TOMORROW ushers in Armed Forces Day, building on a great tradition of supporting our men and women within the armed services.

It’s our opportunity to celebrate our Armed Forces and the wonderful work they undertake for all of us, for without their selfless commitment to our safety and sacrifices they make, we would not have the free society and democracy we all enjoy today.

The event is also a fundraising opportunity to raise much-needed funds for the Armed Forces Benevolent Fund (ABF) who work tirelessly to assist both veterans and serving soldiers. They carry out a tremendous amount of work and support for our troops and their families.

We are very fortunate to work with both the ABF and the 2nd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment, who are one of Yorkshire’s and the Army’s finest regiments.

In November last year, aided by Jim Duffy of the ABF, the Battalion hosted a boot camp for our Academy squad.

Cpl Tony Marlow, of the 2nd York’s, organised and ran a two-day camp for our youngsters, who were put through their paces.

The weekend was a highly-successful exercise presenting the players with command tasks, physical endurance and team building activities.

The benefits will be seen tomorrow during our curtain-raiser game versus Halifax Academy so come along early to support the future of the Bulls.

I am sure you will all agree the performances to date have proven the value of this hard work.

Many thanks, therefore, must go to Cpl Marlow and the Regiment assisted and aided by Jim Duffy and the ABF.

We are also delighted to welcome Andy Reid MBE who was a Soldier in the 3rd Battalion Yorkshire Regiment.

Andy was blown up by an improvised explosive device while on patrol in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Injured so badly that it was thought he would not survive, he defied the odds to the extent that, within a month, he was able to meet up with members of his patrol again. What he has achieved since then is little short of unbelievable.

Andy lost both his legs and an arm but has soldiered on, determined to move forward in life and one way was to carry out fundraising for the Soldier Charities (the ABF), he is an ambassador for the charity and is an inspiration to all those who Andy meets. Tomorrow will see great representation from the Yorkshire Regiment through the 2nd and 4th Battalion, the 4th Regiment Royal Artillery, the 6th Regiment Royal Logistics Corps, the Royal Armoured Corps, and the Foundation College, Harrogate.

During the day we will have an exciting series of events and stands provided by the Armed Forces, armoured vehicles such as the Huskey, Family Fun Zone, a Bugler of the Yorkshire Regiment who will play Reveille, with the match ball will be delivered by the Silver Stars Parachute team to Andy Reid and the Referee Jack Smith who is also an ex Royal Marine who served in Afghanistan. Plenty of fun and celebration on offer.

Meanwhile, an interesting race is emerging to avoid the dreaded wooden spoon in Super League. I recall distinctly the argument being advanced by Wigan chairman Ian Lenagan and Super League CEO Robert Elstone that the Middle Eights play-off system, where the bottom four Super League teams played off against the top four Championship teams created too much jeopardy and was destabilising for Super League clubs being exposed to potential relegation.

Under the new Super League format, the 2019 race for the bottom slot, sees seven clubs; Salford, Wigan, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Leeds, Hull KR and London Broncos, in a desperately close race for certain relegation separated by only four points, with the eventual winner of the Championship play-off final winning promotion.

Prior to the commencement of this round, three clubs were tied in last place with 12 points each (Leeds, Hull KR and London).

With 11 rounds remaining in Super League, the pressure will definitely begin to escalate, on players, coaches and owners.

Seems to me that the pressure and scale of relegation is bigger than ever before.

I’d imagine some tense conversations being had between the Super League executive and angry Super League club owners, trying to make sense of the situation.

Very good clubs have bad results for a multitude of reasons, mostly avoidable.

What’s clear is that jeopardy is ultimately a function of how close the competition between clubs is, something Lenagan and company failed to grasp.

Could you honestly imagine sponsors or broadcasters being supportive of a competition without a top four club, if say St Helens, Wigan, Leeds or Warrington fell foul in one year?

At a time when new media rights are on offer to potential broadcast partners, these questions become sticky issues to navigate.

Tomorrow will see the continuation of our local rivalry with Halifax.

We have been on the wrong side of our last two encounters at Summer Bash and in the desperately close Challenge Cup quarter-final.

We expect Halifax to bring a large vocal crowd and be throwing everything at the Bulls.

This will undoubtedly be a tight game judging from our previous encounters and John Kear will be working overtime as we desperately need the win to help cement our play-off challenge.

With 10 rounds remaining, each game becomes crucial as we fight for a play-off spot in September.

Four points is all that separates the Bradford Bulls from third-placed Featherstone, as the fight for play-off spots remains a close, tight contest. The return of Joe Keyes, Jy Hitchcox,and Jake Webster to the roster is a welcome sight for Bulls fans, with others on the injury list getting closer to returning.

Tomorrow's match will start by the firing of a 105mm Field Gun by the 4th Regiment Royal Artillery, what a start to a Championship game, keep your hands over your ears.

Sgt Andy Walton, of the Royal Dragoon Guards, who has been on work experience with the Bulls for the past three months, was the project manager for Armed Forces Day, and we thank him for his time and effort and wish him all the best for the future.

Please get along to show your support for our Armed Forces and cheer your Bulls team at Odsal. Kick-off is 3pm. Tickets available in the Club shop or online at bradfordbulls.co.uk/tickets #COYB #BullsNation #BrotherhoodOfBulls