Salford's 2025 season was marred by financial difficulties relating to a lack of revenue from Salford City Council following their takeover of the Salford Community Stadium. In November 2024, Salford CEO Paul King asked the owners of the other eleven Super League clubs to approve a £500,000 advancement of central funding, covering staff and player wages as well as club revenues, in order to prevent the club's insolvency by the end of the year.[2][3] The funding advancement was agreed by both the clubs and the RFL's marketing branch RL Commercial later in the month.[4]
As a consequence of the funding advancement, the RFL appointed financial regulators, including former Wakefield Trinity owner Michael Carter, to oversee Salford's finances. In December 2024, a sustainability cap was imposed on Salford, requiring around £700,000, or up to 40% of the club's expenses to be cut, necessitating plans being prepared for the sale of players.[5]
On 7 February 2025, a week prior to the commencement of the 2025 Super League season, Salford announced that subject to final approval by the RFL, the club had been taken over by Dario Berta, the Swiss CEO of investment bank Matanel, with the sale claimed to clear over £1.5million in debts owed to Salford City Council. Club CEO Paul King was replaced by former Salford and Exeter City F.C. chief commercial officer Chris Irwin.[6]
Nonpayment of players
In their Round 1 Super League fixture against St Helens on 14 February, as a result of sustainability cap restrictions and delays in the final approval of the club's takeover, Salford controversially fielded a squad of only 16 players, with only three senior squad members - Joe Bullock, Tiaki Chan and Ben Hellewell - present as substitutes, the remainder filled with Salford's reserves. The match, which aired on BBC Two as the BBC's first live broadcast pick of the 2025 season, ended 82-0, the highest Super League winning margin since Salford were beaten 92-12 by the Bradford Bulls in the 2000 season.[7][8] A compliance investigation into Salford's squad selection was launched by the RFL on the Monday following the game.[9]
Following Salford's Round 3 fixture against Hull Kingston Rovers on 27 February, it was revealed that Salford's players had not been paid on time throughout February,[10] causing the players to announce intentions to refuse to attend training until their wages were paid,[11] with some additionally threatening to refuse to play their Round 4 fixture against the Castleford Tigers on 7 March before later coming to an agreement with the club.[12] After it had been lifted following the approval of Dario Berta's takeover, Salford's £1.2million sustainability cap was reimposed due to the nonpayment of wages,[13] and as a result, players Marc Sneyd and Brad Singleton left the club for the Warrington Wolves and the Castleford Tigers respectively,[14][15] with Tim Lafai additionally being released to return home to his family in Australia.[16]
The club's players were not paid on time again in March amid an injury crisis that took the first team squad selection to 15 players.[17] Club captain Kallum Watkins and Chris Atkin, who left the club for Leeds Rhinos and Castleford Tigers respectively later that month,[18][19] were reported to have refused to play their Round 6 fixture against Wigan Warriors as a result, each being threatened with a £2,000 fine and the withholding of their player registration by the RFL.[20] CEO Chris Irwin admitted in April that the club's debts to Salford City Council were not cleared by the sale to Dario Berta in February and also stated that an ownership consortium running the club, consisting of Saia Kalahi and Kurt Graver, "are not rugby league people", instead suggesting that they are more interested in developing the land surrounding the Salford Community Stadium and granting the Red Devils 20% ownership of the stadium.[21] Irwin later resigned as CEO on 6 May after less than three months in the position,[22] with Paul King returning to the club in an "advisory position", having paid players' wages despite not being a member of Salford's staff and put up his house as collateral against the club's debts.[23]
Winding-up petition
On 14 May 2025, His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) filed a winding-up petition against Salford City Reds (2013) Limited, the operating company for Salford Red Devils, after it was revealed the club owed HMRC £500,000 in debts.[24] A day later, a bid by Salford to buy the Salford Community Stadium outright through Jacobson Management fell through when Salford City Council pulled out of negotiations with the company.[25] For a third time, Salford's players were not paid on time throughout May, however players received their pay only a day late from an outside company and not the club's accounts.[26]Sam Stone departed the club on loan to Warrington Wolves for the rest of the season on 17 June after having been accused by coach Paul Rowley of "downing tools" by making himself unavailable for squad selection in the prior Round 14 fixture against St Helens.[27]
After having announced that a bridging loan was to arrive to help pay both HMRC debts and players and staff wages, on 25 June, the winding-up petition against Salford City Reds (2013) Limited was adjourned until 3 September.[28] Between that period, however, following the threat of a players' strike in the Round 19 fixture against the Leeds Rhinos,[29] the situation escalated significantly after it was confirmed in August 2025 that Salford had not been paying its players' pensions,[30] with only two months' worth of pensions paid to players over the course of 2025; with non-playing staff also not being paid through July, this was followed with the exits of club captain Ryan Brierley, top goal scorer Chris Hankinson, Chris Hill and Jack Ormondroyd from the club days prior to Salford's Round 21 fixture against Hull F.C. on 10 August.[31]
