Salford Red Devils coach addresses Sydney Roosters takeover links and rebrand talk

Salford boss Paul Rowley believes a potential takeover of the Red Devils by NRL giants Sydney Roosters is ‘certainly interesting’, but insists a rebrand ‘wouldn’t go down very well at all’.

Over the last 24 hours or so, reports have circulated that the Roosters are interested in purchasing financially-stricken Super League side Salford.

Those reports came on the back of a segment from leading NRL journalist Michael Chammas on the ‘100% Footy’ TV show Down Under.

The takeover talk has received mixed reviews, largely because the NRL side are believed to want to rebrand the Red Devils to the ‘Manchester Roosters’ to tap into the wider market that the city of Manchester offers as opposed to the city of Salford.

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Salford Red Devils coach addresses Sydney Roosters takeover links and rebrand talk

Any takeover by the Roosters won’t be happening unless the NRL themselves take control of Super League, with that another ideology that has been mooted for a number of years.

But during his pre-match press conference ahead of their game against Hull KR at Magic Weekend, Salford head coach Rowley was still asked about the potential of the Roosters taking charge of the club he will become Director of Rugby of next year.

The 50-year-old said: “It’s certainly interesting. I had that article sent to me, and there were some knowledgeable, well-decorated people discussing it.

“I’m not aware of any detail and I couldn’t give you any insight into whether there is any truth in that from our side.

“I probably read it and just sit here with as much knowledge as you (the media), but I can’t deny that it’s very interesting.

“For me, whatever preserves the team and the club in its current guise for the supporters and for everybody here, I’m happy.”

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‘We’re cut through the middle Salford and we’re very proud of that… to relinquish that, I don’t think that would go down very well at all’

Leigh-born Rowley has been in charge of Salford since the start of the 2022 campaign. When he took charge of the Red Devils, it was his first head coach role since being at the helm of Canadian expansion outfit Toronto Wolfpack.

When asked about the potential of a rebrand at Salford through the Roosters, he responded: “I’m a part of a team and a club that’s very proud of its heritage and very proud of its name.

“Adopting ‘Manchester’ commercially is a very sensible business decision on a corporate level.

“You look at Sale Sharks and they are the rugby union team of the north. As you know, in Toronto, ‘We The North’ is the strapline.

“We can be the north (at Salford), that’s for sure, I think adopting the north is fantastic.

“Adopting Manchester is fantastic, but we’re very much cut through the middle Salford and we’re very, very proud of that.

“To relinquish that, I don’t think that would go down very well at all.”

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