APPOINTED as Bradford Bulls' chief executive officer a couple of weeks after the departure of long-serving head coach John Kear, Jason Hirst has given his first in-depth interview about his time at the club so far.

In it, he discusses the club's search for a new head coach, what he has been dealing with during his first month in charge, his previous work at Bulls, and identifying where things can improve.

Here below is the Q&A undertaken with Hirst:

Q: What is the latest, with regards to the permanent head coach role?

A: The recruitment is going to plan. We had a closing date of June 5, so we are now sifting through several high calibre applicants from the UK and overseas.

Interviews will take place later this month and further announcements will follow.

In the meantime, the team remains under the stewardship of our interim head coach, Mark Dunning.

Q: What has your first month as CEO involved?

A: My priority has been relationship building and meeting key internal and external stakeholders, including team members, sponsors and RFL representatives etc.

I have been in fact-finding mode across the whole business, identifying what we are doing well and where there are areas for improvement.

I have also spent time introducing myself to many of our fans at Odsal Stadium and elsewhere. It has been great to listen to them and understand their shared passion for our great club.

Q: As CEO, what are your main roles and responsibilities?

A: My main responsibility is the day-to-day running of the club.

I am accountable for all football and non-football related matters.

I will add further leadership in overseeing and supporting our existing management team, while implementing and embedding processes and strategies.

Q: I know you have only been in the role for the last month, but how do you assess the current on-field performances?

A: Since we parted company with John Kear by mutual consent, there have been some encouraging signs both on and off the field of play, in relation to the football department.

There is, however, still, further improvement to be made.

We have won four out of our last six games, including a very impressive performance away at Widnes.

Obviously, the score line at Featherstone wasn’t what anyone connected to the club was looking for, but that one game against the league leaders won’t define our season.

Q: Your original role was Youth & Academy Director. How encouraged are you by the performances of the next generation?

A: Our academy side are holding their own, mid-table, in a very competitive elite division.

While results are important, what is far more important, at this level, is successful player (and coach) development and pathways.

A great example of this is seeing Bailey Arnold, George Flanagan Jr and Myles Lawford called up to represent Yorkshire Academy, with the latter duo also enjoying action in our reserves team this year.

It also speaks volumes of the great work our local community clubs are doing.

Our scholarship squad, under the tutelage of our new coach Paul Mennell and his assistants, are working hard, with several already training alongside the elder academy squad.

Currently in their mid-season fixtures break, they return to action with successive home games at Odsal on June 15 and June 29 against Newcastle and Wakefield respectively.

Your support at these games would be greatly appreciated and further assist the players in their ongoing development, in terms of playing in front of bigger crowds.

Q: When will the next FansForum be?

We will be holding a Fans’ Forum before the end of the season, with the exact date being formalised and communicated soon.

At the event, we will provide meaningful updates on key areas of the business.

On the back of that, I would just like to give a big shout out to our loyal and much appreciated supporters and volunteers, who are an integral part of the club’s future.

If you feel you can add value to our organisation on a voluntary basis or in any other way, please contact me on Jason.hirst@Bradfordbulls.co.uk.

Finally, it would be great to see as many people as possible at our next first team home fixture, on Sunday, June 26, as we celebrate and support Armed Forces Day, with ex and serving military personnel being admitted free of charge.