Bulls chief executive Ryan Duckett believes a successful Rugby League World Cup bid would have a “huge impact” on the city.

The club are teaming up with Bradford Council in the hope of becoming a host city for the 2013 tournament, being held in England and Wales for the first time in 13 years.

If successful, Odsal would stage at least one of the competition’s 31 matches, while the Bulls’ state-of-the-art facilities at Tong High School could act as a base for one of the 14 competing nations.

World champions New Zealand, Australia, England and even the Cook Islands are among the countries involved and Duckett is excited about the potential exposure for the club and city.

“It would be great for Bradford to be involved,” said Duckett.

“International competition in whatever sport has a higher profile than domestic so it can bring a whole new audience in to watch the sport.

“There’s not been that many World Cups in this country in any sport so it would have a huge impact on the city.”

Initial bids must be lodged by April 15 and the deadline for final submissions is July 1 before decisions are announced in October.

Odsal missed out when the high-profile event was last brought to the country in 2000, the Rugby Football League instead opting for venues in Gloucester, Reading and Belfast among others, as part of a push to expand interest in the sport.

But initial indications suggest there will be more of a focus on rugby league’s heartlands in 2013, providing encouragement for the Bradford bid team.

By offering an established Super League stadium and top-class training facilities, Duckett is confident of the bid’s chances.

He said: “The World Cup organising team are looking for bids that can offer venues, training facilities and accomodation.

“We would love to be involved because it looks like being a great event. We’ve got a venue which we’re looking to upgrade but it’s still a great venue and we have passionate rugby league support here.

“We also have training facilities that are second to none. It’s about offering the whole package and we believe we can do that. There’s potential for a good bid to be put together.”

Key to plans for the World Cup is a lasting legacy and that could reignite debate over the viability of the Odsal Sporting Village.

Original plans for a £75.5million development appear to have stalled due to a lack of funding and Council officials last month admitted there was no exact timescale on delivering the project.

But a successful World Cup bid could help attract the private investment needed to make the proposed scheme a reality.

“There’s a heavy focus on leaving a legacy,” said Duckett.

“A successful bid could increase the number of people involved in rugby league, both as players and spectators.”

He added: “A lot of work on the Odsal Sporting Village is still ongoing behind the scenes and the World Cup could help with that.”