Salford Red Devils wound up by HMRC

[.db.]

Extremely depressing news, but it was always coming. The (former) owners are disgusting asset strippers, but hopefully the phoenix club will be able to rise back up the ranks.

I think moving from the Willows was always the biggest blow to the club to be in the arse end of nowhere in Irlam, but between Koukash and the last owners of the club, outside some extremely surprising challenge cup and playoff runs, the club was in the doldrums for years.

I think any phoenix team need to stay away from the AJ Bell or whatever it's called these days, perhaps even consider a groundshare with Swinton Lions at a new locale. Maybe see if they can play Leigh Sports Village til they're sorted.

Sort of the doldrums off the pitch, but Salford got to the Super League Grand Final in 2019 and the Challenge Cup final in 2020. Makes you wonder, had Covid not happened, would the club’s fortunes been different and did Covid tip the club over and edge it could never come back from?

Ian Watson leaving was a big blow n’all. He’d built something good and didn’t need to leave for Huddersfield. Fair enough if a proper big job came along, but Huddersfield aren’t the Huddersfield of the 1910s-50s anymore.

 

[Eccles Blue]

He would probably tell us they were all window cleaners.

So what is wrong with being a window cleaner? Some of the early footballers were painters, plasterers and possibly window cleaners. So what’s wrong with Rugby players being window cleaners? :-) ;-)

In fact Eddie Waring started out as a typewriter salesman! ;-)

 

[Norbert D]

Really sad news. Hopefully they can bounce back, will take years either way I guess. I’ve heard rat wants to move his football team into their stadium alongside Sale Sharks.

 

[mackenzie]

Went to a couple of "do's" at Willows years back.
Such a shame when something longstanding at the centre of the local community goes. Hope they get back.

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

In this country, club level rugby is struggling somewhat.

Although this season just gone was the best attended SL season for years.

Betfred Super League Sets Historic Attendance Record as 2025 Regular Season Concludes

www.superleague.co.uk

Also, Warrington have just landed the biggest shirt sponsorship deal in SL history.

Exclusive: Warrington Wolves to announce record shirt deal

Super League side Warrington Wolves are today expected to announce a record sponsorship deal, City AM can reveal.

www.cityam.com

So not all bad.

And rugby league has never been bigger in Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands.

NRL announces $62.3m surplus as rugby league stakes ‘indisputable’ claim to be No 1 sport

The NRL is revelling in a record-breaking 2024 season, which it says is the most lucrative in the game’s history in Australia

www.theguardian.com

The NRL has grown and is growing massively. There are two new clubs coming into the league in Perth (2027) and Papua New Guinea (2028), the broadcasting deal for the league is always getting bigger and there’s even talk of the NRL getting involved with Super League to drag us along with their success.

Without a big worldwide daytripper culture like the PL has, Canterbury got a few attendances this season up at 56k, 59k and 65k and Brisbane sold out Suncorpe Stadium a few times (capacity 53k), had an average attendance of 42k for the season and for their semifinal the other month it said on commentary that they had over 60k trying to get tickets.

The only good think about Warrington RLFC is that Legends nightclub used to be in the bottom corner of their old ground at Wilderspool. Had some cracking nights in there.

 

[Gaz76]

Really sad news. Hopefully they can bounce back, will take years either way I guess. I’ve heard rat wants to move his football team into their stadium alongside Sale Sharks.

Wasn't there a thing with the Salford rugby fans not being fans of Neville as they knew he was after the ground? Or did I imagine it

 

[Norbert D]

Wasn't there a thing with the Salford rugby fans not being fans of Neville as they knew he was after the ground? Or did I imagine it

I seem to recall some suspicion he was sniffing around.

 

[Stephen230]

Extremely depressing news, but it was always coming. The (former) owners are disgusting asset strippers, but hopefully the phoenix club will be able to rise back up the ranks.

I think moving from the Willows was always the biggest blow to the club to be in the arse end of nowhere in Irlam, but between Koukash and the last owners of the club, outside some extremely surprising challenge cup and playoff runs, the club was in the doldrums for years.

I think any phoenix team need to stay away from the AJ Bell or whatever it's called these days, perhaps even consider a groundshare with Swinton Lions at a new locale. Maybe see if they can play Leigh Sports Village til they're sorted.

Moving from The Willows is often cited as the beginning of the downward spiral but the truth is that apart from the odd big game, attendances were pretty pitiful there as well for a long time before it shut.

