Bradford Bulls' army of fans have helped the club notch a record figure for season ticket sales in British rugby league.

The Odsal outfit made a disappointing defence of their Super League crown in 1998 but that has not stopped Bulls fans snapping up season tickets for the coming campaign.

The Bulls have already collected £350,000 this winter - £50,000 more than rivals Leeds Rhinos - and expect the total to rise to more than £400,000 by the time the season starts on March 7 when Sheffield Eagles visit Odsal.

Around 6,000 fans have already bought season tickets and media manager Stuart Duffy said: "Everyone at the Bulls is delighted by the response from our magnificent fans.

"We have already sold more than last season when we were the reigning Super League champions which is a marvellous achievement which I know the coach and players all appreciate."

Coach Matthew Elliott is determined his side will vastly improve on their showing last season which saw the Bulls finish fifth before crashing out of the grand final play-off at the first stage.

The Odsal coach has substantially boosted his squad this winter by signing Cronulla back Nick Zisti, Balmain centre Michael Withers and Aussie back-rower David Boyle. The capture of Wigan and New Zealand star Henry Paul has also fired the imagination of supporters ahead of the kick-off of Super League IV.

And this, coupled with the emergence of talented young players such as Stuart Fielden, Paul Deacon and Leon Pryce, means Bulls are entering the season full of confidence.

Duffy said: "We fully expect to take another £50,000 before the start of the season which is amazing and the best in the British game.

Meanwhile, the Bulls home derby clash with Leeds has been brought forward to Thursday, April 1, kick off 7.30pm.

Duffy said: "The game will be shown live on Sky. They wanted it to kick-off at 5pm on April 2 because they thought it was a Bank Holiday but when they realised that was not the case in Yorkshire they agreed to televise the game the previous night with a 7.30pm kick-off."

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