DAVID Baldwin will call on the experience he first learned with City as he takes on the top job at the EFL.

Baldwin officially begins today as the governing body’s chief executive – six years after leaving Valley Parade for Burnley.

He will not be going in cold to fill a role that has been vacant since Shaun Harvey’s departure at the end of last season.

The Telegraph & Argus understands that Baldwin has been assisting the EFL since the beginning of May after Burnley allowed him to get involved a couple of days a week during these unprecedented times.

Baldwin’s background of working in all four divisions is seen as a vital asset among clubs struggling to stay on their feet after the financial hit caused from the coronavirus pandemic.

The appointment of someone who has first-hand knowledge of what it is like at the bottom of League Two as much as the top-end of the Championship has been widely welcomed.

The EFL were keen to bring in someone with that understanding of club operations – and Baldwin has dealt with many of them during transfer conversations with the Bantams as well as in his successful time working for Burnley.

Since the news broke of his appointment in December, a large number have contacted him to say how pleased they are.

Baldwin walks into a volatile scenario as the ramifications of football's three-month shutdown continue to be felt at all levels.

League Two returns tomorrow with the play-off semi-final first legs at Colchester and Northampton behind closed doors. The Championship is due to restart on Saturday.

But most teams in the lower divisions, City included, are still waiting to hear when they might be back in action again with no date as yet on a possible start for next season.

Bringing someone in to such an important position at this stage without a strong club background would have been seen as a massive own goal by the EFL.

Baldwin has been involved in the off-field side of the game since 2007 when Julian Rhodes and Mark Lawn appointed the lifelong City fan as the club's marketing manager.

He still lives in the district and is chairman of Bradford Economic Partnership.