Bradford Bulls’ Odsal under fire again after opponent head coach labels it a ‘kid’s pitch’

Odsal Stadium is responsible for the largest ever crowd in rugby league history.

Over 120,000 fans once flocked to the iconic venue to witness Warrington Wolves take on Halifax in a Challenge Cup Final replay back in 1952.

Since then, Odsal has been renowned for generating a great atmosphere on match days – particularly when the advent of Super League came along in 1996 and the Bullmania days.

However, following Bradford’s on-field and off-field demise, Odsal seemingly declined with it, though recent work by the club has attempted to get it back up to standards in terms of pitch size requirement.

Yet the decision at Odsal to continue with its stock car racing on the outside of the pitch has meant that makeshift grass protection has been installed on the corners – and it has left a lot to be desired.

Here’s one of the corners. Cc: @andrewfoster101 pic.twitter.com/CL6Uku90Uh

— Jacob Kilbride (@jacob_kilbride) May 15, 2022

York City Knights travelled to Odsal for their Championship clash yesterday, with head coach James Ford describing the pitch earlier in the week as a ‘kid’s pitch’.

“There’s less space so we’ll have to be more patient,” he told the York Press.

“On fields like that, there may be some opportunities to play around teams but they are probably going to be less frequent.

“The mindset is play through them and if you can’t play through them, finish in some good spots and be tough and prepare to work incredibly hard until the end.

“York-Bradford games are often won in minute 79 or around that stage. When you’re on a kid’s pitch, it’s probably going to lead to that as well.”