IT has certainly been a very hectic month and it has been all hands to the pumps for everyone at the club to set ourselves up properly for season 2020.

Thank you to the very many volunteers and staff who have worked so hard over this period and especially to supporters and commercial partners who have responded so positively.

I think everyone of us involved has probably underestimated the size of the challenge from refitting out and planning the re-opening of the shop, recruiting new players, catching up with the administrative processes that all businesses need to follow, and touching base with many existing and potential sponsors that a successful, professional rugby league club absolutely needs.

Everyone at the club is extremely grateful for those offers of support, financially or otherwise, as we continue to make progress.

The club has had a number of extremely positive discussions on the major club sponsorship packages and we are very thankful to everyone who is taking these for the forthcoming season.

Just as importantly, we will be launching a new commercial initiative based around the campaign “Bringing the Bulls Back to Bradford”.

Virtually everybody we speak to wants to see the Bulls back in the city and while fundamentally the club can only deliver this with the co-operation and collaboration with the City of Bradford Metropolitan Council and the RFL, we do recognise that this is our highest strategic priority.

We all appreciate that the city, economically and commercially, is a lesser place for the Bulls not being in occupancy and we are sure that many of the local businesses feel the same way.

If you start to see BBBB appearing around the city and want to help the club achieve this objective, we hope this will be a terrific and powerful start.

For more information on the BBBB club, which will become the Bulls principal business-to-business vehicle, keep an eye on our website for more information in due course.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all players’ sponsors who have renewed year-on-year as we have now completely sold out this category of sponsorship.

We have also sold out of executive boxes at Dewsbury, so thank you to all those partners who have committed to join us next season.

As has been reported earlier, the early bird season ticket offer comes to an end this weekend and the club have worked very hard to limit the price increase at the end of the early bird period.

Of course, the admission structure of the club was set much earlier in the year and while we have received constructive suggestions and comments about modifying the prices, this is something we can only substantially undertake for season 2021 so as not to disadvantage anyone who has already made their commitment to the Bulls.

We hope everyone can understand that and we give a commitment to look again for season 2021 when we know where we will be playing.

On the field, John Kear and his coaching staff are working through their pre-season programmes.

We still have a number of squad places to fill for next season and there are a number of ongoing discussions but the important factor is that we get the right players on the right terms rather than simply rushing to fill the remaining squad places with the wrong deals.

While we appreciate this can be a frustrating process for supporters, please be assured that the club has strong relationships with a number of other clubs and we remain extremely confident of our competitiveness for next season.

Interestingly, and while clearly not scientific, the bookmakers (who are rarely wrong) have shortened the club’s odds year-on-year from last season to next.

Finally, I would like to thank all those genuine supporters for their heartfelt best wishes and gestures of goodwill.

For some reason this club seems to be performing the role of click bait for the rugby league rumour mill in the off-season despite the attempts of ourselves and others to distance the club from some of the myths, rumours and innuendo that have been pedalled by others.

We also seem to be keeping the rugby league trade papers going with pages of content, but I suppose that’s what happens when there is no on-the-field action to report.

Nevertheless, please be assured that the Bulls management team remain resolute and strong irrespective of what is thrown at us and we will continue to try to do the right things to rebuild trust and confidence in the club.

To all those who wish the club well, we sincerely thank you.