BRADFORD Bulls Women have named their new captain for the upcoming 2021 season.

Grace Ramsden will take the armband from England international Amy Hardcastle who departed for St Helens back in May.

Ramsden arrived at the club prior to the start of the 2019 season, impressing in her debut year to win Forward of the Year and the Fans’ Player of the Year.

The 22-year-old recovered from a serious ankle injury to feature in March’s Natalie Harrowell’s Memorial match before the 2020 season was abandoned due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

She said: “It is a great honour and massive pleasure, I am really looking forward to it and leading girls out as captain.

“It has been a difficult year, we only got the Natalie Harrowell Cup game in March before Covid hit but I am excited for it all to get going again.

“Leading the team out will be massive for me. There has been a lot going on behind the scenes in preparation and it will be a real pleasure.”

Head coach Mark Seal admits Ramsden’s passion was a key factor in his decision to appoint her as skipper.

“Grace is a great player all round. She is liked be everyone in the squad and gets her point across,” added Seal.

“She is full of enthusiasm with the skills to match, and I know she will lift the squad and take them along with her.”

Meanwhile, Stacey Greenwood has been appointed as vice-captain.

Greenwood enjoyed a stellar 2019 on the field and started the season in style, scoring a hat-trick in the 38-16 win over Featherstone.

She said: “It feels great to have been appointed vice-captain. We have a good set of girls with some new players so we are excited to show everyone what we are all about.

“We haven’t played since March so as you can imagine it has been frustrating, but we have been training hard and it just a matter of keeping that up.

“We are all itching to get back out there. We have bonded well with some new players coming in and we want to transfer that onto the pitch next year.”

Seal believes Greenwood’s experience can help his new-look outfit.

“Stacey has been there done it all in the sport – she has the skills and aggression needed,” added Seal.

“I have no doubt she will lift the team in the tough times and give us that extra bit when needed to get us over the line.”