Swindon Wildcats have confirmed forward Sam Bullas has agreed a ninth season with the club.

The 26-year-old has racked up over 400 EPL appearances for the Wildcats and his new deal will also see him continue his role heading up the club’s community foundation.

Player/Coach Aaron Nell said: “Bully was always one of the first names I wanted back for next season – he is a massive part of the team both in the locker-room and on the ice.

“The fans absolutely love him and he comes to play every night. He plays with a physical presence and he has a habit of scoring big goals to get the team going.

“The work he is doing for the community foundation is incredible and the hard work is beginning to give us rewards with the fantastic junior system.

“To keep Bully in Swindon for a ninth consecutive season is brilliant and the Wildcats family wouldn’t be the same without him.”

Bullas added: “It’s fantastic (to be back in Swindon) – nine years is a long time to be somewhere that’s not your hometown.

“I’m thrilled to be back – I wouldn’t want to play anywhere else other than Swindon. The conversation between the management and I took about thirty seconds, so it was an easy one.

“I think with the job it’s easy to secure stuff early and I like to set to know what’s going on for the next year.

“The fans are fantastic – crowds have got bigger and we have such a contingency of the same people coming back every week and it’s amazing to see how passionate the fans are.

“We’ve had a fantastic year in the school’s programme. We’ve pushed numbers twice as high as last year and we’re working hard to get out to the wider community.

“We’re beginning to make a difference to the community. The junior club is the biggest junior club in the country and Ken Forshee and Lee Mason are doing a fantastic job. The system in Swindon is beginning to work and it’s amazing to see.”

(Image permission: Steve Bird)