Off the back of its launch during our community spotlight week, Salford Red Devils are excited to kickstart our ‘Building the Future’ (BTF) blueprint.
The launch of BTF will create exciting partnerships with community clubs and schools, with the aim to promote the club and the sport of rugby league in general.
There are a total of seven communities clubs involved in BTF – Salford City Roosters, Langworthy Reds, Folly Lane, Cadishead Rhinos, Bury Broncos, Westhoughton Lions and South Trafford Raiders.
Each club has been designated a number of player ambassadors, who will throughout the season come down to training sessions to work with the community clubs, with head coach Richard Marshall and assistant head coach Danny Orr also getting involved.
Salford Red Devils Foundation have and will play an important role in BTF, offering England Talent Pathway (ETP) sessions to kids in the area, amongst other opportunities.
As well as community club involvement, BTF will also work in conjunction with schools across Greater Manchester with benefits like player visits and curriculum support.
Speaking on the launch of BTF, Salford Red Devils director Paul Trainor said: “I am delighted with the launch of the Building the Future strategy, which will create exciting partnerships with community clubs and schools to promote the club and the sport of rugby league.
“At the heart of this strategy is increasing participation and engagement with rugby league, whilst providing opportunities for the best talent from across the region to move onto a pathway to represent the club in Super League. The club, working alongside the Salford Red Devils Foundation, is excited to work with our community clubs and schools to deliver on our 4 key themes of the strategy – Engagement, Inspiration, Performance, Relationships.
“I am particularly excited to see our School Partner programme, where schools across Greater Manchester can benefit from coaching, player visits, training for school staff, curriculum support, access to our ‘School of the Month’ competition as well as other benefits. Headteachers will receive more details through an email in the next few days.”
Director of rugby and operations, Ian Blease said: “Our current focus is to give as much recourse as we can to our hard working and talented community clubs and to help nurture Salford’s talented youngsters, whilst making a positive impact through the quality and commitment of our delivery.
Salford Red Devils are a club to be proud of and this is a clear indication of planning for the future and recognising the single most important part of any club, which is the community.”
Head of rugby, talent and pathways, Paul Rowley, added: “The direction and focus of any business is a reflection of its leaders and in Paul King, the board and Ian Blease there is a clear and passionate directive to enhance the relationships with community clubs and ensure more opportunities for the young people of Salford.
“The experience and talent within our community is very evident, and in the short time I’ve been involved it’s been great to have genuine chats about all things rugby with individuals at each club.”
Salford Red Devils Foundation director Neil Blackburn added: “After delivering the ETP programme for the past number of years, the foundation has ensured local talent has been given the platform to showcase their abilities under the Red Devils’ banner.
With the launch of the new BTF strategy, the programme of delivery is revitalised and extended to further enhance Salford Red Devils’ reach within the local community and Greater Manchester wide. It is an exciting time to be an aspiring young athlete in the Salford area and I cannot wait for our team to get back into the community delivering engaging, safe and fun physical activities.”
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