Most league fans are breathing a sigh of relief now that the new footy season has arrived.

I sense real anticipation from the Bradford Bulls faithful, as the club, having been relegated from the Championship, readies itself to fight our way back off the canvas.

One thing is for certain, no club ever wants to be relegated, with all the stress and pressure that follows. It’s a massive kick in the proverbials.

As I said to our fans at the time, we have to cop it and concentrate on redemption. It is what it is.

The Bulls and our fans will dig deep and keep pushing forward. We have moved on from the short Geoff Toovey reign to the steady experienced hands of John Kear.

John’s record of experience and success speaks for itself, and Lowie (Graham Lowe)reminded me of having met with him on previous tours.

He said: “John Kear is sharp, experienced and an astute coach.” Fine praise from the master coach himself. I know that John will embrace the dual challenges of redemption and promotion and throw everything, including the kitchen sink at it.

We are truly fortunate to have an experienced football department at Bradford. John Bastian as our head of youth, sits on the pathway that provides the opportunity for these young lads.

I know it’s rewarding to see the Ethan Ryans, Liam Kirk and James Bentleys achieve recognition and start on what will I’m sure be very successful football careers.

Thankfully, the Bulls are blessed with phenomenal depth in the junior ranks. Last week I watched the latest batch of Under-19s play St Helens. What struck me was the size and skill of the Bulls side.

You could feel the future star factor about to burst out of the jersey seams. I can’t help but think that in past years these players have bolted down the M62 – plucked into the pockets of wealthy club owners because previous Bulls owners failed to acknowledge the importance of investment in a high performance junior set-up.

I was fortunate to be involved in the creation of the Orcas Rugby League Academy in windy Wellington, New Zealand in 2004, an academy similar in many respects to the Bulls high performance set-up.

I remember watching some raw talent get refined into first grade NRL players, thanks to the coaching and development efforts of Paul Bergman (some of you might remember Paul and his brother Phil, who played up here in the late 90s). Players like Mose Masoe, Ben Matulino, Isaac Luke and Simon Mannering to name a few.

They arrived as young kids, still wet behind the ears. Over the first five years over 56 young men went through the Orcas Academy and went on to play first grade in the NRL and the Super League. Amazing success, but a good reminder and pointer of the success the Bradford Bulls Academy has had over the years.

The Bradford graduate list is long and distinguished headed by the brothers Burgess (Sam, Tom and George) in recent times and Elliot Whitehead, John Bateman, Brett Ferres and Chris Bridge to name a handful.

The future looks bright for the Bulls. In my view all clubs should be required to invest in these high performance academy set-ups. Please Mr Rimmer – this should be a mandatory requirement for every club!

It’s also great to see the Super League clubs promoting our great game on the world stage down under.

Gary Hetherington is a smart, savvy owner and his recent published article reminded me – while the game pushes the boundaries in the Antipodes – change cannot come, unplanned and certainly without careful evaluation.

I hear all the talk about new competition structures and the like from some quarters, but rest assured progress must be measured and methodical. Not hasty and misguided. The power brokers and administrators will always look for improvement and I get that – but be careful to take the fans and clubs with you.

And don’t neglect grassroots rugby league along the way.

It worries me that clubs so often are busy fighting for their existence that we overlook the amateur clubs and semi-professional set-ups.

It’s from here young men (and women) dare to dream about what the future might hold for them.

I’m hoping the RFL will stop to listen carefully to all the stakeholders, and that they exercise patience and caution along with leadership. We need stability and certainty, not rumours and innuendoes.

The York City Knights officials are predicting a massive crowd for our opening game.

Hopefully the path to redemption is swift for the Bulls faithful. Today, 3pm at Bootham Crescent, York, that journey begins.

Come and join the Stampede.