NEW Salford chief executive Chris Irwin has laid out his ambition to turn the Red Devils into one of the “big clubs” in Super League following the club’s takeover.
It was confirmed last week that a consortium led by businessman Dario Berta, CEO of Matanel, an investment bank that specialises in real estate investment, have completed a full 100 percent purchase of the club.
In doing so, the consortium has wiped out the club’s debt and secured the Red Devils’ future.
Along with Berta and the consortium, Irwin, who was once chief operations officer (COO) at Salford, has returned to the club to take up the chief executive role.
Now Irwin has talked through the process and how the consortium went about the takeover.
“It’s been a huge relief, there’s been a cloud over the club for a number of months,” Irwin told the Salford website.
“It’s incredibly exciting to see what the future holds. I’ve been in the south west in Exeter and the investors have had to go through a long process to get it done.
“They had to meet with the council, the mayor and the deputy mayor to get their approval. They have seen the situation the club has been in and they negotiated with Paul King and the CBS to secure the future of the club.
“The owners have been really positive and been really clear from the outset. They contacted me when I was at Exeter and offered me the CEO role.”
So what has the reaction been on the ground at the club?
“There has been a big sigh of relief from everybody. There are certain sanctions on the club at the moment and there was talk of a ‘firesale’ but the players now know that isn’t going to happen.
“Paul Rowley has built a wonderful team and that team has done extraordinary things on the pitch for a number of years and that falling away and players going to other clubs was a scary prospect.
“We can build the club and go on to bigger and better things.”
Combining Irwin’s past as a rugby league player as well as his success as a businessman, makes him the ideal person for this role according to the man himself.
“Having played with Paul Rowley at Leigh a number of years ago, I know how he ticks and how to work with him.
“I understand players’ processes and their thoughts but I spent most of my working life running businesses and the combintation of the two is exciting for me.
“It is something I have been working towards for the last few years.”
So what is the aim for Irwin in the new era?
“The ambition is to go one better than last year. We finished the season against Leigh with 11,000 in the crowd.
“We want to get to the Grand Final. It would be nice to get to a Challenge Cup Final so there is that ambition.”
Irwin also hailed the Salford fans, who have stuck by the club through thick and thin.
“We need to make sure the matchday experience is spectacular. First and foremost, our fans have been loyal to the bone and have been through turmoil for as long as I can remember.
“It goes without saying that the Salford people will always be there. They have grit, desire and passion.
“We want to represent the fans in the best possible light and want to take them on a journey to be one of the big clubs in Super League.”