New Bradford owners face swift rebuilding job before 2017 kick-off

THERE will be professional rugby league in Bradford once more after Kiwi duo Andrew Chalmers and Graham Lowe finally secured the rights to a new club in the city.
Odsal Stadium, BradfordOdsal Stadium, Bradford
Odsal Stadium, Bradford

Chalmers, the former New Zealand Rugby League chief, and Lowe, the ex-Wigan, Manly, Queensland State of Origin and Kiwi coach, were told by the RFL their bid was successful last Friday.

However, they did not fly into the UK from New Zealand until Monday and immediately met a 25-strong playing group, interim management and coaching staff before publicly confirming their position yesterday.

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It ends weeks of uncertainty for the former World Club champions who entered administration for a third time in five years in November and were then liquidated this month.

They are immediately searching for a new coach, however, after telling the unfortunate Rohan Smith, the Australian who only arrived on a three-year deal last May, that he was no longer needed at Odsal.

Bradford – there is confusion as to whether they will be called the Bulls – start their Championship season in less than three weeks’ time at Hull KR but have seen eight senior players depart after being made redundant on January 3.

Chalmers said: “We are under no illusion of the enormity of the task that is ahead of us and that it is our job to win the trust of supporters and deliver a club that they are proud of. One of our first commitments to the RFL was that all season tickets for the 2017 season that have already been purchased by Bradford Bulls supporters would be honoured by the new club.”

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Lowe suggested that Bradford – whose central funding has also been reduced to just £150,000 – would retain a full-time squad.

“We do not see this as a quick fix and we will work through the immediate issue of offering full-time playing contracts to the team,” he said.

“This is expected to be accomplished in the next 48 hours and following that we will look at bolstering the playing squad as necessary to replace those players who have secured contracts elsewhere.”

Chalmers added: “We are both really excited about the strength of the high performance academy and the long-term pathway opportunities that flow from this.

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“We understand this is a frustrating time for fans who want to know what is happening but I assure you we are working long hours with all interested parties to cover a lot of ground.”

A new era: Page 23

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