Highlander wrote:
Yes. The settlement money had to be repaid up until 2019. But if there's no financial penalty to leave, then that could be construed as a break clause I suppose.
Well, yes, in a way.
Though the lease was for [I think 150 years] when the deal was done, and it was for a rugby ground. At the end of the day, it was the council who put the covenant on the ground and it's the council who can override it - though so long as the RFL continue to pay the lease I guess they could overrule any decision to use it for other purposes.
The thing about the lease though, is that it put the Bulls [then Caisley's Bulls] in charge of maintenance and renovation. My understanding of the club's powers was that they could sanction anything they wanted [subject to planning etc] in order to maintain the rugby club. Remember Odsal is a very large site and there is plenty of room for [say]retail without it impinging, in any way, on the stadium. That scenario is a far cry from selling it off and moving out.
As I said earlier though, there have been so many changes in companies and then the selling of the lease, so it's impossible to say just what the current lease lays down. Other than the club is still responsible to pay for maintenance and the need for some kind of financial input is just as necessary now as it was then.