Bradford Bulldogs handed home start as NIHL North Two 2023-24 fixtures are released
LET’S GET THIS STARTED: Bulldogs will face-off against Division Two North newcomers Kingston Sharks at home on Sunday, August 10. Picture: Andy Bourke/Podium Prints
BRADFORD BULLDOGS will kick off their 2023-24 NIHL North Two campaign with two home games - the curtain-raiser offering Andy Brown’s team an opportunity to test themselves against one of the division’s newcomers.
Formed in the summer, Kingston Sharks - effectively filling the spot left by 2022-23 regular season champions Hull Jets who moved up to Division One - will play their first-ever competitive match at The Pound when they visit Bradford on Sunday, September 10.
The Bulldogs, who finished seventh in the regular season standings last time out, will remain on home ice for their second match of a 32-game campaign two weeks later when they host Nottingham Lions on September 24.
Both encounters will face-off at 5.30pm, a new feature for the Bulldogs’ home games in 2023-24 with all 16 matches at Little Horton Lane taking place on a Sunday.
The first away trip of the season sees the Bulldogs head to Coventry on Saturday, September 30 (7pm) before returning home to host Sutton Sting the following day (5.30pm).
Bulldogs take on the division’s other new team - Billingham Buccaneers - for the first-ever time when the two meet in Bradford on Sunday, November 5.
EXCITED: Bulldogs’ head coach, Andy Brown with assistant coach Hannah Gibson.
The final game of the regular season is scheduled to be at Sutton on Saturday, March 23.
“It's great to now know who we have got and when for the season,” said head coach Andy Brown.
"It's nice to start off with a couple of home games and we've planned more Sunday home games this season which we hope will attract more people down to watch us in action.
"As ever, our emphasis as a club is on development but I'm pleased with the new faces that we've seen over the last few weeks at practice and I believe we'll prove to be competitive in NIHL North Two this season.
"There's a different feel to Div 2 this time around with the addition of new teams from Kingston and Billingham and obviously with Hull making the move up to Division One.
"It will be interesting to see how the new teams fare but I think the more teams we can have at this level the better as it allows for more competition and offers better opportunities for youngsters coming through the junior system to take their first steps into senior hockey."
Bulldogs’ fans will have their first chance to see the 2023-24 roster in action this Saturday (August 26) when they take on a team of former Bulldogs’ players in a pre-season Charity Game.
Team Richardson will feature the likes of former junior players Kieran Brown and Lewis Baldwin - both now plying their trade in NIHL National with Leeds Knights - as well as former senior stalwarts Matt Viney and Chris Buttler.
All proceeds from the event - READ MORE HERE - will go towards the Josh Richardson Go Fund Me page, set up earlier this year after the ex Bulldogs’ D-man suffered life-changing injuries during a motoring accident while on holiday in Thailand.
After undergoing several operations in Bangkok, the 25-year-old is currently continuing his rehabilitation back home in the UK.
HOW IT LOOKS: The who, the when and the where for Bulldogs in 2023-24.