Phoenix sought after Bradford Bulls ceases trading

THE Rugby Football League still expects a Bradford-based club to be ready to take the field for its first game of the season in 32 days’ time despite Bradford Bulls’ administrator putting the business into liquidation.

The former Super League giant, who were World Club Champions just 10 years ago, went into administration for the third time in four years in November and despite several parties expressing an interest and entering negotiations, no deal has materialised.

“Several parties engaged in a process to acquire the Bradford Bulls, but that has ultimately proven to be an unsuccessful exercise,” said administrator Gary Pettit.

“I am very disappointed to say that the last potential purchaser confirmed last night that it will not be acquiring the Bradford Bulls. This is largely because time does not allow the complex issues to be resolved.”

However in a statement, the sport’s governing body put forward its hope that a solution could still be found to the broader question of having a professional rugby league in the city.

It said: “The board has agreed that the wider interests of the sport is best satisfied if it offers a place in the Kingstone Press Championship to any new club in Bradford and that such a club start the 2017 season on minus twelve points. Any interested parties should contact the RFL directly.”

Its first fixture is scheduled for February 5, against Hull KR. The RFL’s decision, which is unusual as new members would normally have to enter a lower league rather than the sport’s second tier, was based on “the planning already undertaken by all other clubs in the competition structure, the season tickets already purchased and the players and staff who will now be seeking employment in and around the sport in 2017”.

Staff and players have not been paid for December, and general manager Stuart Duffy described the situation as “a nightmare for everybody involved”.

He told BBC Radio Leeds: “Everyone is very disappointed because we were led to believe that things would come to a successful conclusion today. Nobody has been paid their wages for December and we had been hoping to be paid tomorrow so this is a bombshell.”

The RFL, through the sport’s charity Rugby League Cares, has said it intends to offer support to all staff and players who have had their employment terminated by the company ceasing to trade.

Mr Duffy added: “The Rugby Football League have said they have contingency plans in place and someone could buy the club from the liquidators but at the moment everybody has been made redundant.”