Members of Parliament have joined the battle to save financially-crippled Stobart Super League club Bradford Bulls.
Galloway and Sutcliffe to hold talks with Guilfoyle
Members of Parliament have joined the battle to save financially-crippled Stobart Super League club Bradford Bulls.
Local MPs George Galloway and Gerry Sutcliffe are to hold talks with Brendan Guilfoyle, the administrator in charge of the club, and the All Party Parliamentary Rugby League Group have on Wednesday pledged their support.
Guilfoyle was brought in after the club's directors failed to find the necessary investment to fight a winding-up petition from Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs over an unpaid tax bill in excess of £300,000.
The Bulls are virtually penniless and Guilfoyle has warned he has just nine working days left to find a buyer or he will put the club into liquidation.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Group, Leeds North West MP Greg Mulholland, said: "This is a sad day for Bradford Bulls and for rugby league.
"We urge all involved to find a way for Bradford to continue its proud history as a top-flight club.
"Members of the Parliamentary Rugby League Group are fans of the game as well as club representatives in Parliament and we have a singular remit - 'to support the sport of rugby league football'.
Support
"The Group's offer of support to the club, the RFL and Bradford City Council remains open to deliver that promise."
The Group wrote to the chairman of RBS when the club was seeking to extend its overdraft period.
Sutcliffe, a former sports minister, said "Bradford Bulls is not only a professional rugby league club, it is a focal point for the community and has been since its creation.
"As both a Bulls fan and the club's MP, I know how people must be feeling about the current situation.
"The ongoing backing of colleagues within the Parliamentary Rugby League Group is welcomed and I and the Group will continue to do what I can to assist the Bulls."
If they survive, Bradford face an automatic points deduction and in the meantime are bracing themselves for the possible sale of their best players as the administrator seeks to raise funds to keep the club going in the short term.
Fans greeted Tuesday's announcement with anger and dismay after earlier raising close to £500,000 in a bid to stave off the threat of administration, but the Bulls' supporters trust, BullBuilder, have promised to back any would-be buyer.
Disappointed
In a statement, they said: "Like the rest of the fan base, BullBuilder were extremely disappointed to hear that the Bradford Bulls had entered administration.
"This season has seen remarkable efforts on the Bulls' behalf by players, staff and the general rugby league community.
"Most of all, the commitment of the supporters in achieving seemingly impossible feats has been outstanding. All this has shown how the team's history and the current Bulls' brand are valued throughout the game.
"At the same time, the current excellence of young players coming through the ranks - the very players that BullBuilder was formed to support - shows that the future for a financially-stable Bradford Bulls could be very bright indeed.
"We sincerely hope that an investor will come forward to prevent this potential from being wasted and to allow a revitalised Bradford Bulls to reap the benefit.
"We have seen how the Bulls players, staff and supporters have pulled together this season. At BullBuilder, we believe that this unity of purpose must be built upon.
"We continue to be firmly behind the survival and success of the Bulls and any party who can take this forward."
