Super League club respond to “disrespectful comments”

Leeds Rhinos and Headingley Stadium, Wigan Warriors and the DW Stadium, Warrington Wolves and the Halliwell Jones and St Helens and the Totally Wicked Stadium; all of these clubs can look back at huge moments in their history which took place at their current ground and that is true of Salford Red Devils who left the Willows back in 2011 for a new home.

During their 11 year stay at the AJ Bell Stadium, the Red Devils have made it to a Grand Final, pulled off a major escape or two and gotten to Wembley for the first time in decades.

But their future at the stadium has been up in the air for sometime.

This has reached a peak with the City Council making what has been described as a “controversial” bid for the stadium.

However according to the Manchester Evening it is causing Salford “significant financial hardship.”

Board member Oli Randall said: “The delays over the clarification of the future ownership of the stadium is already causing significant financial hardship for it tenants.

“We can’t set prices for season tickets, which should already have been placed on sale in July. The current owners and management team have been in place for just four years during which time the Covid lockdowns devastated the revenue and commercial relationships during the last 12 months.”

Executive director Paul Trainor referred to ‘disrespectful comments’ made about the [lack of] community engagement of the club.

“We have hundreds of students and children a week playing in our rising stars programme, our building for the future programme engages with 100 schools across Greater Manchester, many of them in Salford.

“I think we are more than doing our part in terms of engaging with young people. It’s more than just playing on pitches, it’s about our players visiting schools, community clubs, and all the positive work going on around mental health – there’s a whole host of things that the club is doing for that which is integral to our work as a community club.”

Coun Garrido said: “Salford Reds are an important part of this city’s sporting heritage, and long may they continue to be so, but it does not need the city mayor or the council to purchase the stadium for this to happen.

 “The city mayor talks about improving sport throughout Salford by owning the stadium but they have been part owners for 13 years and what has been achieved? Have we seen a proliferation of new local sports clubs, particularly for our young people, I am afraid not.”