MIKE GRADY has been confirmed as the first head coach of the new Salford team.
For the last two years, Grady held the same position with the women’s team at now wound-up Salford Red Devils.
He will be assisted, as in his previous role, by Dave Hewitt as the club get ready to make the start of the Championship season on Friday week (January 16).
Grady has previous experience as a head coach in the men’s professional game with both South Wales Scorpions and North Wales Crusaders.
In his two seasons with the short-lived Scorpions (2014 and 2015) they finished bottom of League One both times.
But he led the Crusaders to the League One Cup final in 2017, losing out to Barrow Raiders in Blackpool, before leaving three rounds into the following campaign.
Grady has also worked as an assistant coach at Newcastle Thunder, Rochdale Hornets and Widnes Vikings, and been head coach of the Spanish men’s national side.
With the Salford women’s team, Grady delivered finishes of third and fourth respectively in the second-tier Championship.
There is now a significant job ahead to pull a new team together in time to fulfil the opening fixture against Oldham at the CorpAcq Stadium, with no squad announcements yet made.
Grady said: “It’s an honour to be given this opportunity to lead Salford RLFC.
“The professionalism, belief and sense of hope growing under the new ownership has motivated so many of us. We know this will be a challenging period, but we’ll be ready.
“I want to draw on the club’s proud heritage, tough to the core, full of heart, and committed to playing entertaining rugby that makes our fans proud.
“There will be players starting with us who have a real chance to make their mark. This is the beginning of something special.”
The relaunched club said: “His appointment marks another big step forward in our rebuild, combining experience, passion and a deep understanding of what Salford rugby league stands for – hard work, resilience and exciting rugby.”
Hewitt made 176 career appearances as a halfback, retiring at the end of the 2024 season spent with Midlands Hurricanes.
He then joined Salford, working alongside Grady for the past year on the women’s coaching staff.
The pair also worked together briefly at Rochdale, when Grady was assistant coach and Hewitt a player.