Bulls chairman Chris Caisley today took a side swipe at Bradford firms for failing to support the thriving club.

Caisley claims the 1997 Super League champions have been trying for years to win the backing of Bradford firms but few of them have showed any interest.

He was speaking after the club failed to attract a new main sponsor from the city's business community following the decision of computer giants Compaq not to renew its contract after an initial three-year deal.

"We have held talks with a number of major Bradford companies but they do not want to know. There is more interest outside Bradford - nationally and internationally - in the Bulls than there is in the city," he added.

Now the club is holding talks with a number of high-profile businesses in other parts of the country for the six figure sum sponsorship - including one in Liverpool.

He said: "We have raised the profile of the city on a national and international basis and serve the Bradford public daily through the Community Development Prog-ramme which is unequalled in British sport.

"The Bulls have been involved in schemes involving healthy lifestyle messages, drug awareness, fire and road safety campaigns, support for the RSPCA, racial equality, raising attendance levels in schools, literacy, coaching in school holidays and for people with disabilities as well as developing Rugby League for girls through Bulltag - a non contact version of the sport.

Caisley said a handful of Bradford firms supported the club, including the former Allied Colloids business Ciba, Apple-yards and the Pulse.

"But apart from these notable exceptions, we are continually cold-shouldered by the city in which we are based."

"Bradford will become synonymous with mediocrity if businesses in the city and the local authority do not start to make things happen. If we were in Leeds there would be no shortage of people wanting to support their team," he added.

He said Wigan was a good example of a place where a successful businessman was helping local sports clubs and the community.

He added: "Many sports clubs and businessmen have courted Dave Whelan, head of JJB Sports, to invest his substantial fortune with them. Instead, he has chosen to invest in the city of his birth in Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors.

"Together with the local authority he is delivering a state-of-the-art modern 30,000 all-seater stadium for the Wigan community and he has no problems equating this with the fact that he has a national business."

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