Bradford chief executive Jason Hirst says Super League will be stronger for the return of the three-time champions after it was confirmed that the Bulls will replace crisis-club Salford in next season’s top flight.
Hirst’s club charged up to 10th place in the IMG rankings which are used to determine the 12 clubs who will make up the core of the 2026 competition. The identity of two additional expansion clubs is set to be revealed on Friday.
Bradford were Super League’s dominant force around the turn of the millennium, winning three Super League titles, three World Club Challenges and two Challenge Cups before financial difficulties contributed to their plunge out of sport’s top tier in 2014.
“What does it mean for Super League? I think it means exciting change,” said Hirst. “I think it will stir some memories and bring some nostalgia back to Super League. No matter what people think of this club and this stadium, we’re one of five to have won it.
“I think we make Super League stronger and I don’t say that arrogantly. Our travelling support is second to none and in Super League they’ll bring noise, colour and atmosphere. More importantly, they’ll bring money. This is not a cash-rich sport and it needs every penny it can get.”
Bradford finished 16th in last year’s gradings but significant stadium improvements saw them increase by more than two points to 14.81, enough to lift them above existing Super League clubs Castleford and Huddersfield, who ranked 11th and 12th respectively.
Salford, beset by an ongoing financial crisis that saw them fail to fulfil a fixture against Wakefield in August, plunged to 15th place and, with the club having failed to apply for consideration for one of the two prospective expansion places, it means their 17-year Super League stay is over.
Hirst shrugged off criticism in some quarters over the state of Odsal, the club’s cavernous home which has seen little in the way of evident upgrades since its golden era when it attracted a record 102,000 crowd for a match between Warrington and Halifax in 1954.
“I’m not blind to it,” Hirst admitted. “It’s similar to when I came here for the first time in 1976 and not much has changed. But we’ve got lots of plans to improve the stadium, both in terms of the matchday experience, and terms of possibility developing it and making it more sustainable.
“Not many other grounds in this country can say they’ve hosted 100,000 people, or 24,000 for a Super League match, or that a film as big as The King’s Speech was filmed here. This ground has been there and done it all. This ground is iconic and, love it or hate it, it grabs headlines.”
Three clubs appear to be in realistic contention for the two prospective expansion places in the form of Championship Grand Final winners Toulouse, regular-season champions York and newly-invigorated London Broncos.
Toulouse and York occupy 13th and 14th in the list and will expect to be rewarded, but on-field performance will only be one criteria in the decision, made by a panel chaired by RFL non-executive director Lord Caine.
Hull KR’s treble-winning season saw them jump five places to the top of the rankings on 17.85 points, ahead of Leeds and St Helens. Nine clubs, up to and including ninth-placed Hull FC on 15.06, attained a Grade A ranking, making them immune from relegation next season.
