SALFORD RED DEVILS are out of Super League after 17 consecutive seasons as a top-flight club.

Their fate was confirmed by the grading table as Salford sank from 12th place to 15th.

With the top 12 given Super League places and the Red Devils having not applied for one of the top additional spots to be decided by an independent panel tomorrow (Friday), they will be in the Championship next season.

Big challenges await before then, however, with the financially-stricken club due back in court to hear a winding-up petition filed by HMRC on October 29.

They required a significant central funding advance before the 2025 season began, while a takeover of the club in February has failed to provide the promised cash injection.

Debts have risen with loans sought to cover the club’s operating costs.

Salford made no comment on their current financial position when they broke down their loss of 1.32 grading points and said they would “begin planning for participation in the Championship”.

The biggest hit came in the fandom category, losing 0.625 points to their digital score, largely as a result of not hitting stricter thresholds.

They lost 0.3429 points in the performance category, having dropped three places in the table which ranks clubs’ league finishes over a three-year average due to finishing bottom of Super League last season.

Salford were deducted 0.25 points as a result of breaching the RFL’s operations rules with their weakened team selection for their round-one match against St Helens.

There were also drops in their community (-0.25) and stadium (-0.002) scores.

Their finance score actually increased, due to the three-year accounting period used only running to the end of 2024 and this year’s performance not being included.

The club said: “While there are areas for improvement, particularly in finance and stadium control, this year’s grading demonstrates continued progress in several key metrics, including digital growth and community engagement.

“We remain committed to developing across all areas and look forward to building toward a strong 2026 campaign in the Championship.”