Newly-appointed Salford Red Devils CEO Chris Irwin has spoken after the club’s takeover was confirmed with lofty ambitions outlined for the club.
Irwin has returned to the club in the role of Chief Executive Officer after previously serving as the club’s Chief Commercial Officer. The boyhood Salford fan had recently worked with Exeter City Football Club.
News of the Salford takeover was confirmed last week with a consortium led by Swiss businessman Dario Berta taking the Red Devils over and wiping all debt in the process with “additional CEO significant investment for the future growth of the club” also promised.
Irwin did release a statement that day but he’s since spoke on the Salford Red Devils YouTube channel about the takeover including how it happened and what the club’s ambitions are.
“I’m absolutely buzzing with the news and glad to be coming back to the club,” Irwin said.
“It’s been a huge relief, I think there’s been a cloud over the club for the last few months so to see this deal get over the line and the exciting future that the club has is incredibly exciting for everyone involved.”
Salford Red Devils’ new CEO on the takeover, ambitions and the future
Credit: Paul Currie/SWpix.com
The takeover has seen Irwin replace Paul King as CEO whilst the Community Benefit Society which oversaw the club and its ownership have been bought out fully with Berta overseeing a “full 100% purchase”.
Explaining the process, Irwin explained: “I’ve been in the South-West, in Exeter, but the investors met the Council and the Mayor and Deputy Mayor to get their approval and then we negotiated with Paul King and the CBS to secure the future of the club.”
On the new owners, he also gave a glowing review as he praised the clarity that has erased the uncertainty that has consumed Salford for the past few months during their financial woes.
He added: “Really positive, they’ve been really clear from the outset. They contacted me whilst I was at Exeter and offered me the role as the CEO and I’m really excited by the prospect.”
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That financial uncertainty had seen the prospect of player sales discussed with several stars including Marc Sneyd and Nene Macdonald linked with exits and Irwin has described the takeover as being met with a “sigh of relief” from all involved.
He explained: “I think there’s been a big sigh of relief from everybody. There are certain sanctions on the club at the moment and there had been talk of firesales which I think they now know is not going to happen.
“Paul Rowley has built a wonderful and extraordinary team here and we now know that we can keep these boys together and we can build the club and go on to greater things.”
More specifically on what those “greater things” might be, Irwin recalled the 11,000-plus crowd that watched the club in the play-offs last year and called for the team to keep pushing further.
He said: “We want to get to a Grand Final, it’d be nice to get to a Challenge Cup Final. We’ve been close a couple of times so the ambition is that. We want to build on the success of previous years and go one better.”
