Re: IMG Grading released : Thu Oct 26, 2023 12:50 pm  

Fr13daY wrote:

So, off to Valley Parade then?

No pitch is too small lol.

Re: IMG Grading released : Thu Oct 26, 2023 1:21 pm  

Marvin Goolash wrote:

No pitch is too small lol.

Ha! Yeah. If only there were a means upon which the RFL could enable a team to play on a smaller pitch....

[Bullseye]

Re: IMG Grading released : Thu Oct 26, 2023 1:37 pm  

Think the main stumbling block is affording the rent for VP. I can see the VP owners wanting at least £250k a year. The club would need to be very careful to ensure that any tenancy at VP enabled the club to access takings for things like hospitality etc too. The last thing we need is to get chucked out after a couple of years when it becomes apparent that the deal was unaffordable. That would plunge the club into uncertainty. I'm sure VP's owners would see they potentially have the Bulls over a barrel. They could drive a hard bargain.

The better option would be to have a new ground entirely but that's never going to happen. IMO the council have wanted the Bulls at VP for years. Perhaps they can make that happen sustainably by unlocking the value of the Odsal site?

Re: IMG Grading released : Thu Oct 26, 2023 2:42 pm  

Highlander wrote:

Strong statement. Only 0.25 more to be gained in community- so well done to the Foundation, our volunteers and the club for that.
The rest of it is tricky. I don’t think there’s a lot more points to gain in performance, without being in SL.
Finance is steady.
Fandom is difficult as it depends in part on being in SL, also having a modern stadium. Possibly not many more points to pick up in the Championship

I just posted similar elsewhere, I think on paper the Bradford scores look really impressive, almost like they are in touching distance of SL, but I think the reality is that they are almost maxed out on what they could realistically score. Going on various posts and statements we have to assume its very likely that clubs will need at least 13 points to be in SL which is going to mean Bradford have to gain a point somwhere and I think even the staunchest Bradford fan who understands the gradings would say that is going to be very difficult to do?

Re: IMG Grading released : Thu Oct 26, 2023 3:21 pm  

Bullseye wrote:

Think the main stumbling block is affording the rent for VP. I can see the VP owners wanting at least £250k a year. The club would need to be very careful to ensure that any tenancy at VP enabled the club to access takings for things like hospitality etc too. The last thing we need is to get chucked out after a couple of years when it becomes apparent that the deal was unaffordable. That would plunge the club into uncertainty. I'm sure VP's owners would see they potentially have the Bulls over a barrel. They could drive a hard bargain.

The better option would be to have a new ground entirely but that's never going to happen. IMO the council have wanted the Bulls at VP for years. Perhaps they can make that happen sustainably by unlocking the value of the Odsal site?

After only 3 minutes thought - how about the council buy the Odsal lease and buy VP from (testing my memory here) the Gibbs pension fund? I think the last time this was discussed , which was pre covid, pre austerity and pre financial crisis, they were talking about £6m? Don't know what it would be now. Get Bulls out of Odsal & into VP - 3 shares? 1 each for council, City, Bulls? Would prevent the vague feeling of being unwelcome which I felt last time, do any upgrades/modernisation that is needed and that frees up the entire Odsal site for development which, if done well, would unlock cash, jobs, infrastructure for South Bradford specifically and the entire council area generally.
Get partners on board, University, utilise the motorway links, fasttrack the park & ride planned for the site, build towards the city of culture which should shake money loose as well.

[Bullseye]

Re: IMG Grading released : Thu Oct 26, 2023 4:17 pm  

Highlander wrote:

After only 3 minutes thought - how about the council buy the Odsal lease and buy VP from (testing my memory here) the Gibbs pension fund? I think the last time this was discussed , which was pre covid, pre austerity and pre financial crisis, they were talking about £6m? Don't know what it would be now. Get Bulls out of Odsal & into VP - 3 shares? 1 each for council, City, Bulls? Would prevent the vague feeling of being unwelcome which I felt last time, do any upgrades/modernisation that is needed and that frees up the entire Odsal site for development which, if done well, would unlock cash, jobs, infrastructure for South Bradford specifically and the entire council area generally.
Get partners on board, University, utilise the motorway links, fasttrack the park & ride planned for the site, build towards the city of culture which should shake money loose as well.

Sounds great in theory but depends on the council having the money and support in the chamber for such a plan. It also relies on the VP owners playing ball and it relies on their being some developers that are interested in Odsal enough to unlock that value. I often wonder how valuable the site is? If it was really sought after then I'm surprised the Bulls are still there!

It also relies on there being some people capable of bringing all the above together.

I'd love it to happen but I'm sceptical as to whether the stars will all align. Bradford's failed to ever deliver a project of that size with so many moving parts since Noah was a lad.

Re: IMG Grading released : Thu Oct 26, 2023 8:46 pm  

Bullseye wrote:

Sounds great in theory but depends on the council having the money and support in the chamber for such a plan. It also relies on the VP owners playing ball and it relies on their being some developers that are interested in Odsal enough to unlock that value. I often wonder how valuable the site is? If it was really sought after then I'm surprised the Bulls are still there!

It also relies on there being some people capable of bringing all the above together.

I'd love it to happen but I'm sceptical as to whether the stars will all align. Bradford's failed to ever deliver a project of that size with so many moving parts since Noah was a lad.

I can't imagine it's worth a great deal to developers, it's a massive pit, it's not the easiest place to build on and they'd have to plow a load of money into it ground works just to get it to the point of building on it. Maybe the areas around it? But it's basically only any good for a stadium... Or a tip maybe? Don't think you'd get millions for a tip though.

Re: IMG Grading released : Fri Oct 27, 2023 8:14 am  

It's one link road across a field from being smack on the motorway network and every time the RFL blocked the sale it was on the mantra of ensuring the games stays in Bradford.

On landfill alone (inert stuff like the disposal of scalpings from road renewal) the council could actually make money for once until the land's level.

Let's not forget Tesco once saw the value in it.

Re: IMG Grading released : Fri Oct 27, 2023 8:58 am  

"One man's dump is another man's hole-in-the-ground"

If we do move (and that has to be on the cards really) won't that then leave BMDC with two deserted, wasted sites opposite each other up at Odsal?

(Not that I imagine they care)

[Pumpetypump]

Re: IMG Grading released : Fri Oct 27, 2023 10:28 am  

I think it would be a huge strategic mistake if BPA and the Bulls don't come together in all this. There's a far better case for investment both from the council and privately if it's demonstrably a multi-use community asset being built. I just don't think VP is viable.