RFL tackles deal for Bradford Bulls

RUGBY league club Bradford Bulls will start the season next month after the Rugby Football League agreed a deal with former New Zealand Rugby League chairman Andrew Chalmers.

The successful bid came from Mr Chalmers and former Wigan and New Zealand coach Graham Lowe, according to the BBC.

This consortium had previously made a bid to rescue Bradford Bulls from adminstration, which was approved by the Rugby Football League owners of the lease to Odsal Stadium as well as controlling membership to the sport’s competitions, but it was rejected by the administrator.

The Rugby Football League (RFL) has now released a statement confirming an agreement has been reached with a consortium, but has not announced who the deal is with.

However, documents have been lodged at Companies House for the creation of Bradford Bulls 2017 Limited with Mr Chalmers and New Zealand company The Orcas Rugby League named as the two directors.

RFL director of operations and legal, Karen Moorhouse, said: “The RFL is confident that the consortium selected to run a new club in Bradford will provide an exciting and stable future for Rugby League in the city.

“They outlined a strong vision, have relevant and extensive experience and we are confident that they offer the best opportunity to take a new club forward.

“We have always said that the city of Bradford needs and deserves a Rugby League club that it can be proud of and we believe this new club can deliver that.”

The Rugby Football League assessed four official bids to create a replacement club in Bradford, is expected to make an official announcement shortly.

The new club will start the season in the Kingstone Press Championship on minus 12 points, which will make any ambitions of promotion to Super League extremely unlikely.

Meanwhile, one of the failed bidders for the club and chief executive of rugby union side Rotherham, Richard Lamb has slated the RFL for its “amateurish” handling of the affair.

Mr Lamb told The Guardian that the whole process had been an “absolute shambles” saying he had intended on intensting £1m of his own money in the club, but he had not even received a response from the RFL.

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