Andrew Chalmers and Graham Lowe have confirmed that they are the new
owners of the professional Rugby League club created in Bradford.
The new owners arrived late yesterday from New Zealand and immediately met a 25
strong playing group, interim management and coaching staff.
Speaking about the creation of the new club, Andrew Chalmers, said: “I am delighted
that we have been given the opportunity to create what we hope will be a strong and
stable club in Bradford. The history and tradition of Rugby League in this great city is
something we are both very aware of.
“We are under no illusion of the enormity of the task that is ahead of us and that it is
our job to win the trust of supporters and deliver a club that they are proud of. One of
our first commitments to the RFL was that all season tickets for the 2017 season that
have already been purchased by Bradford Bulls supporters would be honoured by
the new club.
“We understand that there has been some criticism of the process and others are of
course entitled to their views, but I want to make clear that at even] stage the RFL
have provided us with the detail and scrutiny that we expected for such an important
decision."
In addressing the players and coaching staff on Monday, Graham Lowe, said: “We
do not see this as a quick fix and we will work through the immediate issue of
offering full-time playing contracts to the team. This is expected to be accomplished
in the next 48 hours and following that we will look at bolstering the playing squad as
necessary to replace those players who have secured contracts elsewhere."
Chalmers added, “We are both really excited about the strength of the high
performance academy and the long term pathway opportunities that flow from this.
We understand that this is a frustrating time for fans who want to know what is
happening but I can assure you that we are working long hours with all interested
parties to cover a lot of ground. We are aware of the hunger for information and we
will update our position on a daily basis as and when we are able.
“A lot of work is required in a short space of time and we anticipate a lot of exciting
announcements to follow in the coming days and weeks.”
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