CLUB STATEMENT: HOLDING COMPANY BOARD UPDATE

Salford Red Devils today announce several additions to the Salford RD Holdings board as co-opted and non-exec Directors following a rigorous recruitment process in collaboration with the RFL and Inclusive Boards.

Whilst strengthening the board by adding valuable and specific skillsets, the new additions will aid the club’s efforts in defining the various sub-committees and delivering the club strategy.

The new composition of the Board of Directors of Salford RD Holdings is as follows:

  • Andrew Rosler – Director
  • Anna Hardy-Watmough – Director
  • David Roberts – Director
  • Heather Robinson – Director
  • Joanne Hawkins – Director
  • Oli Randell – Director
  • Paul Trainor – Director
  • Paul King – Director
  • Shah-Zeib Ahmed – Director

In addition, Alex Romer and Ian Turner have been appointed as Non-Exec Directors.

Bios – Board Additions

Anna Hardy-Watmough

Anna is a Chartered Accountant by profession, who has worked in education for sixteen years, and has taught at Manchester Metropolitan University since 2013. She specialises in financial reporting and governance, and teaches sports governance on a Master’s programme, so is looking forward to putting her theoretical knowledge into practice. Anna is passionate about fan/community engagement, as sport is so much more than β€˜just a game’. Anna brings many years of financial and governance experience, having served on a school governing body and a professional accountancy body board, and above all else she is a passionate advocate for Greater Manchester.

Alex Romer

Alex is currently the CEO of We Are Nations, who manufacture and retail apparel and accessories for many of the world’s top esports teams and rights holders. 

With a background in sales, marketing and general management, Alex has worked on some of the world’s top sports events including London 2012, 2002 FIFA World Cup and the ATP World Tour. He has also worked as a consultant to many individual sports federations, brands and charities on commercialising their intellectual property rights. 

Alex played University and Amateur Rugby League and is looking forward to bringing all his professional experience and personal passion for the game to Salford Red Devils. 

Heather Robinson

Heather has been a Salford fan since she was 15 after being introduced by a friend at school who subsequently referred to her as a glory fan after Salford beat Wigan in the Challenge Cup. With a short hiatus, Heather has supported Salford ever since.

Born in Salford, raised in Eccles, this club is in her heart and she is passionate about ensuring we’re around for the next 150 years.

Heather works in IT as VP of Customer Support for Purple – a role she absolutely loves and a company who supports her rugby league obsession. She also helps look after all things disability rugby league related for the Salford Red Devils Foundation, including learning disability rugby league, physical disability rugby league and, more recently, wheelchair rugby league.

With her support, we now have over 50 people participating each week from across Greater Manchester which is fantastic to see. Heather plays physical disability rugby league alongside wheelchair rugby league for both Salford Red Devils and Wigan Warriors ‘A’ team. Her humble brag is that she scored the first ever try for Salford in wheelchair rugby league – a feat that brought her to tears! Alongside this, she is part of the RFL Women’s Leadership and Performance program, developing female coaches. 

Heather is passionate about equality and diversity and is the current Chair of Every Body Moves Lived Advisory Board which is part of British Paralympics, driving inclusion in sports and physical activity in people with disabilities.

Corporate social responsibility is a key focus for Heather; believing that as a club we are here to improve our community and remain ethical in our approach.

Ian Turner

Ian has been working successfully in Human Resources roles for the past 25 years across multiple industries including Financial Services, Technology and Telecoms. Currently working as a Talent Director, he specialises in developing Talent pathways, driving organisational performance through its people, Diversity & Inclusion and improving culture and engagement. Providing the right structure and opportunities whilst removing barriers to enable all people, irrespective of age, gender, race or disability, to thrive and be successful is what gets him out of bed each day.

Ian has a clear personal purpose of β€œlead by how you make others feel” and this drives him to ensure the businesses he works with deliver sustainable success and importantly connect with and benefit their local communities.

Salford Red Devils has the potential, through its people, fans and wider community to collectively deliver something really special and Ian is excited to help the board and members secure a strong and successful future both on and off the pitch and give the fans the success they deserve.

Oli Randell

Oli Randell is an experienced Board Director, operating at a strategic level in Executive Leadership, Finance, Strategy, Process Improvement, Change Management, Risk Management, Corporate Governance and Business Management Systems.

Shah-Zeib Ahmed

Born Austrian, but Manc at heart. Shah joins the SRDRLC Board bringing over a decade’s worth of sports business experiences spanning across the globe. He runs his own consultancy specialising in ticketing having recently worked as the Head of Ticketing at the Rugby League World Cup 2021 and delivered the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. 

