Bradford Bulls CEO Jason Hirst has insisted Odsal Stadium is ‘not as bad as people make out’ – and believes the club can attract crowds in excess of 10,000 for their biggest games in Super League in 2026.
The Bulls are back in the top flight for the first time since 2014 after their return to the competition was rubber-stamped on Thursday morning via confirmation they finished 10th in the IMG gradings.
Hirst insists the club are not re-entering to Super League to make up the numbers and says they will be ‘running’ back into the competition. But while he accepted there were issues surrounding Odsal, he stressed he believed the venue is not quite the eyesore it has been suggested as, and stressed rapid improvements will take place over the winter.
“I’m not blind to it,” he said. “It’s similar to when I came here for the first time in 1976 and not much has changed. So I’m not blinkered. It’s not the most modern but equally there’s other clubs in Super League with stadiums that aren’t the most modern. You turn what is a disadvantage into an advantage.
“We’ve got lots of plans to improve the stadium, both in terms of a match-day experience, but in terms of possibly developing it and making it more sustainable and wiping its own face.
“I can’t go into details on that because there’s some boxes to be ticked with planning permission. But I accept there’s criticism and I get it.
“But on the flip side how many other grounds in this country can say they’ve hosted over 100,000 people, or 24,000 people for a Super League match, or that a film as big as The King’s Speech was filmed here? India have played Pakistan here, we’ve had pop concerts, speedway.. this ground has been there and done it all.
“But it’s all about the here and now to an extent, rugby league should be proud of its heritage. This ground is iconic and love it or hate it, it grabs headlines. No publicity is bad publicity. It’s not perfect but it’s not as bad as people make out.”
Hirst insisted Bradford’s major priority is to rectify the corners of the pitch, which are often damaged when stock car events are held at Odsal. They will continue into 2026, but the Bulls CEO stressed there is a way to bring the pitch up to standard.
He said: “Well, I can only speak for the here and now but stock cars have got a long-term lease. But there’s more than one way to skin a cat in terms of improving the corners and we’re in talks with several companies. We’re just trying to settle on what we think is the best solution to make it better.”
Hirst also insisted he hoped a large portion of lapsed supporters from their previous time in Super League could now be convinced to return. Bradford averaged just around 3,500 fans in 2025 but the club are targeting at least 6,000 on average throughout their first season back in Super League.
Furthermore, he is hopeful there will be regular five-figure gates for the big marquee match-ups against the likes of Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors, with Bradford likely to have Friday 8pm as their preferred time-slot for games.
When asked what level of attendance he felt they could achieve, Hirst said: “It’s a really difficult one to answer, I’m not dodging it. I think it’s because there’s so many unknowns. You know, how many games are we going to win? How many season tickets are we going to sell, what price are they? Are they going to price people out? Are they going to be affordable?
“I think if we’re competing on-field, a minimum (average) we should be looking at is 5,000. I think we’ve averaged just over 3,500 this past season, so we should be able to get five. Not easily, but relatively easily.
“But when we play Wigan or Leeds, I think there will be 10,000 here. It’s one step at a time but if we could average 6,000 over the season I’d be delighted. But then we’ll want to take it up to 7,000, and then 8,000.
“I don’t want the boom or bust thing, we want sustainability one step at a time. I want steady, year-on-year and continuous improvement.”
As a result of being in the top 12 in the gradings, Bradford also have access to full central distribution in 2026: something the two clubs elevated through the panel process will not get.
And Hirst admitted that for the club’s plans to become a full-time operation, it is a ‘game-changer’ and will allow them to compete with rival Super League clubs for talent.
He admitted: “I think it’s a game-changer to a fair extent. Obviously, it’s going to be double the money. So that’s a massive difference. That might not be big in football but in rugby league it’s massive.
“But I spend every penny at this club as if it’s my own. I’m a tight Yorkshireman. I won’t pay overs for anybody but we’ve got to be competitive and if we have to pay the going rate to get better players or staff, or marquee players – whatever you want to call them – we’ll do that. We’ll spend a lot of money; we’ll be competitive with other teams who you might expect to finish around you.”
