Chalmers and Lowe confirmed as Bradford owners

Correspondent

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.

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 every 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 said: “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.”

Bradford coach Rohan Smith has not been given a role with the new club, with the Australian tweeting:

 

 

 

 

 

Championship Bradford Bulls