Bradford Bulls boss Chris Caisley today pledged the former Super League champions would stay at Odsal Stadium.

And he revealed that talks about a possible ground share with Bradford City at Valley Parade had collapsed.

Mr Caisley said those talks with City chairman Geoffrey Richmond had prompted millionaire developer Eddie Healey to produce an alternative proposal for a shopping and leisure scheme without a stadium.

But he said the Bulls would now stay at Odsal and had an agreement with Mr Healey that his development must have a stadium.

Mr Caisley spelled out his top team's future as fears arose that Mr Healey's multi-million pound scheme could well hit snags because of a major clampdown by deputy Prime Minister John Prescott on out-of- town shopping - even though he has stressed it will not be on the scale of his Meadowhall development in Sheffield.

But last week Mr Healey revealed to the Telegraph & Argus that he had drawn up a modified plan which did not include a stadium. He said he had produced the scaled-down shopping plan in a bid to win planning consent from Bradford Council in spite of the Government.

His announcement that the smaller scheme might not be able to support a stadium fuelled further rumours that the Bulls might move into Valley Parade with City.

Mr Caisley said his discussions with Mr Richmond about ground-sharing had ended because of uncertainty about the Valley Parade stand and other practical issues. These included the length of field and type of facilities. "Eddie Healey drew his plan up when he was of the view we would move to Valley Parade," he said. But, he added, the ball was in Bradford Council's court when it received Mr Healey's planning application in the next few weeks for his scaled-down shopping plan for the development

Mr Caisley said: "The Council has supported City with their new stand and now it should be doing the same for us." He said the Bulls would be prepared to accept a scaled down stadium but he stressed there was no possibility the Bulls would move out if Mr Healey's shopping scheme became so small it could not pay for a sports ground.

"We need the Council to support some form of retailing. It would be a disgrace to the city if it didn't. We have got here one of the best developers in the North of England in Eddie Healey but there can't be a development without a stadium."

Bradford Council leader Councillor Ian Greenwood said: "Clearly any sensible development at Odsal Stadium would have a retail element, but I can't comment on how much."

But, he added, he still expected the £200 million Superdome scheme, for a top class stadium, hotels and shopping/leisure at Odsal, to go ahead.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.