The future of Valley Parade

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Only issue with "filling it in" is affording to fill it in. If you're wanting to build something on Odsal, good look affording to flatten and fill in that land. You're talking multi millions (and years) just to do that. Then building on top and add a few more years..... unless you have 5+ years to burn along with north of £20/30m at a minimum.... Odsal will remain a pit for some time.

 

I believe St George's Hall is just under 2 thousand capacity for a standing event and about 5-6 hundred less for all seated. The only 2 acts that were announced for Bradford Live before tickets went off sale were both tribute acts, both of which would normally get booked for St George's. Like you, I'm struggling to see what acts Bradford Live will attract that St George's Hall and the Alhambra aren't already catering for.

 

Odsal as a football stadium isn't viable. It wasn't back in 85/86 and it's even less so now.
The place is just as tired as VP except it would need at least the large open terrace on the side opposite the main stand seated and covered.
Transport is a nightmare. Since City were there they've built houses right up to one side of the ground (behind the main stand). There's virtually nowhere to park except RD's, which the council charge £7 for (but isn't lit, so is a lawsuit waiting to happen for night events).
With no nearby train station the only way to get there is by bus.
Odsal is non starter.

 

Almost treble the size of St George's Hall which has a short stage capacity of 1.335 and a lesser full stage capacity. The Alhambra is even less.

Bradford live isn't there to compete with Leeds Arena, which holds near on 13,000 and won't attract anyone who could sell it out. It's aim is to pull in people like Elvis Costello, Squeeze and bands of that size who currently go to places like Bridgewater Hall, Harrogate Conference Centre & Southend Pavillion.

If you look in the adverts in publications like the Mail on Sunday, there are loads of acts who frequently go to venues of this size and dovetail very nicely with the acts that are too big for Bradford Live & too small for Leeds Arena. As you say, it's direct competition will be some of the larger 02 Venues like the former T&C Club in Leeds, and the O2 Academy in Manchester.

Operated correctly it can be a major success.

People were dissing the Bob Marley thing, but I doubt any of them had actually bothered to look up the size of venues it sells out all round the country, most of which are around 4,000.

I suspect this is a storm in a teacup, potentially the opening date being delayed to early 2025 and NEC just thinking why do we have to justify ourselves to Look North, who seem to be the ones making a big deal of it. As far as I am aware, there is a contract in place for NEC to run it and it's probably way past the point of them being able to pull out. There financials seem good, so there wouldn't appear to be a reason to do that

 

If we cannot agree a purchase or a very favorable lease extension then we have no option than to move. And the only option there looks to be Odsal.

I have no issue leaving VP if it is to our benefit.

 

It becomes less of a burden and we wont own our ground which doesn't make us appealing to potential new owners.

One thing is for certain, we cant go another 25 years without owning our ground and its as simple as that.

 

The filling it in bit, is where the revenue would come from though. ie Selling it for tipping rights. I was told 20 years ago by a customer that owned a used up quarry and was looking at ways to get more revenue out of it that Odsal could bring in up to £10m in tipping rights. The issue is though, if you tip on it you have to wait decades before you can then build on it.

Other than it's current use, Odsal has no viable future other than as a landfill site.

 

Just not going to happen. As @wetherbywhaler says, the only two options are to buy VP or get a better renewal. Odsal's only benefit is it size and proximity to the M606. No pubs, no parking, no decent public transport and an absolutely humongous cost to redevelop. I doubt even the £50m the council bid for would have touched the sides.

 

It wouldn't.
I'm saying a new Central stadium, new pitch as you've stated like Huddersfield, under soil heating as it will be a new pitch, and income generated from 2 sports clubs and large summer events.
If it wasn't manageable or it was damaging to the surfaces or not enough money was made, clubs wouldn't do it.
FFS even Port Vale have managed to stage a massive concert when Robbie Williams played there.
As I've said, we can't do anything at VP to generate extra income.
We can't share with the Bulls as it would kill the pitch.
We can't hold concerts as there's no access for equipment.
We don't get chosen for internationals for youth or women's football.
Its because of VP.
Not Bradford.
Even Odsal last few summers have been putting on 80's events and Ministry of Sound parties attended by up to 10k people on the pitch.
Why?
Access.

 

I think that was low key one of Sparks worst flipping answers to a question. When he was asked about the lease and the yearly price and his response was along the lines of "well, once we are promoted from L2 it is less of a problem".... like its so nailed on we will be out of L2 anytime soon. We've got 1 promotion in what, 30 years? His talk of "oh it will be fine when we go up" is a nonsense as it doesn't address the here and now concerns that a lot of the fanbase have.

Already been down here 4 seasons, no guarantees at all that we will find a way out inside another 4. We're banking on us A) not being a L2 side by 2028 and B) having either renegotiated the lease or bought the ground. But even in renegotiating, when does any price go down on anything these days? We're at worse still going to be paying what we are now, which is far too much, but likely going to have to pay more and try and wrangle it as a win by getting better terms other than it rising every 5 seasons like we have in place now. Both our only realistic options have us spending stupid money for the level of the club, unfortunately.

 

Half of the North Parade pubs looked like they closing down last time I went there. VP and the area around is an absolute dump, and it doesn't look like its going to improve. As you say, if there was a viable alternative that means the club has a future, I'd be all up for leaving VP.... unfortunately, there's sod all for us to move to and no magic cash cow to pump money into land either.

 

Surely the "filling in" would be done as with every other tip wagons and skips would be charged to dump there loads some one controling what is tipped.

 

I didn’t mention building on it deliberately. Land fill for years to come and turn into green land?

 

I go for the stock car racing and the parking is not great with only a few thousand there.
It'd be a mare with the crowds we get. Public transport is crap. Fair enough buses run up there but anyone coming from the Aire or Wharfe valleys by public transport is going to have to get a train and then a bus.
I think most will choose to drive, which puts a strain on the limited choices available for parking.
VP is within walking distance of both train stations and that influences a lot of people on how they travel to home games.

 

There are now homes built right up to the edge of the stadium. I could see some resistance from local residents to finding themselves next to a massive new tip.

 

Yet in their pomp the Bulls regularly drew over 20,000 to many games many on a Friday night, at the time I worked in Yeadon and drove back over Killinghall Road and when you pulled up at Laisterdyke you could hear the Bulls fans, I'm not suggesting its a viable option .unless it was a development with a retail park and maybe a hotel.
Let's hope a solution can be found going forward with regards the rent, and even better Gordon Gibb being a part of our club.