BULLS have confirmed they are in talks with Bradford Council and the RFL about what comes next for Odsal, suggesting that they might attempt to reduce its vast capacity.

The stadium holds around 26,000 supporters, and at Tuesday night’s fans’ forum, CEO Jason Hirst admitted it “doesn’t look good” as a spectacle when the average attendance is between 3,000 and 4,000 for home matches.

A spectacular, all-new Odsal, which would have had made it the largest, permanently covered stadium in the country, was proposed by Bradford Council as part of a £50m plan.

But the Government decided against giving the scheme any of its “Levelling Up Fund” and the deal fell through.

The fans’ forum at Odsal this week gave supporters the chance to ask questions about what is next for the famous old stadium, with Hirst admitting the club are eyeing up changes, even though they want to stay put.

He told the audience: “We have every intention of remaining at Odsal for the foreseeable future.

“There was the well-documented Levelling Up bid, with a roof over top and 25,000 attendance,

“But the long-term strategy now is that we’re in discussions with Bradford Council, and we met with them a few weeks ago about Plan B.

“The council want to look at what can be done on smaller scale, with no roof and a reduced capacity.”

“We’re looking at capacity, because do we need it to be 25,000? Even when we were winning the World Club Challenge in the early 2000s, we weren’t getting that.

“It doesn’t look good, having 3,000 people in a 25,000-seater stadium.

“If it’s smaller, and packed to the rafters, it creates a better atmosphere.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Bulls' spectacular late show against Widnes was a champagne moment this season, but would it have been even greater in a smaller, packed stadium?Bulls' spectacular late show against Widnes was a champagne moment this season, but would it have been even greater in a smaller, packed stadium? (Image: Tom Pearson.)

“We’re in discussions with the council, and they’ve asked us what we want, like the LEDs and big screen to satisfy the IMG criteria, but it’s nothing more than that at this stage.

“We’re also chatting to the RFL about our plans, and we’ll give updates.”

He added: “I can’t give a proper answer on what plan B is for developing the ground, but we’ll get back to the Council with our visions, probably next month.

“We’ll do our best to upgrade the stadium towards something befitting of the 21st century, and there’s no lack of effort from myself or anyone at the club on that.”

As for getting people through the door at present, Hirst reflected on the call to give out free season tickets to kids at the start of the year, saying: “We gave out a lot of them, because in addition to our loyal fanbase, we wanted to introduce new fans.

“Whether it has been successful is subjective. I feel it has, but I’d hoped it’d have been even more so.

“I’m still glad we did it and we will always do what can to attract new fans.”

“I came here as a child, and it’s good for youngsters, as there are challenges in the modern world and sport is great to get involved in, as you can learn manners, respect and lessons for life.

“We’ll keep trying with this push, and if you’ve got family and friends with young ones, tell them, as there’s not many things you get for free.”

The prospect of holding academy, women’s or community games at Odsal before the men’s first-team fixture was raised too, with the majority in favour of this.

Hirst did sound a note of caution, though he is open to the idea, saying: “The women play Featherstone soon and that match is on before our first-team game, so for those who think it’s the right thing, get here early to watch, and we’ll see if it’s the way forward.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Bulls' Women may get bigger crowds at Odsal if they do not play after the men's match has finished or on standalone Sundays.Bulls' Women may get bigger crowds at Odsal if they do not play after the men's match has finished or on standalone Sundays. (Image: Martin Taylor.)

“We’ve not done that with the academy before but it is food for thought.

“We want you to come and watch them, but we want the academy to be self-funded too.

“People pay on the gate when they play on a Wednesday night, and it’s harder to police that on a Sunday before a game.

“It would be interesting to see how many would come at 1pm to watch.

“It’s a bit late this season but for next, it’s worth making a note and it being discussed.”

He added: “We do a lot of work with our community clubs, myself and the Foundation more so.

“We’d encourage them to play on the pitch, but it’s not always feasible.

“We always encourage community activity, and have community takeover days, so we’re open to hosting them.

“We put a Wibsey Warriors game on here at short notice a year or so ago, so we are open to it depending on the weather.”