BRADFORD Bulls may find out in less than two weeks’ time whether they will return to being leaseholders of Odsal Stadium.

And the club understand that theirs is the preferred bid among those submitted.

Odsal's lease was put up for sale last October and property consultancy Knight Frank was appointed to handle bids.

The deadline for bids to take over the lease of the iconic stadium was at the end of January, with Bulls submitting their expression of interest at the 11th hour.

Things have progressed since then, and in a statement released by the club this morning, they said: “The Board of Bradford Bulls, after very careful consideration, have submitted an offer to reacquire the leasehold interest in Odsal.

“We understand that the club’s offer to secure our home at Odsal Stadium will be discussed at the RFL Council on Wednesday, July 24, 2024. 

“We are advised that the RFL Board will present our offer as the preferred bid to the members and they will listen to their views before finalising their decision.”

The club’s CEO, Jason Hirst, spoke about the potential deal for Bulls too, saying: “It is well documented that the running costs of Odsal are very, very substantial, so once the RFL decided to sell the lease we had to think hard about whether we could afford to take it on.

“The club’s board concluded that Odsal was our spiritual home and we should do all we can to bring the stadium back into the ownership of the club, in order to protect rugby league in the city.”

Hirst spoke to the T&A this afternoon and confirmed that Bulls have offered an initial fee of £100,000 for the lease, which was sold to the RFL for around £1.2million in 2012, with a further £160,000 to be paid over five years.

He also confirmed that the RFL would get 50 per cent of proceeds up to £1million if the Bulls sell the lease at any point in the next 10 years and that the club have seemingly beaten off interest from a motorsport company and an unnamed third party.

Bulls face Wakefield at home in the Betfred Championship this Sunday, then York the following weekend.

That means their first home game as potential leaseholders of Odsal again would be against Whitehaven on Sunday, August 11.