So we should move out of our brand new state of the art training complex that's cost the club pounds ten to build so that we can help fund one for them?

We definitely shouldn't. There's a world of difference between ground sharing and amalgamating the clubs. I think the vast difference between the finances needed to be successful in soccer and RL makes any integration of the financial sides of the two clubs to be quite out of the question.

I am a Halifax fan, i support both Halifax teams and beleive me this isnt a good idea.



The Rugby and the Football fans resent each other, there's constant jibbing, on the respective Football and Rugby fans messageboards, if a rugby fan goes on the football messageboard and see's it it will turn into a slnging match on RLFANS. and the same the other way round.



The "you wendyballers keep messing up our pitch"



and "get your own ground then cause we were here first you egg chasers"



are comments i here so often, you have larger fan bases for both the football and the rugby too than Halifax, so the divide would be even bigger and the jibbing would be even worse

Oh for sure mate, it goes on already. I think the majority of fans (as I suspect in Halifax as well?) would realise why things like this are done, much as the fringes tend to rail against it.



I guess it helps if both clubs are in a similar position, where neither can just carry on in the old way without the other to share the costs burden. It concentrates the mind on exactly what is important, on both sides.

This thread is one that keeps recurring, but I think that each time it comes up, there is a good reason to have another look at the situation. The change this time is the very real possibility that City could be relegated this year. This does and should change people's thinking on the matter.



As a season ticket holder at Both City and Bulls, and someone who as an 8 year old was in the paddock of the main stand on 11/05/85, I accept that those who are shouting loudest are those who are against a ground share / merger / any link at all between the two clubs. However, taking a common sense approach ( I know, very risky, especially in Bradford) we need to look at the reality.



From a Bulls in superleague perspective, we should ask if Odsal in its current (and likely permanent) state is going to be able to sustain an SL franchise and allow for a rebuilding of long term success. we are fortunate that a number of clubs are worse off than us in tersm of the license applications, otherwise we would struggle. if the current system stays, then in the next couple of license applications we could find ourselves in bother.



From a City point of view, we need to look at whether the rent they are paying to stay at VP is the main factor in them not doing anything other than balancing the books, and spiralling closer to non league football.



Neither club is in the golden era that they were 10/11 years ago, as it was not financially viable. That needs to be addressed by both parties.



On the idea of a shared training facility. Why would this be bad? perhaps it could be offset by free rent for a fixed time? The facility at Tong has potential. I've already seen David Baldwin (City COO) there on occasions, and in the next 12 months there is the possibility of another (grass) pitch or two being there, to complement the 3g pitches, as the Yorkshire Martyrs site closes in July and will most likely be bulldozed and reclaimed. the current bulls grass trainingpitch is on land reclaimed from the demolished Tong school, so it can be done quite quickly.



this all hinges on what agreement can be come to by Gordon Gibb, the owner of VP, and whoever rents it from him. If City go down, and Lawn and Rhodes bail out, then he will be sat on nothing. He is sensible enough to know this. The idea of the money that has been set aside by the council for the Odsal redevelopment being used to fund VP being bought as a community stadium isnt a bad one. Straight away, Bulls would have a ground at the same modern standards as any in superleague. Both clubs could agree a rent that enabled them to function properly, and city would benefit by having some security in terms of a much reduced financial outlay.



Odsal could be retained in its current state to host lower grade games for both clubs, and take advantage of the massive potential from the Coral stand.



In terms of the areas that VP and Odsal are in, i can honestly say that in 20+ years of supporting both teams, our car has only been damaged once, and that was on Halifax road during a Bulls match. Again, if people take the time to ask, there are plenty of decent pubs / clubs that are open to fans on matchdays that offer decent parking, a nice pint and friendly atmosphere. It would take some getting used to, and I would love for both clubs to be able to stay at their homes forever. But I just cant stand the idea of either going to the wall for the sake of the non silent minority.

Both clubs pay the same amount of rent to use the ground, there is no way 1 of the clubs alone could afford to use the shay without the other team, so i guess its best for both clubs.



there is a certain amount of hatred between both sets of fans

Can anyone think of a very large city quite nearby where the football and RL fans have pretty much zero animosity and wish one another well? An anagram of Ledes.



What it must be like for everyone in the city to pull together and lend one another their support unlike the absolute muppets in Halifax, Oldham, Wigan, Bradford and Hull to name just a few. I must say the sort of petty mean-spirited jealousy you will witness in any conversation between the two sets of fans really p1sses me off. Any Bull fans that slag off City or visa versa should be roundly pilloried from their fellow fans for being a total d1ck.



So there!

That's a very interesting & valid point. Having worked in Leeds for over 2 years I would say most people have an interest &/or support for the Rhinos, especially older ones; I can't say I have ever heard anyone from Leeds slagging them off. There is an obvious renewed interest in LUFC but I knew more people at Bradford who were passionate supporters of LUFC. Again I cannot remember anyone dissing them, more a general disinterest in football itself.

As a traitor who was born in Leeds and has always lived in the city I was largely unaware growing up that football and Rugby fans in other places had such a bee in their bonnet about one another. Theres always some contrived sense of injustice that they use as justification rather than just saying "I don't like X but I'm not sure why".

Difference in Leeds compared to Bradford is that niether sport is seen as a threat to the other, and neither sport is cr@pping themselves over whether they can afford to stay in/develop their stadium without dragging the other sport in to share.

I thought about that, but there must have been a time when you were both successful in the not too distant, but still hated each other?

there was applause at Odsal when City got promotion to the premier league IIRC.