Bulls break up club’s ownership structure and dispel rumors about full-time

Jason Hirst, CEO of BRADFORD Bulls, has provided an insight into the club’s current ownership structure, showing a level of transparency that fans will be most welcome.

He also confirmed that he is part of the current five-man board, which also includes Nigel Wood, but he is the only one of the quintet who has not invested in the club’s ownership.

Speaking to the assembled crowd at the Bulls fan forum last Monday, he said: “One of the current owners is Phil Sharp, whose grandfather played here.

“He came on board six months ago after a press release asking for help.

“As you know, Nigel Wood is chairman and he was the one who brought NIC Services Group, a major investor, on board in March.

“NIC, who also do a lot with the Leeds Rhinos, therefore have a representative on the board in Simon Tidswell, a lifelong Bulls fan.

“We also have Paul Wild, who will join the board in September 2023.

“We have his company (ATM Events) on our shirts and he always wanted to help the club as a long-term sponsor and supporter, but he never had the confidence to take this step.

“I am part of our current five-member board, but unlike the other four, I am not the owner of the club.

“We had Deb Sorra on the board for 15 months, at a time when we really needed support.

“She is no longer on the board, but still has a box at the club and comes every week to watch us.

Deborah Sorra provided the Bulls with valuable suggestions and insights when it came to improving their IMG score. (Image: @OfficialBullsRL.)

“I must also mention Adam Fogerty and Mark Sawyer for the work they did behind the scenes before they left, because without them we would not have returned to Odsal.

“Without them we might not be a club, but they were there when we needed them.”

Hirst also dismissed the rumour that some of the Bulls’ current players – some of whom have recent Super League experience – are currently on full-time contracts.

He said: “The rumour that we are currently offering players full-time contracts is false, but we are extremely ambitious with the one, two or three-year contracts we are offering.

“The condition of some of these deals is that we will try to renegotiate with the players who are still under contract with us on more favourable terms if we get promoted to the Super League.”