Supporters take control of Salford City Reds
A consortium of supporters has taken control of rugby league club Salford City Reds from the now former owner Marwan Koukash.
A new not-for-profit holding company, Salford RD Holdings has taken ownership of the Betfred Super League club, according to its website.
The Rugby Football League (RFL) has approved the deal which sees ownership pass to the ambitious consortium, which has been established to represent fans and the Salford community.
The four members of the board of Salford RD Holdings are all long-standing supporters of the club. The posting on the website said they would bring “commercial experience and a clear vision to return the club to financial sustainability, building on its historical links to the city and community of Salford”.
The board members are Andrew Rosler, owner of Ideal Corporate Solutions Ltd, a Bolton-based insolvency practice; Asif Latief, marketing director at A-Plant, a plant and tool hire specialist; Hannah Fendall, senior associate at Williamson & Croft, a Manchester professional services and accountancy practice; and Dawn Fidler, the founder and chief executive of The Joshua Wilson Brain Tumour Charity.
Rosler said: “This is truly an historic day for our Club, as the new ownership structure puts the control of the club into the hands of the supporters.
“As a new board we can’t wait to get down to business – I am sure we are at the beginning of a really exciting period in the club’s history and we look forward to working in collaboration with the supporters, businesses and the wider community of Salford to bring long overdue success to the club.”
After the deal was completed Koukash tweeted: “It has been a very emotional day signing away the club I love but I know it is the right thing for the future of the club to do. We ( fans ) need to make this work by getting behind the new board . If you have not purchased your ST, do that tomorrow.”
Legal advice to the consortium was provided by the Manchester-based sports team at national law firm Shoosmiths led by partner Richard Millington. Philip Stevenson of law firm KBL acted for the consortium in respect of its agreements with Marwan Koukash and the RFL.
