Bradford City manager Phil Parkinson has penned a new three-year deal, the club have announced.

Parkinson's current contract was due to expire at the end of the season, and the Bantams have been looking to renew that over the summer. Talks were put on hold during the transfer window as the manager focused on bolstering his squad first, but now agreements have been reached that will keep him at Valley Parade until the end of the 2017-18 season.

Parkinson's backroom staff have also been rewarded with deals, having been a key part of the club's success in recent years too. Assistant Steve Parkin, Goalkeeper Coach Lee Butler and Head of Sports Performance Nick Allamby are the men who will remain with the manager until 2018.

Manager 'deserves' new deal, says chairman

Speaking to the club's official website, joint-chairman Mark Lawn said that Bradford are "moving in the right direction" under the management of Parkinson and his staff, and it is important that the club "keep the wheels moving forward."

Therefore, Lawn admits that the manager "deserves this new contract" as "the momentum has been with [the team] since [he] arrived."

He believes that the club "have improved year after year" since Parkinson took charge back in 2011, which shows "the success you can achieve with longevity and stability."

Parkinson 'proud' of time at Bradford so far

Parkinson also spoke to the club's website about his new deal, saying that he is "very proud of [his] record at Bradford City," but credited "the backing [he's] had from the chairmen as the board" as a big factor in her wonderful success.

He believes that "you always need good people around you" at a club, and that is exactly what he has with the Bantams - from "boardroom level" to "the training ground."

Speaking about the future that lies ahead of him now with the club, Parkinson said that he and his team "are all still striving to keep improving" and that he is "ambitious to keep carrying the club forward."

Promotion is the aim to do this, with City looking to get out of League One this year, having come close with a seventh placed finish in 2014-15. After a rocky start, they appear to be picking up some form as of late, with back-to-back wins coming courtesy of winning strikes from new signing Devante Cole.

The Bantams will look to make it three successive victories tomorrow afternoon when they travel to Highbury to face Fleetwood Town.