Salford City Council is taking full control of the AJ Bell Stadium as part of a £65 million redevelopment plan.
The purchase will include the rights to the car park and training pitches as well as the development land around the site. The full development is expected to create around 790 new jobs, delivering £28 million worth of social value and attracting £65 million of private sector investment.
Salford Mayor Paul Dennett said: “In a mission close to my heart, Salford Red Devils RLFC will retain their position playing in the city of Salford, which is why the Community Stadium was built in the first place all those years ago, along with it being a place to call home for Salford Reds and Sale Sharks.
“We’ll be able to recommit to the original vision of the stadium for the community and its people. The future will be grounded in a new sports & leisure and rugby strategy.”
The mayor believes this is a huge opportunity to increase participation in sport in Salford and improve mental health and wellbeing through rugby.
Paul King, the managing director of Salford Red Devils, added: “I can’t understate how important the conclusion of the deal is for the club. We’ve stretched as best as we can for as long as we can to get even to this point today, and once the agreement gets over the line, it really does give us access to some transformative opportunities.”
Tony Sutton, the chief executive of the Rugby Football League, added that it is “excellent news” that Salford Council is acquiring full ownership of the stadium.
Tony added: “The city has been associated with Rugby League since 1896, when the Salford club joined the Northern Union, and the sport is therefore embedded deeply in the community and its history.
“The RFL has been delighted to engage with Salford City Council and the Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham throughout a long and complicated process, and we will continue to do so as we work with Mayor Dennett and his team to continue to grow the numbers of people playing Rugby League in the region.”
Yesterday, the Mayor Dennett held a media event at the AJ Bell stadium (the home of the Salford Red Devils and Sale Sharks).
This event was done a day before the cabinet meeting which would determine if the council is to buy 50 per cent of the stadium from PEEL. This decision has come with opposition from the Salford City Councillor Robin Garrido. Who opposed the idea as he believed that the council didn’t have the funds to buy the remaining 50 per cent.
One massive concern for the Red Devil’s was their low attendances with only an average attendance of 5384. Whilst that is a 19 per cent increase from 2022 it still ranks as one of the lowest in the leagues according to Paul King.
There has also been 500 less tickets sold this season over fears of the Red Devils ultimately being kicked out of the AJ Bell Stadium.
Mayor Dennett yesterday outlined the need for better public transport around the stadium including an extension to the tram line close to the stadium. This will ensure that games are more accessible to the people of Salford.
Mayor Dennett added: “This isn’t just about the stadium it’s about the land around it that we need to regenerate and obviously we need to negotiate with the cost of the debt and how it will be repaid over time.”
The chief executive of Sale Sharks has added: “The future of the community stadium has been a protected saga and has caused uncertainty between the fans and the club for too long.
“Whilst there is still work to do this hopefully draws a line under the question around stadium ownership and hopefully this allows us to create a real hub for rugby across both codes in the north.”
One Comment