Salford Red Devils consortium releases ‘bold vision’ as deadline for bids passes

A consortium led by former Salford Red Devils CEO Chris Irwin is one of three to have formally submitted an application to take on the club’s playing licence in 2026 – with his team insisting they have a ‘bold vision’ to restore the club to its former glory.

Irwin’s ‘End Zone Limited’ bid has been formally submitted to the Rugby Football League on Thursday, along with two more consortia who beat the deadline. Those bids come from a consortium featuring ex-Salford Red Devils winger Mason Caton-Brown, and another from Tracy Atiga.

In a statement, Irwin’s team confirmed they are in the running for the club, with a decision to be announced by the governing body next Wednesday following a thorough process to determine the right owners for Salford going into 2026.

And they said while they believe their bid is strong, they would have no issues supporting another consortia if they were to be chosen instead.

They wrote: “Today, we’re proud to have submitted our formal application in full to the Rugby Football League. Our application provides a bold vision for the future of professional rugby league in the city of Salford, a bold vision that ensures that Salford Rugby League can thrive for the next 152 years and beyond.

“Our application has been months in the making, we are grateful to all those who have contributed to its formulation. Our thanks to the stakeholders, commercial partners and suppliers who have endorsed us.

“The future of our historic club is now in the custody of the RFL. We have every faith that our application is strong in every respect, however, our ultimate concern is that there is a Salford team for fans to cheer, children to aspire to play for and to be a foundation stone to our communities.

“In this vain, if there is an application stronger than our own then we will be there to support it wholeheartedly. This Club Will Never Die.”