You know you are in for a special sporting occasion when one of the chief protagonists likens it to an episode of Songs of Praise. “When it’s filmed at a particular church everyone turns up, so I’m hoping the same happens here because the cameras are coming,” was how John Kear described the anticipation for Bradford’s Challenge Cup tie with Leeds on Saturday afternoon.
For years Bradford v Leeds was one of the standout fixtures in Super League: so much so, in fact, that they met in numerous major finals around the turn of the century. But following the Bulls’ Grand Final victory against the Rhinos in 2005, one of rugby league’s most famous clubs slid into an irreversible decline.
While Leeds continued to dominate the sport, financial mismanagement led to Bradford entering administration three times in six years, culminating in the club’s liquidation in 2017. Worse was to follow. After the club hastily reformed in time to compete that season, they were relegated to League 1, the sport’s lowest professional tier.
“This club couldn’t have been any lower,” says Kear, the man who is masterminding their revival. “It was a gamble for me but when I spoke to the new owners, I could see sustainability that maybe hadn’t been there before. Nothing I’ve seen in the 18 months since has told me otherwise.”
Kear, one of the most revered coaches in the game and the man who took Sheffield to their famous Challenge Cup win over Wigan in 1998, guided Bradford to promotion back to the Championship last season at the first attempt. This season, with crowds steadily rising, the Bulls are in contention to make the play-offs, with a possible return to Super League in 2020.
But before that, it is hard to ignore the enormity of this Saturday’s televised clash with Leeds, the first time the two great rivals have met in five years.
For many, the exposure that comes with a primetime slot on the BBC is a measure of how far the Bulls have come since liquidation – against a Leeds side in turmoil following the sacking of their coach, David Furner, on Monday.
“It’s on us as players to showcase the club in a good light – we know it’s a big day,” says the club’s vice-captain, Elliot Minchella. A former Leeds junior, Minchella is one of several Bradford-born players in Kear’s squad, a philosophy that underpins the Bulls’ attempts to get back to Super League in the years ahead.
“We’re all from working-class backgrounds: it’s hardly a rich city, Bradford,” he says. “The fans can relate to us. They’ve had nothing to cheer about in the city for years, and we’re trying to put that pride back into the area and the badge.” Minchella is widely regarded as one of the most talented players outside Super League but dropped down to League 1 to sign for the Bulls last year.
“It was a gamble for my career,” he says. “But I believe the decision I made was right, and I never took it for granted that I’m playing for this club. My long-term goal is to be back in Super League and I want to do that with Bradford.”
Kear, now 64 and having achieved so much in the sport, shares that desire. “I met with the players when I took over and told them we could be the group to rewrite Bradford history,” he says with a wry grin on his face. The biggest crowd since the Bulls reformed, more than 10,000, is expected at Odsal on Saturday afternoon for the occasion – the size of which is not lost on Kear.
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“If they can’t get up for this, they shouldn’t be playing rugby,” he says of his players. “We’re rising from the ashes as a club and this is a big day for everyone: not just the players. It’s easy to forget that being on the BBC, millions of people could be watching. This is a huge club waiting to get back among the elite: we need to show it on Saturday.”
In the 1980s, Bradford council coined the slogan “Bradford’s Bouncing Back” to try to revive the city’s ailing image. If the Bulls manage to reach the quarter-finals, the buzz surrounding the club will certainly be back.
