The club has been active recruiting bringing in players from Newcastle, Dungog and Tamworth to bolster the ranks of last season's second grade team which took out the major-minor premiership double.

First grade captain Shane Wind and club president and second grade skipper Damien Miller said the club's goal was for a top-four finish.

"A fourth place finish or better would be great for the club and great for Maitland cricket to show we're back as a club and here to stay," Miller said.

"We'll be up there and being a competitive."

Plenty of hard work behind the scenes has turned the club's fortunes around and they will be fielding a record seven teams in senior ranks, five Kookaburra cricket teams (two under-10 and three under-11) and 13s and 16s sides in junior cricket.

"The club will be running seven teams this season, with first to fifth grade sides and A and B-grade sides in the one-day competition," Miller said.

"It will certainly be one of the few if not the first time a club has run seven teams in the competition.

"There is a real commitment at the board level right through the club to ensure the club has a long and successful future. There are 12 great people on the board who have been working hard.

"There are a number of new members working behind the scenes who have taken the workload off the older members who can now concentrate on working with the kids coming through."

Youth is the key to the Bulls future and they have plenty of young talent on their books with their under-16 team grand finalists over the past two season and many already playing grade cricket.

"There will be blokes who have played a lot of first grade cricket over the years and a fair few dubutants around the 17 or 18 mark," Wind said. "A lot of them played in our second grade minor and major premiership side last year. They had a bit of taste of success and are looking forward to having a crack in first grade this year."