Due to damage to the cricket square, Bradford had to leave Great Horton Road and would play at a variety of grounds; first a field on Laisteridge Lane in 1870 and then, at the start of 1871, Peel Park.
After the 1890–91 season, Bradford along with other Yorkshire Senior clubs Batley, Brighouse, Dewsbury, Halifax, Huddersfield, Hull, Hunslet, Leeds, Liversedge, Manningham and Wakefield decided that they wanted their own county league starting in 1891 along the lines of a similar competition that had been played in Lancashire.
In 1895, along with cross-town neighbours Manningham F.C., Bradford was among 22 clubs to secede from the Rugby Football Union after a historic meeting at the George Hotel in Huddersfield, in response to a dispute over "broken time" payments to players.
Bradford were initially successful in the new world of professional rugby and reached the 1898 Challenge Cup Final, before losing 7–0 to Batley at Leeds.
Neighbouring club Manningham ran into financial difficulties and, despite a summer archery contest that generated enough money to ensure their survival, its members were persuaded to change to association football.
In desperation, the Bradford applied for readmission to the Rugby Football Union which was granted in March 1907 provided that all professional players were excluded from the club.
The 1947-8 Challenge Cup final was notable as it was the first rugby league match to be attended by the reigning monarch, King George VI, who presented the trophy.
In 1964, the Bradford Northern club reformed through the efforts of such people as Trevor Foster and Joe Phillips and were accepted back into the Rugby League.
During this season Keith Mumby made his debut, becoming the Bradford's youngest player at only 16 years of age, scoring 12 goals and a try in a match against Doncaster.
In 1985 Ellery Hanley left Northern to join Wigan for a then record transfer deal, worth £80,000 and a player exchange involving Steve Donlan and Phil Ford.
In 1998, as part of rugby league's "on the road" scheme the Bradford Bulls played London Broncos at Tynecastle in Edinburgh in front of over 7,000 fans.
The final home game saw the Bulls smash the Super League attendance record with 24,020 fans watching the 19–18 defeat of Leeds Rhinos.
The Bulls won the 2000 Challenge Cup with a 24–18 against local rivals Leeds Rhinos at the Scottish Rugby Union's Murrayfield Stadium, the first time that the final had been held in Scotland.
The Bulls were crowned World Club Champions on 1 February 2002 after defeating Australian Premiers Newcastle Knights 41–26 in front of a crowd of 21,113 at Huddersfield's McAlpine Stadium.
The first match played following the clubs' return to Odsal was against Yorkshire rivals Wakefield Trinity Wildcats on Sunday 9 March 2003 and attracted an attendance of 20,283.
The Bulls claimed the Super League title with victory over Wigan Warriors before a record, sell-out crowd of 65,537 at Old Trafford, Manchester.
Bradford Bulls regained the World Club Challenge in 2004 by beating the NRL champions Penrith Panthers 22–4 at the McAlpine Stadium in Huddersfield.
After a difficult start to the 2005 season, The Bulls went on a 12 match unbeaten run and managed to win the Super League title from third place by beating Leeds Rhinos at Old Trafford.
On 30 April 2007, Steve McNamara was appointed Great Britain assistant coach to Tony Smith On 6 May 2007, Bradford Bulls were involved in a controversial situation.
During the Millennium Magic weekend, two decisions from referee Steve Ganson which gave the game in the dying seconds to Leeds who won 38–42.
The Bulls were docked two Super League competition points when an independent panel found that the club had breached the salary cap by four per cent.
Bradford Bulls will play Leeds in an all star match of touch rugby, Deryk Fox, Karl Fairbank, James Lowes etc.
[1] A public appeal saw a lot of new funds pour in from supporters,[1] but following the issue of a winding up petition from HMRC for unpaid taxes the holding company for the club was forced to go into administration on 26 June 2012.
On 31 August 2012 a bid for the club from a local consortium, headed by Braford businessman Omar Khan, was accepted by the administrator[5] and was ratified by the RFL in early September.
[6] Days later the RFL also granted the new owners a one-year probationary licence enabling the club to compete in Super League XVIII in 2013.
[8] During the 2012/13 season the Bulls appointed Dr Allan Johnston (psychiatrist) to the backroom staff to support the players wellbeing and performance.
Bradford were deducted 6 points for entering administration early on in the season and the Bulls were relegated from the top division of rugby league in Britain for the first time in 40 years.
In the Qualifiers Bradford failed to make the top three for automatic entry to Super League for 2016, finishing 5th which meant a trip to Wakefield to play them in the first ever Million Pound Game.
In preparation for the 2016 season, Bradford completed the signings of several experienced players, such as Centre Kris Welham from Super League side Hull Kingston Rovers, as well as Oscar Thomas, Mitch Clark, Johnny Campbell, Jonathan Walker and Kurt Haggerty from London Broncos, Doncaster, Batley and Leigh.
[13] Following liquidation the RFL issued a statement saying: While a number of alternatives were considered the Board was most mindful of the planning already undertaken by all other clubs in the competition structure, the season tickets already purchased and the players and staff who will now be seeking employment in and around the sport in 2017.