Kear excited by Bradford challenge

Bradford have appointed John Kear as the club’s new head coach on a three-year deal.

Kear, 63, spent last season as Head of Rugby at Wakefield having previously had the top job at Batley.

He is now enlisted with getting the Bulls back on track, first by securing promotion from League 1.

Kear said: “It is going to be a new experience, it is an iconic club and it has been one of the greatest names in the Super League era, especially in the early part of it.

“Obviously, it has come upon hard time performance wise, so I’m really excited to first of all be enlisted with the job of bringing stability to the place but then also gradual improvement. We want to regain our place where we feel the infrastructure of the club belongs, which is obviously in the highest level.”

The man who led both Sheffield and Hull to Challenge Cup glory in 1998 and 2005 respectively was the Wales national team coach at the recent World Cup.

Bradford had sought permission from Wakefield to speak to Kear, and they acknowledged his desire to take on a head coaches role once again.

Kear added: “I have enjoyed every minute of my second spell at Wakefield, it was a very difficult decision to make to leave the club but the opportunity to become a head coach is a real allure especially with the challenge of resurrecting what was a Super League club.

“I have had fantastic support from Michael Carter, Chris Brereton, Chris Chester, the coaching staff, staff and especially the supporters, it has been amazing and I cannot thank everyone enough. The club has a very special place in my heart and I look forward to seeing how far they go in 2018.”