SALFORD hope selling more advertising will help light up the way to a brighter financial future after securing a lifeline through an advance of £500,000 in central funding for next year from RL Commercial.
The hard-up Red Devils say their inability to implement planned new business initiatives due to a delay in Salford City Council’s acquisition of the whole of the Salford Community Stadium has left them facing short-term issues.
The council’s planned purchase of Peel Group’s 50 percent stadium stake would pave the way for the Red Devils, who share the ground with union’s Sale Sharks, to tap into key new revenue streams and sponsorship opportunities.
They include food and beverage sales, reckoned to be worth around £150,000 a year, and a giant advertising screen facing a nearby motorway.
Successful completion of the stadium deal, which was given the green light in September, could also attract external investment in Salford, with various potential buyers reportedly circling.
However, the club’s immediate focus is on steadying the ship, getting out of the special measure imposed by the governing body and staving off interest from rivals clubs in some of their players as coach Paul Rowley works to build on this year’s fourth-placed finish.
Salford said the advance was agreed “on the condition of central involvement in and scrutiny of a more sustainable long-term trading position” for the club, who confirmed they have a new shirt sponsor in place.
The statement added: “We are working on driving the club forward to be a commercially-viable entity, achieving IMG grade A status (they are currently rated as grade B) and sitting at the heart of the community as a club the City of Salford can be proud of.
“Central to this is completion of the stadium ownership.
“We have been and continue to actively look for investment partners to support the long-term ambitions of the club.”
Chief executive Paul King, who is working alongside the club’s recently-appointed chief operations officer Claire Butters, said:
“This affords time for the club to consider all investment options and to continue to collaborate with the council and our friends at Sale Sharks to support the purchase of the stadium.
“We are hopeful that is imminent, at which point we look forward to progressing the build of our advertising screen, to provide the club with an additional revenue source.”
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