After being appointed the Bulls’ new chief executive, Ryan Duckett predicts exciting times for the club.

The 33-year-old, who has been at Odsal since the inception of Super League, was promoted from general manager this week.

It comes at a time of major change, the Bulls having revamped their playing squad and moved into a state-of-the-art new training base at Tong High School.

And the prospect of a new stadium still looms on the horizon.

“It’s a great time for the club,” said Duckett.

“Over the past five years we’ve put a lot of work into youth development and that’s starting to bear fruit now, with Academy players graduating to the first team.

“That recruitment and development can be enhanced by the facilities at Tong, which are second to none in the world of rugby – both codes. It’s a great environment to develop first-team players.

“Then there’s the stadium, which is a work in progress and you can see why it’s an exciting time to be involved in the club.

“I feel very honoured to be given this role at a great club with a lot of tradition.”

A keen rugby player himself, Duckett spent three years with the Bulls’ reserves, representing them in a Grand Final against Wigan alongside current first-graders Jamie Langley and Paul Sykes.

Currently enjoying a second stint with National One rugby union side Otley, Duckett has been impressed by what he has seen so far from Bradford’s new-look side.

He said: “We see ourselves as a big club so we want to be at the top of the table.

“With the squad we have put together, there’s a great optimism around the place.

“We’ve got a couple of good results under our belts now but we need to build on that and it starts on Friday against league leaders Wigan.”