Super League in Bradford Bulls rescue bid
AN UNPRECEDENTED bid has been made by the clubs competing in Super League to save fellow rugby league club Bradford Bulls.
Super League (Europe), the parent company of Super League, is aiming to secure the future of the Bradford Bulls, which has been in administration for five weeks, on behalf of the other 13 clubs that compete in the league.
The unconditional offer – a first for the sport – was today hailed as a “brilliant development” by administrator Brendan Guilfoyle.
“If the deal goes ahead then the Bradford Bulls will become the first club ever to be owned by the Super League clubs themselves,” he said.
“The administrators are considering the offer today and will be working closely with SLE and the RFL to reach a speedy conclusion. SLE and the RFL would continue to run the club as a going concern.”
The offer follows yesterday’s announcement by the Rugby Football League that it had turned down a second conditional bid from the ABC Consortium.
The Super League (Europe) bid has been led by RFL chief executive Nigel Wood and representatives from Super League clubs.
Mr Wood said: “This saga has gone on for far too long and we are of the view that direct positive action is required to safeguard the future of Bradford Bulls.
“The club has been in administration for five weeks now and during that time not one single offer without strings attached has been submitted to the administrator.
“This situation is clearly unacceptable and raises the tangible prospect that we could lose one of our most famous clubs, which would be a tragedy of significant proportions, not just to the sport and the city of Bradford but to the remaining staff, players and volunteers who all deserve some stability after the turmoil of recent events.
“It is to the credit of the Super League clubs that they have given their unanimous support to this move and are not prepared to stand idly by and see Bradford Bulls disappear.
“The time has come for strong and decisive leadership and this course of action, which is based on sound business principles, represents just that.”
Mr Wood added that if successful the new owners would be able to “plot a course for Bradford Bulls which is in the best interests of the club, the competition and the wider game”.
“If our offer is accepted, SLE will welcome approaches from all interested parties who have an interest in helping us secure a bright future for professional rugby league in Bradford.”
Further details of how Bradford Bulls would operate under SLE ownership will be announced following discussions with Mr Guilfoyle, the RFL said.
The RFL has previously said that it will not consider any conditional offers for the club.
