THE Bulls' owners have emphasised their long-term commitment to the club as they announced their squad next season would be a combination of full-time and part-time players.

Co-owner Andrew Chalmers insisted he and Graham Lowe were "not going anywhere" following the club's relegation into League One.

He said the club will have an expanded pool of players to draw on with the introduction of a full-time/part-time hybrid model and that contract discussions had already started with existing players.

"The hybrid model opens up a bigger pool to us. There are some very good players who don't want to play full-time and if we stay full-time we are limiting ourselves," said Chalmers, who said the model was going to be introduced irrespective of relegation.

The New Zealander said the process of bringing in someone to help with next season's recruitment was "already under way".

The Bulls see this autumn's World Cup as a key market for signings as players' participation in the event makes it easier for overseas recruits to obtain visas.

Speaking at a media briefing before a fans' forum at Odsal last night, Chalmers said coach Geoff Toovey had yet to make a decision on whether he would remain at the club beyond his contract, which runs until the end of November.

"Geoff is going to take his time to make a decision and we respect that," said Chalmers, who confirmed that an assistant coach would be added to the existing staff for next year.

The club's thriving academy remains "essential", according to the Bulls chief.

He said there were plans to expand investment in it, with under-20s and under-18s teams alongside an under-16 scholarship and the addition of an under-19s women's team by 2020-21. The Bulls are also due to run a reserve team next season.

Chalmers also said Odsal Stadium needed to be upgraded or redeveloped at some stage "when the time is right", adding: "We simply will not be able to just do nothing when it comes to Odsal."

Chalmers asked for patience as the hierarchy look to turn round the club and he insisted the owners would not jeopardise its future by going beyond their means.

He said: "Just as failure took five years, rebuilding will take time, will take commitment and will take resources. The owners are committed to the journey to success. We are not going anywhere.

"Success isn't going to happen overnight. We ask our fans and stakeholders to be patient. We want to be fiscally sustainable, which means living within our means."