I know the new ground can be a bit inconvenient to get to but it’s hardly quite Irlam. It is actually in Salford as well, unlike Sale and Leigh.

Swinton returning home has been talked about for years but I’m not sure they’re any nearer even agreeing to a site, never mind getting started on it. I certainty wouldn’t be relying on that happening anytime soon if I was Salford.

 

[Platt Lane 59]

I'm always surprised that cities the size of Manchester and Liverpool don't have successful Rugby League teams. I can't believe that, with such large populations, there isn't a market for it.

Rugby League is a unique sport, in that both it's players (including at school and amateur level) and fans are from a small geographical area alongside the M62, from Widnes to Hull.
Lived in Leigh for a year, where it's a big junior and amateur sport.
Go 8 miles to Bolton and there's very little RL played.
Manchester did have a RL team at Belle Vue (when it had a huge entertainment complex), but don't think there's any schools that play it - so there's hardly any interest.
Liverpool did have a team in Huyton up to about 15 years ago ?
It was big in Cumbria, but neither Barrow, Worky or Whitehaven get crowds over 2,000.
Unfortunately, think that unless schools introduce it outside the heartland, then it can never expand in England (it has never taken off in Wales or Scotland.
Finally, it is a tough, demanding Sport that is dangerous if you don't know how to tackle properly...

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

So what is wrong with being a window cleaner? Some of the early footballers were painters, plasterers and possibly window cleaners. So what’s wrong with Rugby players being window cleaners? :-) ;-)

In fact Eddie Waring started out as a typewriter salesman! ;-)

There's nowt wrong with 'em. Our window cleaner is a fantastic ex-vet! Having watched RL for years when it was on the BBC Waring was often telling us that so-and-so was a window cleaner, followed by info that other players said he was a good window-cleaner.

 

[dadnlad]

Really sad news. Hopefully they can bounce back, will take years either way I guess. I’ve heard rat wants to move his football team into their stadium alongside Sale Sharks.

hell be celebrating the news

 

[.db.]

Really sad news. Hopefully they can bounce back, will take years either way I guess. I’ve heard rat wants to move his football team into their stadium alongside Sale Sharks.

And Sale Sharks’ long term plan is to move back to Sale (Trafford Council pulled out of the last deal in about 2021), so they’d have free run at the stadium eventually.

Could see Salford rugby playing at Salford City’s current ground.

 

[Eccles Blue]

There's nowt wrong with 'em. Our window cleaner is a fantastic ex-vet! Having watched RL for years when it was on the BBC Waring was often telling us that so-and-so was a window cleaner, followed by info that other players said he was a good window-cleaner.

Aha, I understand now. Sorry. :-)

 

[Digsy's Dinner]

Wheyyy dirty salford

 

[roman totale]

Very sad when a sporting club with some proper history bites the dust.
I was never a huge RL fan, but would go and see a few games a season, often with mates who were fans. Always enjoyed going to the Willows and Salford was the first result I would look for when I checked the scores. Which admittedly hasn’t been too often this last 10 or so years.
Didn’t they have really good seasons 6-7 years back?

 

[Winchester]

I acknowledge that I cried just now when I read the news on the BBC website. My local club, my brother's favourite he used to watch them a lot and his first home used to overlook their old ground. We could watch the match from his back bedroom window..... although he never did, he was in the ground.:-)
Attended lots of concerts and dances etc at the old ground and our Union meetings were held there until it was closed.
I was invited by one of the Salford Council departments to a match in a box with a meal etc at the new ground, so even though Rugby is (obviously) not my favourite sport it is close to my heart.
A lot of reasons for the demise but I don't think Salford Council come out of it smelling of roses. :-(

My dad took a very keen interest in them too,
My Grand Daughter is one of the Cheerleaders too
She's v Upset
Sad Day

 

[Eccles Blue]

My dad took a very keen interest in them too,
My Grand Daughter is one of the Cheerleaders too
She's v Upset
Sad Day

She will be. It’s just such a shame.
You need to give her an extra hug next time you see her. And give her one from me if she wouldn’t mind. :-) :-)

 

[Winchester]

She will be. It’s just such a shame.
You need to give her an extra hug next time you see her. And give her one from me if she wouldn’t mind. :-) :-)

Thanks pal
Much appreciated

 

[city2]

Rising from the phoenix the Salford Blues sounds a lot better.

 

[East Level 2]

Really sad news. Hopefully they can bounce back, will take years either way I guess. I’ve heard rat wants to move his football team into their stadium alongside Sale Sharks.

Convenient.