Bradford’s move to a new stadium has been mooted for decades but it now seems the point of no return is here
“It’s time to be realistic about it all.” Those are the words no Bradford Bulls fan ever wanted to hear uttered in regard to Odsal Stadium, their home for 85 years. Once known as the Wembley of the north and highly unusual in its design – a bowl carved out below ground level – it feels like a site rugby league can ill-afford to lose. But it seems the point of no return has finally arrived.
Redevelopment of a stadium handily placed next to the motorway entry into Bradford has been mooted for decades and now the club insist they are sick of waiting. The costs of playing at Odsal, they allege, are crippling. Not so much the £72,000 rent they pay the Rugby
Football League – owners of the stadium’s lease – more the overheads and maintenance costs, which are lofty for a second division side. “We’re talking in the region of £400,000 we will save from moving out of here,” the Bulls’ general manager, Russ MacFarlane, says.