Salford Red Devils has confirmed it is under new ownership after a consortium led by businessman Dario Berta has completed the sale of the Rugby League club.
Following extensive talks with stakeholders from the Community Benefit Society (CBS) and Salford City Council, Berta, CEO of Matanel, an investment bank that specialises in real estate investment, completed a full 100% purchase of the club which has been approved by the CBS.
Berta said: “I’d like to express my gratitude to Paul King and the existing team within the CBS who have led the club in recent years from celebrating its 150th anniversary, a Betfred Super League Grand Final and Challenge Cup Final, as well as navigating the club through tricky periods such as COVID.
“This is the start of a very bright and successful future for Salford Red Devils. I’m very proud to be involved, and with Chris at the helm, I feel like we have the perfect opportunity to build something special. Our focus and dedication now is to work together with stakeholders and fans to build sustainable success on and off the pitch for the long term.”
Chris Irwin, former Chief Commercial Officer of Salford Red Devils and more recently Exeter City Football Club, has been appointed as the club’s new Chief Executive Officer.
Furthermore, the new owners have confirmed it has cleared the current debt of the Red Devils and will aim to deliver additional investment for the future growth of the club.
The consortium has revealed it is currently under the process of recruiting new internal management to overhaul the structure of the club in order to help the club to reach the heights it did in 2019, when it reached the Super League Grand Final, ultimately losing to St Helens.
Irwin met with Coach Paul Rowley, Assistant Coach Kurt Haggerty and the current men’s first team squad last week at the Salford Community Stadium, to confirm the club restructure and stadium redevelopment.
Paul Dennett, Salford City Mayor, added: “I’m very happy to welcome Dario Berta to Salford and look forward to working closely together to see an exciting future for Salford Red Devils, building on the successes of the last five years.”
