'Encouraging' level of Interest in buying Odsal lease

That's the message from the company tasked with marketing the home of the Bradford Bulls.

It was revealed last month that the Rugby Football League (RFL) which currently leases the stadium from Bradford Council, is selling the leasehold after first taking it on in 2012.

According to Knight Frank, the global property consultancy, they are taking all inquiries “very seriously”.

Jonathan Hyland, partner at the Leeds office with Knight Frank said: “We have been encouraged by the interest shown already in Odsal and are taking all inquiries very seriously.

“We are not at the due diligence stage yet, but we are responding appropriately to all these inquiries by providing as much information as possible to all interested parties.

“We will be providing a further update on Odsal when we have more substantial news.”

Bosses at Bradford Bulls urged the Council to "reacquire the lease from the RFL and deliver a community stadium for the sport in Bradford".

This followed the release of rankings from sports firm IMG, after which the Bulls said the "single biggest impediment to getting our club back to the Super League is the absence of an appropriate 21st-century facility".

However, the Council, which owns the land, said "unprecedented financial pressures" mean it is "not in a position" to progress schemes for the site's future.

Bradford's City Hall (Image: Newsquest)

When it emerged the lease on Odsal had gone up for sale, bosses at the Bulls said they did not believe the move posed "any immediate threat to the club's occupancy" of the stadium and they fully expected to play all home fixtures there in 2024.

Bradford Bulls CEO, Jason Hirst said at the time: “We are aware that the RFL are now seeking expressions of interest to potentially sell their leasehold of Odsal Stadium and we understand their reasons for this; particularly with the new IMG grading system being introduced, which puts significant obligations on stadium owners.

“We have been continually reassured that the RFL’s primary objective has always been the protection of professional rugby league in Bradford and this was and has been repeated once again as part of this potential sale process.”

The Bulls sold the lease on the stadium to the RFL for a seven-figure sum in January 2012 as the governing body recovered a loan it had made to the club. They have since paid rent to the RFL.