Bradford’s sorry path from champions of the world to the very edge of extinction

IT IS quite incredible to believe that a club so recently deemed the world’s finest could this morning be lurching so perilously towards extinction.

That is not hyperbole or blatant scaremongering; Bradford Bulls’ own management readily admit the famous and iconic rugby league name could soon be no more unless urgent financial assistance is found. It is a frightening prospect.

In 2006 their formidable side was crowned World Club champions for a third time in just five years.

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They had lifted four Super League titles along the way and seemed the perfect prototype for all their rivals to replicate in the summer era.

Bullmania set the tone with its booming, colourful entertainment whipping up the crowds at a rocking Odsal Stadium while stellar and instantly recognisable players in the shape of Robbie Paul and Lesley Vainikolo did their jobs on the field.

It was all so vibrant and intoxicating. The Bulls were undoubtedly the Manchester United of the sport so yesterday’s shock developments seem surreal as you assimilate how far and fast they have fallen.

It is certainly a cautionary tale to all clubs about the very real danger of sudden disaster if only a few poor decisions are made somewhere along the line.

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However, it comes as no real surprise that the response to their plight has been instantaneous and fulsome.

Not only from Bradford supporters, who will, as expected, dig deep into their pockets to try to save their cherished club but also fans from across the sport including Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors and Huddersfield Giants, who all fully appreciate what it would mean to lose such a legendary institution.

Via Twitter, the great and the good of the game also came out yesterday to back the stricken club in their hour – or let us say fortnight – of need.

England captain Jamie Peacock, whose marvellous career was forged on the Odsal battlegrounds, pledged £800.

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Rhino Rob Burrow and Saint Jon Wilkin urged people to rally while Wakefield’s Glenn Morrison, a recent Odsal great, simply tweeted: “Bradford Bulls must be in the comp”.

It is a sentiment echoed throughout the game; it is unthinkable that rugby league should exist without this genuine stalwart. However, for all their rich history, Bradford have no divine right to survive.

Essentially, they are a business and must be run as such.

They have been in this position before and, then, the worst did occur.

Bradford Northern folded in December 1963. A sterling effort, not least from their most famous son Trevor Foster, saw them reform and accepted back into the league the following year.

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However, if the Bulls were to collapse next month, such a rapid return is simply not feasible given the modern licence process.

Any hopes of a ‘sugar daddy’ rescue should be dismissed; no one wanted Bradford when they had one tangible asset in their Odsal ground and that was, bizarrely, sold off recently. The club are now reliant on the goodwill of others.

One man who has offered to help is Stuart Fielden, the ex-Bulls prop who has even promised to man their red-hot phones.

He was sold to Wigan for a world record £440,000 fee. That is the sort of huge cash injection they could do with now yet the very fact that none of that money is left is also a stark reminder of those grave mistakes that have undoubtedly been made.