Salford City Council has agreed a decision to take full ownership of the Salford Community Stadium from today
The decision to take full ownership will provide the council with full control of the stadium and its assets (currently Salford City Council owns 50%) with Peel Holdings owning the other half, car parking areas and training pitches, with the development land around the site which will give the council the ability to shape the future of the area.
The stadium, which is home to Salford Red Devils and Sale Sharks, officially opened in 2012 and has already hosted the Rugby League World Cup in 2013 and will be one of the venues for the Women’s Rugby World Cup on 2025.
Detailed negotiations with the stadium company joint owner and stadium stakeholders, along with detailed legal and financial due diligence, now are bringing the final steps close to completion say the council
Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett said: “I am delighted that we are nearing conclusion of months of painstaking discussions.
“After being a joint owner, the council is set to take the reins and full control of the stadium and surrounding site.
“This will enable the council to deliver its aims and aspirations agreed earlier this year as detailed in the Strategic Statement of Intent, while also moving us forward in delivering the original intentions of decision(s) taken back in 2009/10. This includes securing the council’s long-term interests by controlling future redevelopment and regeneration of the stadium facilities and adjacent development land.”
Mayor Dennett continued: “We’ll be able to recommit to deliver the initial vision of a community stadium for the city and its people. The future will be grounded in a new sports & leisure and rugby strategy, with links to activity, culture and health and wellbeing and fair access and opportunities. These benefits will go far beyond activities on the pitch, with full development of the site creating an anticipated 790 new jobs, delivering £28million worth of social value and attracting £65 million of private sector investment.
“The city’s heritage and rugby history will be safe now for future Salfordians. William Webb Ellis was born in Salford and we’re proud that the stadium is home to two important clubs, Salford Red Devils RLFC and Sale Sharks. We have celebrated the 150th historical and cultural contribution made by Salford Red Devils RLFC and the Salford Red Devils Foundation and championed Sale Sharks and the contribution the team has made locally since their move to the city in 2012. We are now looking to the next historical milestone and how this acquisition can continue to support both clubs.
“In a mission close to my heart, Salford Red Devils RLFC will retain their position playing in the City of Salford, which is why the Community Stadium was built in the first place all those years ago, along with it being a place to call home for Salford Reds and Sale Sharks.
“We have exciting plans to engage fans, community groups & grass-roots rugby clubs, schools, education providers and residents with the City’s Community Stadium, along with Sports England, the Rugby Football League (RFL), Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the Government, especially the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and the work currently being undertaken around the future of rugby within the UK.
“Both codes are thriving in the city at a grassroots level with teams including league clubs Folly Lane, Salford City Roosters, Langworthy Reds and Cadishead Rhinos as well as our other professional club Swinton Lions. The union game is represented by local clubs at De La Salle, Eccles and Broughton, combined represent the positive growth of rugby in Salford.
“There is huge potential to use rugby to increase participation rates in sport and as a vehicle to contribute to improving the health and wellbeing of local people of all ages through all forms of the game and the wider activities of the Red Devils charitable foundation, providing new skills and aspirations. The rugby league club and the foundation serve the city as a community club and already deliver a huge range of initiatives, including SEND activity provision for children during school holidays and as an organisation, has the power to inspire, creating a healthier, more active community.
“The realisation of the City of Salford’s Community Stadium is an important aspect of our cultural, heritage, sporting and leisure assets within the City and builds on decisions the Salford City Council has already taken to land the Royal Horticultural Society’s fifth National Garden (RHS:Bridgewater) and the BBC’s Philharmonic Orchestra within the City, in addition to delivering our much loved Lowry Theatre & Art Gallery back in 2000, who are an vital cultural institution within our city, also looking after and curating the LS Lowry collection within the City and through-out the world.”
