I've just received some updates from FA on the notes I've put up. Thanks for that FA!
AC also emphasised that they actually had no players. Those who had got fixed up elsewhere had gone, those left had to be immediately either signed up or not, in most cases without the new management having even seen them play.
In a purchase out of administration, you at least get a whole package, a structure, staff, equipment, employees including players. In a liquidation you get nothing. You start with a blank sheet.
o All the players know where they stand regarding contracts. We did not sign players up on longer contracts as basically the squad was what remained that had been inherited, and actually being able to field a team at all would in many cases be the first time the new management/coaching team had even seen them play.
At the time of the takeover, we didn’t even have anywhere to train. Due to the many previous financial issues, the Bulls were unable to use the training facility at Tong. AC expressed his gratitude to Bradford Council for their work in brokering a deal (he didn’t say what) to allow the Bulls to resume using the training facilities.
AC said that next year we would operate a Tier 1 and also a Tier 3 Academy setup, and he also indicated that we would be operating a reserve team
When they bought the club they signed all the players who hadn’t already signed with other clubs. The season was about to kick off and those were the only players available so no choice but to sign them regardless of how much or little was known about them. Also the reality is that given the liquidation and collapse of the old club, the fact is that the players had had no real pre-season to speak of at all.
Also, this week the Conditioning coach starts this Thursday. Finding professionals in the sports industry has been difficult because of our recent past history. No-one will risk leaving a steady job for us! For that reason we have not had a physiotherapist working full time for the club but have worked hard on this and have just signed up a club physio as well.
Starting in CH1 was never an option. The RFL invited bidders with the unmovable proviso that they would start in the league with a -12 deficit, a reduction in funding, and that the new owners pay off some of the previous companies debt i.e. the so-called “rugby debts” had to be paid. Starting in a lower league was not an option. It was a RFL take it or leave it offer.
He was well aware of Bradford’s history and potential which he said would have been a tragedy for it all to come to an end, which it was about to do. He said that Bradford Bulls was a challenge, and one he is enjoying more than any other job at the moment.
All of the incidents from the Dewsbury game were reported to the RFL but no action was taken about any of the other incidents we expressed concern about.
Overall we agreed we were surprised to have come out of the meeting feeling much more positive than when we went in. AC does come across as genuine and with real plans for the Bulls, but perhaps the scale of the job was not appreciated by many supporters, and maybe the good start the team made in the first part of the season has masked just what a dire situation we were in and that we literally started from nothing, days before kickoff.
