It does seem strange to do it in that location. Is there anything wrong with it? Morally? Probably. Literally? No.

[Lee]

When did they move Brighouse into Bradford?

Minute it left Huddersfield, they'll be camping up in Fixby next

Has the bus been upto to silsden/keighley yet?

[Mumby Magic]

When did they move Brighouse into Bradford?

Sorry in my capacity as Bulls marketing manager it is now. Same as Dewsbury and Batley.

[Mortis]

I would like to ask them how they would feel about, lets say, a Leeds Rhinos drive to attract fans from the Bradford area, which included a blue and amber promotional bus parked in the middle of Forster Square.

Well, they can park there if they like but no one will see them as it's now part of the big hole

Beside, I have seen a bus with "that team to the east of Bradford" plastered all over it driving through Bradford.

[Blind side johnny]

I take it that Batley aren't applying for a franchise after all then Harold?

Unfortunately many SL fans don't give a stuff for the rest of the game as long as their own club is going to be OK.

[hindle xiii]

I was in The Mill at Batley, Scopos or whatever you want to call it, (the shopping centre) Monday before last. On the ground floor there is a sports shop that sold NRL shirts (there was one over the road but it shut). However they had copious amounts of 2009 Hull FC shirts.

And many Leeds Rhinos shirts.

I expect a similar thread any minute.

[hindle xiii]

I couldn't find a pic of an angry enough farmer with a pitchfork to compare to Harry.

[Lounge Room Lizard]

Typical bradford.Not enough interest in a city of a few hundred thousand so instead of doing real development and marketing decide to try and get fans from towns where Rugby League is strong. The bulls also raid Halifax and heavy woolen areas for academy players making big promises only to let them rot away and become disillusioned with the game.A good mate of mine at one amateur club in Halifax said they now advise players not to sign with Bradford due to a couple players experiences there.

[Ackroman]

Since the inception of Super league it's been like a fire sale in the lower leagues and all any fan from SL can say is, "do it yourselves". With what? this isn't 17C Africa, the locals don't accept beads for payment they want hard cash, something the structure of RL doesn't share round fairly enough.

If bradford can afford to market in Batley with money donated by Sky, then in my mind that money should be in Batley's coffers.

This also highlights the complete injustice in our sport. Batley has a succesful year trying to grow interest in rugby League and then Bradford rock up to hand out the tickets. Buch of cnuts in my opinion.

If anyone wants to try walking in Harold shoes for a bit then by all means. I'll even give you a pair of mine.

[Steve May]

Personally, I was absolutely horrified at the sight of the Bradford Bulls Pledge 10'000 promotion bus parked in the car park of the Yorkshire Mill Village (less than one mile from Mount Pleasant) in Batley this morning. I understand the bus also visited not only the Birstall area, from where my club draws a good number of fans, but the cente of Dewsbury.

Batley has a professional Rugby League club, as does Dewsbury, and we struggle year after year to attract fans on a miniscule promotional budget. In reality, we have to rely on our on-field success to attract floating, and fickle local supporters.

As well as this cynical and selfish campaign in our towns being both morally and ethically wrong, Batley and Dewsbury are not even located in the same local authority as Bradford.

In 1996, the Batley and Dewsbury clubs lost hundreds of existing and potential fans to Bradford Bulls, following a similarly cynical promotion drive, which included a school visitation programme in the Heavy Woollen district, despite the existence of similar schemes run by our professional sporting organisations.

If any Bradford Bulls supporters wish to bicker with me over their right to advertise in other towns that already have long-standing Rugby League clubs, I would like to ask them how they would feel about, lets say, a Leeds Rhinos drive to attract fans from the Bradford area, which included a blue and amber promotional bus parked in the middle of Forster Square.

I agree to an extent, but on the flipside the link between Huddersfield and Batley has seen a number of people I know go up to the Mount to watch games. There's been a few that I've gone to that I wouldn't have done otherwise.

[The Parksider]

Personally, I was absolutely horrified at the sight of the Bradford Bulls Pledge 10'000 promotion bus parked in the car park of the Yorkshire Mill Village

As well as this cynical and selfish campaign in our towns being both morally and ethically wrong, Batley and Dewsbury are not even located in the same local authority as Bradford.

If any Bradford Bulls supporters wish to bicker with me over their right to advertise in other towns that already have long-standing Rugby League clubs, I would like to ask them how they would feel about, lets say, a Leeds Rhinos drive to attract fans from the Bradford area, which included a blue and amber promotional bus parked in the middle of Forster Square.

Well last year I drove into Hunslet District Centre and on the corner was a billboard proclaiming Leeds as SL champs once again and that season tickets were now on sale. It didn't seem right, hardly the "family of RL".

But where does the "problem" or maybe "reality" lie??

The reality to me is that now people are mobile in movement and money they can make choices about where they get their sporting entertainment from. If you liked Rugby League in the 30's in Hunslet you walked to Parkside where the club was in the same league as Leeds and Bramley. Headingley was miles away and the tram fare merely added to costs you could little afford.

Today Leeds offer top class Superleague and the people of Leeds take it thank you very much, from North to south, east to west leeds and beyond..........

If we could send the " business morality" police out in Leeds and stop all the Rhinos promotion and on matchdays stop all the cars going to headingley from south Leeds, I am sure that they would all go home and watch SL on telly instead.

Nowhere is the line better drawn in Hull where Rovers top division exploits led to 9,000 crowds and their second division mediocity led to 1,000 crowds.

It seems to me that the vast majority of fans the SL clubs pull, choose to watch SL but won't watch NL. So it is sadly (for you) good for the game that SL clubs look for customers from as far and wide as they can because if they didn't those fans wouldn't be spending any money on RL at all.

As for the why don't they go to north Bradford, a poster interestingly enough spoke about how the north of the city is heavily soccer. South (Batley) and west (Halifax) its more RL. The marketing department have done their demographics at Odsal.

Anyway it's all Mo's fault. If only all the clubs had merged we wouldn't have had this argument, but as they didn't then as Padge says it became a fight to the death to dominate in an area.

But Batley and Hunslet and dewsbury are not fighting for SL, so the white flag has already been raised and SL clubs will go about their business and the small NL clubs will just have to get together, cut their cloth and provide a decent "second tier" for those who enjoy their rugby at that level.

[BBR]

I am amazed no SL has ever offered the ST holders of any other club a half price ST if they switch to them.

For a club like Huddersfield, how many clubs are within 30 mins drive?

However, I think it is so wrong. The SL has become an elite club that look down their noses at the rest. Isn't this similar to the clique that caused the breakaway 100 years ago?

I think SL clubs do need to be ruthless in order to survive and thrive, and full gruonds on SKY does wonders for the promotion and credability of the game.

But at the same time, surely history and values should play a part. Especially for those half a dozen SL clubs that were in the right place at the right time and could easily have missed out at the expense of some of the CC clubs.

[Kenilworth Tiger]

So you'd be happy to see the Bradford Bulls peddling their cheap season tickets in the middle of Castleford? I bet a large number of your fans, and especially your clubs board of directors, would be deeply unhappy.

I wouldn;t care to be honest because the chance of getting any cas fans to buy a Bulls season ticket is absolutely zero - they're not doing anything illegal

As I say - if nobody signs up it's time wasted, if they do they've done their job.