Bradford Bulls has been placed into administration following a long-running dispute with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), it has been announced.
The Championship rugby league club, which entered administration in both 2012 and 2014, faced a winding up petition in October.
Speaking after the announcement, Chairman Marc Green said he had been talking to investors, but “pressure from HMRC has forced the club to be put into this position to save its future”.
He said: “There is a dispute between ourselves and HMRC which we have been working hard to resolve since the winding-up petition was issued and despite two adjournments from the courts to resolve this matter we have been unable to do so.
“We were concerned over the ability to secure a third adjournment and therefore this action became unavoidable to protect the club.
“I will be working closely with the administrators over the coming weeks and it is my intention to regain this club from them within the shortest practicable time frame.”
He added: “Regardless of whether I remain at the helm of this great club, I will ensure all memberships already purchased for next season will remain valid, as will the offer under which they were purchased. I believe the future of Bradford Bulls is still strong.”
At the ruling, the Revenue claimed they were owed around £350,000 by the club, while the Bulls argued that the debt was much nearer to £133,000.
