Five-time Challenge Cup winners Bradford Bulls have been placed in administration for the third time in four years, it has been confirmed.
The Championship club, which entered administration in both 2012 and 2014, faced a winding-up petition from HM Revenue and Customs in October.
Bulls chairman Marc Green said that he had been talking to investors but "pressure from HMRC has forced the club to be put into this position to save its future".
In a statement on the club website, he added: "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.
"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."
The Bulls, four-time Super League Grand Final winners, were relegated from the top flight of rugby league in 2014, and finished fifth in the Championship in 2016.
