CEO Ryan Brierley has provided an update on what the phoenix Salford club will be called as it prepares for the start of the Championship season.
The club, which is owned by Mason Caton-Brown and a consortium of local businessmen, has taken Salford Red Devils’ place in the 2026 Championship after the former Super League outfit entered liquidation earlier this month. They are currently operating under the name of Salford RLFC, but over the coming days and weeks an official name is set to be confirmed.
Caton-Brown confirmed to Serious About Rugby League last week that Salford will remain at the heart of the name, but the nickname attached to the club is still to be formally decided with plenty of red tape to be navigated.
The old Salford was registered at Companies House as ‘Salford City Reds (2013) Limited’, but operated externally as Salford Red Devils and that means there are restrictions around re-using either of those names moving forward.
As such, the phoenix club are still waiting for clarity on what they may or may not be able to call themselves.
“We’re probably quite restricted in regards to what the liquidator has got hold of,” Brierley told Serious About Rugby League. “We’re waiting on a final decision from the liquidator in regards to the name and we’ve been told we can’t use certain things.
“‘The Red Devils’ might be an issue, ‘Devils’ might be an issue, we’re waiting for confirmation on that. We’ve got a couple of options in the pipeline ready to go in regards to branding and merchandise and kit etc, but we just want to make sure what we do choose is firstly, legal, and secondly, popular.
“There’s an issue around the name (Salford City Reds) and then there’s an issue around ‘Red Devils’ because that’s what the Instagram, Twitter and Facebook handles have always been, there’s a real problem there.
“Also data, so fan data and email addresses, we’ve not been able to finalise just yet on whether we can use it. We got told we weren’t allowed to use the Instagram handles and the social media and that’s why we’ve had to set up new accounts.
“That’s why it’s been a bit of a delayed situation in regards to the name because we’re waiting on confirmation in what we’re allowed to do.”
Brierley added: “We’ve got a kit supplier, we’ve got a crest, we’ve had an external PR team who have been absolutely brilliant with us and we’re pretty much liaising with them on when to post, we’re just following the experts at the moment in regards to timeframes and releasing at the right time to gain maximum exposure and momentum.”
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