Salford's fulfilment of the fixture against Hull F.C. was further in doubt due to unpaid debts for a coach transport company and a laundrette responsible for washing the team's kits.[dubious–discuss][32] The squad for the fixture eventually included ten players on loan, two of which came from Leeds Rhinos on a week's loan, after regulations against loans were relaxed by special dispensation of the RFL,[33] as well as Leigh Leopards' Brad Dwyer, whose late addition after the submission of the initial squad saw Salford docked one interchange for the match.[34] Salford ultimately lost this match 80-6, with a consolation try and conversion provided by loanees Brad Dwyer and Riley Lumb respectively, as well as fan protests early in the match, being applauded by both sets of fans at the MKM Stadium.[35]
Following a near-lack of communication throughout the season since the takeover, Dario Berta's ownership consortium released a statement on 11 August declaring that "Salford Red Devils will not close", stating that the club was dealing with £3million of inherited debt, that an external backer's "essential £1.8m investment" failed to materialise in November 2024, and that the bridging loan would be delivered to the club by the end of August.[36][37] A supporter's group, 'The 1873', set up to demand "urgent answers" from a "silent and neglectful" ownership,[38] labelled the statement "nothing more than a wall of excuses, finger-pointing and deliberate falsehoods" in response a day later, and has planned protest action at the Round 22 home fixture against Wakefield Trinity.[39][31] During August, Charlie Glover departed from the club for semi-professional rugby union team Preston Grasshoppers R.F.C.,[40] while Tom Whitehead was recalled from his rolling monthly loan by Warrington and signed on loan to Oldham R.L.F.C. for the remainder of the club's 2025 RFL Championship campaign.[41]
Match cancellation
Salford's chief operating officer Claire Bradbury, who had been appointed to the role in October 2024, resigned from the position and the club on 14 August; in a post on her LinkedIn profile, she accused the club's ownership[vague] of suggesting she "sleep with an individual at the RFL to 'smooth things over'".[42] Players and staff were not paid again on time during July, and doubts were made for the fulfilment of the Round 22 Wakefield Trinity fixture as other clubs recalled their loaned players and were not willing to make further loans to Salford.[43] Ultimately, the fixture was cancelled on 15 August following discussion with the RFL on the grounds of "significant welfare concerns",[44] with Wakefield awarded a 48-0 forfeit victory on 20 August by the RFL.[45] The Round 23 fixture against the Leigh Leopards went ahead on 22 August following the loans of Leon Ruan and Louix Gorman from Hull Kingston Rovers, Jack Darbyshire from Leigh Leopards and Neil Tchamambe from Wakefield Trinity to the club,[46] resulting in a 6-38 loss to Leigh.
Despite scoring a shock 25-12 win away at Warrington Wolves in Round 24 on 29 August,[47] on 1 September, Salford's assistant coach Kurt Haggerty, who was to be appointed as head coach to replace Paul Rowley from 2026, left the club by mutual consent.[48] On 3 September, the winding-up petition against the club was adjourned for a second time to 29 October, falling over a month after the conclusion of Salford's Super League season.[49][50]
Post-season
Salford ended their 2025 season in 12th place following a defeat to Wakefield Trinity, a match which saw numerous protests by both sets of supporters as well as two pitch invasions late in the match by Salford fans.[51] On 22 September, Salford were hit with a points deduction and a £5,000 fine by the RFL, half of which was suspended until 2029, for breaching "a number of operational rules" for their sixteen-player team selection in the Round 1 fixture against St Helens. As a result, Salford finished the season with a total of four league points instead of six.[52]
When applications for IMG Grading for inclusion in the 14-team 2026 Super League season were announced by the RFL on 16 September, Salford were not among the nine clubs that applied for Super League status.[53]
↑ Match cancelled on 15 August due to "significant welfare concerns"; Wakefield later awarded a 48-0 forfeit by the RFL.[45]
↑ On 22 September 2025, Salford Red Devils were deducted two points breaching "a number of RFL operational rules" surrounding their team selection for their Round 1 fixture against St Helens on 15 February 2025.[79]
1 2 Salford forfeited their game against Wakefield. Under RFL operational rules, the game is recorded as a 48–0 victory for Wakefield, and converse loss for Salford, with the points scored/conceded applying to both teams.[78]
On 25 June 2024, the RFL announced a change to the Challenge Cup format, totalling 7 rounds compared to the previous 9, with Super League teams entering to play away from home at round 3.[80]
Salford were first drawn to play the Midlands Hurricanes away in Round 3, following Midlands' 46-0 victory over Siddal A.R.L.F.C. on 26 January.[81] Following their victory against Midlands, Salford were drawn on 15 February to play the Bradford Bulls at home on 14 March,[82] and after a 26-16 victory over Bradford, Salford entered the quarter-finals and were drawn to play the Catalans Dragons at the Stade Gilbert Brutus.[83] Salford were ultimately knocked out of the 2025 Challenge Cup by Catalans during the quarter-final fixture.[84]
↑ Rugless was initially set to transfer to Salford on a permanent deal, however Salford was accused by Hunslet of signing Rugless 'without our involvement or consent' and the deal was changed to a two-week loan.[101]
1 2 By special dispensation of the RFL; minimum loan period is usually two weeks.
↑ Recalled by Wakefield ahead of their Round 27 fixture against Salford.[111]
↑ Bullock had previously been on loan to Barrow in April, however he was forced to pull out due to sustaining a lower leg injury.[127]
↑ Jackson, Will (30 May 2025). "St Helens' Konrad Hurrell joins League 1 club on loan after positive conversation". Serious About Rugby League. Retrieved 9 August 2025. Hurrell has been joined at Heywood Road by fellow Saints man Leon Cowen, who spent time with the Lions last season, and Salford Red Devils' Ethan Fitzgerald, with the latter joining on an initial five-week loan.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
