THE Bulls will open the new Championship season facing the same team they played in the final game last year.

John Kear’s side start their 2021 league campaign against Sheffield Eagles on Sunday, April 4 at Doncaster’s Keepmoat Stadium.

The Bulls shut out Sheffield 28-0 at Dewsbury in March last year – their final Championship game before the game went into lockdown and the competition was scrapped.

Now they will end a year out of league action with a clash against Mark Aston’s team on Easter Sunday.

Sheffield will play home games at the Keepmoat this season because the Olympic Legacy Park does not meet Covid-related requirements.

The Bulls, who play their first competitive game at Featherstone a fortnight earlier in the Challenge Cup, will host Halifax in a tasty home Championship opener on April 18.

The reverse fixture against the newly-renamed Panthers will take place at the Shay on August 1.

Championship newcomers Newcastle Thunder, who have replaced promoted Leigh, will visit the Bulls on Sunday, May 16 – with the north-east trip to Kingston Park scheduled for Saturday, August 14 (5pm kick-off).

Teams will start the new season behind closed doors until there is any change in the government’s stance on fans being able to attend sporting events. But supporters will be able to watch the action online.

The Bulls will continue to play their home matches at the Tetley’s Stadium, as part of the deal with landlords Dewsbury, but chief executive Mark Sawyer is hopeful they could be back in Odsal by late May or early June.

York City Knights visit the Bulls on May 30 for what could potentially be an emotional homecoming – the next home Championship game after that is against Widnes on June 27.

The Bulls will make their first trip to the York Community Stadium on August 29. The final Championship round is at home to Whitehaven on September 19 before the play-offs are due to commence.

Teams will play 22 rounds - home and away against nine other clubs and single matches against the other four. There will be no Summer Bash this season.

It has been agreed that positions in the table will be determined by points percentage - as was the case with Super League last season.

This is to recognise the likelihood of fixtures being affected by Covid-19, with postponements permitted if a team loses seven or more players for Covid-related reasons – either players with positive tests, or who have been ruled out through test and trace analysis of close contacts in matches or training.

BRADFORD BULLS FIXTURES

(home games in CAPITALS)

APRIL

Sun 4 Sheffield

Sun 18 HALIFAX

Sun 25 DEWSBURY

MAY

Sun 2 Whitehaven

Sun 9 Swinton

Sun 16 NEWCASTLE

Sun 23 London

Sun 30 YORK

JUNE

Sun 13 Featherstone

Sat 19 Toulouse

Sun 27 WIDNES

JULY

Sun 4 BATLEY

Sun 11 Oldham

Sun 25 FEATHERSTONE

AUGUST

Sun 1 Halifax

Sun 8 SHEFFIELD

Sat 14 Newcastle

Sun 22 SWINTON

Sun 29 York

SEPTEMBER

Sun 5 TOULOUSE

Sun 12 Widnes

Sun 19 WHITEHAVEN