BATEMAN EXTENDS BULLS CONTRACT

4th October 2012

Bradford Bulls have today announced that John Bateman has signed a new improved three year contract with the club and will remain at Odsal until the end of the 2015 season.

Bateman, who Captained the England Academy Squad to Australia earlier this year, had one year left on his original contract but the Bulls have moved to secure his future at the club in light of predatory approaches from other Super League Clubs.

John Bateman is happy the situation has been sorted out to his satisfaction

“It’s been a long time waiting with what’s been happening at the club and I’m really happy to get it sorted. There’s a security here now and everyone knows what’s going on.

“People have been asking me where I’m going but from day one I’ve always said I want to stay at Bradford. Hopefully I’ve given the fans a bit back of what they’ve done for me.”

Bulls Coach Francis Cummins feels the Bulls have put a marker down with the signing.

“It’s a huge signing. It sends out a signal of the ambition of the owners at the club, not just to our own fans but the game as a whole. They pledged that they’d invest in youth and keep these good young people and we’ve secured one of the hottest properties in the game at the moment.

We’ll get other people in, maybe foreign stars when we get going but the foundations will be set by John, Elliott Whitehead and Tom Olbison who’ve been here since they were kids. That’s how we will take this club forward.”

Bulls owner Omar Khan is delighted to have secured the services of a very talented player but has this warning for Bulls Supporters and local businesses:

“We have shown our commitment to the club by securing for Bradford Bulls the future of one of Rugby League’s finest young talents. John is key to what we want to achieve at the Bulls and we want him to be here for the rest of his career but we need the support of fans in this. They showed last year just how committed they were to the club in the difficult period but we need them now more than ever as we look to take the Bulls to a new level. I urge everyone who is a fan of the club to purchase a Season Ticket for the new season as soon as possible and that will enable us to continue to build a squad that we are sure will be a successful one in the future. Without the support of the fans and businesses in Bradford we cannot move the club forward.”