Salford saga set to end before Christmas as next steps explained with major group dropping out

Salford Red Devils supporters will finally find out who will acquire of the old club’s playing licence in the next 48 hours, with their new owners set to be unveiled before Christmas and the race down to just one of two consortia. 

The Rugby Football League confirmed last week that their initial deadline for an announcement of Wednesday would pass without any successful reveal regarding which of the three consortia would take control of the newly-formed Red Devils’ licence.

That licence is essential to enter the Championship in 2026 and after a longer than expected process following concerns over a stadium agreement, the governing body will decide in the next two days: before the break for Christmas.

That is significant for Salford, who start the Championship season in just 25 days at the time of writing. Plans to put together an entire squad and coaching team have been going on behind the scenes with both consortia left standing.

Those teams are the bid driven by former CEO Chris Irwin and which encompasses player agent Graeme Taylor. Several of Taylor’s players are believed to have verbally agreed to sign should that consortia get the nod. 

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The other is being led by former Salford winger Mason Caton-Brown, who has already confirmed verbal agreements with players and an as-yet unidentified head coach. The Irwin bid is also understood to have secured its prospective head coach for 2026.

That ensures both teams are not starting from scratch as and when an announcement is made. As was revealed over the weekend, the bid that involved Tracy Atiga is now out after they were unable to financially commit to the terms of a stadium deal.

Sources at the governing body have told Love Rugby League they accept timeframes are extremely tight and understood the frustration over the delay. But there is a determination to ensure the decision is the right one following the disaster that unfolded earlier this year following the takeover of the Salford club that has now been ordered into liquidation. 

There has also been no decision at the RFL yet about possible sporting sanctions for Salford. Unlike Featherstone Rovers, who will accrue some level of points deduction for entering administration, the fact this is a new company that will take on the playing licence of Salford means it is far less likely that they will incur a deduction, though not guaranteed at this stage.

However, they will likely have to enter with the lowest amount of central funding, significantly less than £50,000, as they are regarded as the lowest-ranked club in the professional pyramid. Both ownership groups bidding for the licence are aware of that decision and have factored it in their decision-making and financial projections.