CLUB STATEMENT

Salford Red Devils would like to clarify the position regarding the recent announcement of support from the Salford Credit Union (SCU).

Since the launch of β€˜Reds Rise Together’, over 600 people have backed the campaign and the club in its efforts to become the first elite community-owned rugby league club, raising over Β£160,000 in the process.

Throughout these first weeks of the campaign, supporters have provided feedback and suggestions as to how the Club could make the campaign more widely accessible and we have been eagerly listening.

One frequent request was to provide a direct debit option through which supporters could support the campaign and make monthly payments in the process. As we are utilising the Crowdfunder platform over a 6-week project, with payment required upfront, a reoccurring direct debit option was not possible.

In pursuit of providing supporters with a solution whereby they would be able to make the full payment immediately, the Salford Credit Union provided an alternative option to a traditional direct debit scheme.

Salford Credit Union is a local not-for-profit organisation that will only provide finance following satisfactory credit-check and affordability assessments and will decline applications where necessary. The SCU also allows those wishing to take up the option of the SCU ownership offer the ability to choose the loan terms most appropriate to them. The Club encourage only those willing and able to do so to utilise the SCU ownership offer.

We will continue to do what we can to make involvement as accessible as possible without compromising the remarkable support of those already making history with us and remain committed to operating with transparency and honesty throughout so to ensure motives and intentions are accurately presented. We ask those questioning the Club to seek answers from us firstly before incorrectly questioning integrity and reporting potentially damaging false narratives to the detriment of the campaign.

If you would like further clarity anything relating to the community share offer, we encourage you to attend our Reds Rise Together event on the evening of Tuesday 23 May. You can secure your place by clicking here. For media enquiries, please contact owners@salfordreddevils.net with subject β€˜MEDIA’.

Our continued thanks are extended to those who have already pledged their support.

Club Statement | Dr Marwan Koukash writes off debt owed to him

Earlier this week, former Salford Red Devils owner – Dr Marwan Koukash – confirmed he has written off all the outstanding debt owed to him.Β 
Salford Red Devils would like to begin by thanking Dr Marwan Koukash for this fantastic gesture. He has been a huge supporter of the Club, both as a fan and as a financial benefactor, and this is something that the Club is hugely appreciative of.
Since January 2018, the Club has functioned as a community club run by a Community Holding Company and has become more dependent on the generosity of the Salford Red Devils supporters and the wider community.
Season Tickets, regular match tickets, merchandise sales, sponsorship, hospitality and our brand-new initiative Squad Builder are the handful of major current revenue streams for the Club and it is pivotal that the fans and wider community continue to buy into these.
The immediate success of our newly-launched Squad Builder was a clear indictor that we have the foundations on which to build a stable, successful and self-funding Club. We are already well on the way to our target figure, but it is vital that fans sign-up and play a major role in assembling our 2019 playing squad.
In addition, we are still ahead in Season Ticket sales in comparison with the same point last year, which alongside a slight increase in pricing, has generated more revenue for the Club. We have also launched two fantastic kits and a brilliant leisurewear range alongside new partners Kappa and WildThang with early sales looking extremely promising.
We’d like to thank all the fans who have parted with their hard-earned cash via the aforementioned avenues – it really does help, and it really is appreciated.
But we know the work doesn’t simply stop here and we are continuing to work hard behind the scenes in all departments to ensure that this historic Club can prosper in the Betfred Super League.
The Club will be aiming to market more successfully in the coming seasons including reaching out to fans who have lapsed away from the Club in recent years. However, we are fully aware of the need to create new Red Devils which is why you will see the Club become more visible and proactive in the community of Salford.
Salford Red Devils are also aware of the need to take our matchday experience in a new direction which is also something the Club are looking into ahead of the 2019 Betfred Super League season. Our recent Fan Focus Groups and relationship with the Salford RLFC Supporters’ Trust are helping us with all of the above.
There really hasn’t been a better time in which to be a Salford supporter, re-engage with the Club or begin your affinity with the Red Devils. The fans are now a huge influencing factor in how successful this great Club can be, and we want you on this journey alongside us.
Salford Red Devils are currently in our 145th year of existence. Many chapters have already been written and we are extremely optimistic that 2019 will be the beginning of a new chapter.
A chapter which sees the Club embedded in the community. A chapter which sees the fans become an essential part of the Club. A chapter in which we are #TogetherStronger.

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