Solely trying to prevent a thread\exclusive from our resident Italian plumber:

The latest SS season ticket blurb states they are in negotiations to buy the AJ Bell stadium and are are also looking at a few (unnamed)sites in South Manchester to build a new stadium.

I think this is just spin to sell tickets, just like the Dr and his statements about buying the stadium (water parks, hotels etc)

Peel/Salford council believe they can eventually recoup their money by selling the plots around the stadium (which are worth less until they finish the bridge) , but they will not sell (certainly Salford Council) until they are able to say they got all their money back.

Anyone interested can find details of their blurb on their fans forum.

"We are in negotiations to buy the AJ Bell as we need to own and control where we play in order to be able to provide a match day experience that makes more fans want to attend regularly. We are working on several ways to improve the infrastructure surrounding the stadium although unfortunately we can't speed up the Metrolink work which is due to be completed in 2021/22.
"As an alternative to the A] Bell stadium we‘re looking at potential sites in South Manchester where we can build our own stadiumand while we have made some progress in this regard, it is too soon to go into any detail."

As they state they are in negotiations (which could be sales talk) , you ask with whom? Peel, Salford Council, or both? I cannot see Salford council signing a deal that puts Salford RLFC (in whatever incarnation) become homeless. Nor can I see the good Doctor not asking why he is not being involved in the negotiation as a part-tenant. Let's hope that they are rigorous and proactive.

However if Sale did take over, we'd need to remember how unprincipled Sale was over Solomona and their reputation in Stockport. I would fear for our future.

Thanks for the update. I think the southern Manchester comments are part of the negotiating stance.

The best thing the club can do is what it's doing. Growing in stature on and off the pitch. If we keep gaining momentum on the pitch and Blease keeps pushing off the field the way he's doing it keeps us in a strong position if these negotiations turn into something more solid. I wouldn't trust Sale as far as I could throw them. Look at the goings-on at Edgeley Park and how that impacted Stockport County for an indicator of how Sale goes about its business. Salford councils stake in all this will be crucial and wont want to see our Club homeless. Not out of the goodness of its heart, but because of money.

I think, as it stands currently, MK will also be a buffer for the Club. While he's here he wont be selling us down the river.

Personally i think Salford Council would sell the stadium to anyone if they could get the money they have spent back. As they cut services it has become a political hot potato,

Their exposure to the stadium is now about £15m and equal for Peel. When Marwan talked about buying the stadium he was suggesting £9m.

The council and Peel are relying heavily on selling the plots and indeed according to council reports they have been on the verge of closing numerous deals for each of the last 3 years.

The current owners of SS (who are different from the one who owned them and Edgely Park) are like MK involved in property development so as things stand I doubt they would pay the £30m Salford and Peel need. (My one caveat is that the CEO of allied London (who own spinningfields) is on the Board of SS)

However I cannot see a situation, if either buys the stadium, the other would be homeless. Why would either want to lose rent and revenue?

If the owners of SS did buy it, potentially it could be good for match day experience for us (not revenue), as they actually spend money improving things eg the Marquee was their addition, we now use, they have employed traffic consultants to manage carparks ( we could use),

Nothing is better than owning our own place, but maybe sports owners who spend their money making it better for their fans , can also make it better for us too.

As I said at the start, i predict they like Marwan, will decide the asking price is not currently worth paying.

As an aside, i also note from their forum they have upped the corporate/posh season ticket by £150 to about £900!

Was there any Sport England and/or covenants that might make a potential sale almost impossible (like there at our stadium in Hull [KCOM])

What makes you think Marwan as the type of money required to by the stadium?

He's got horses and property worth more, hasn't he?

He had a good spell of winners & maybe worth a bob or two but having the ability to buy the stadium

There is a difference in multi-millionaires with millions readily available in the bank or in liquid assets that can be quickly converted in to capital and multi-millionaires with most their money tied up in property and other non-liquid assets that take time to sell. As a property magnate and race horse owner I suspect that Marwan is one of the latter and would need to sell some other properties before he could buy the stadium

Surely his credit score would be high, he's the big cheese of SL along with Moran?

I would assume that the term "big cheese" is ironic; I am sure "big " would be used at RLHQ.

We must ask, why would he buy it? He has suggested an interest in the past but not recently. If he left Salford (and he has never alluded to being here permanently), it would be a millstone around his neck. He is a businessman and so would choose whether the outlay (financial and personal) would be worth the returns.

Sale is differentImagine what they would have got to include the 6 Nations ... not that the Beeb and ITV would give such up.[/i) Twickenham will be the venue for the games but there is always the possibility of Youth and Women's matches played elsewhere. Somewhere easily used by Cheshire, the Manchester area and Liverpool.

It's more in their interest to own such a stadium than the good Doctor's. I doubt the 'wealthy' RL would help him as much as RU would help Sale. Especially as the French RU have now attracted TV rights of over £300 million (for the top 14 clubs over 4 years) which will mean the English clubs will lose players to the wealthy French.

Very valid opinion, but IF Sale were to buy it, I don't see what kicking you (Salford, not you personally!) out would achieve, surely you could just continue to share it?

Agree: it is logical and makes sense.

My concern is from the history of Sale in Stockport (where I work). The opinion of County fans to the Sharks was, at best, robust, and often, vitriolic in the criticism levelled at their new owners. They felt that Sale tried to remove the identity and heritage of County and the phrase "bully" was frequently made.

It also comes from the stance of Rugby Union to Rugby League: I am not suggesting times have not hugely improved but I still get the whiff of objection to our existence from some quarters. Hopefully it is the decay of the horrible stance that I remember.

There is a long (and meandering) thread on VT of why RL has not taken off in Manchester. I do not want to revisit all of it here nor the definition of Manchester that took so many paragraphs. However it is obvious that Association Football has such a presence in the area that other sports struggle to intrude. Struggle is the phrase I chose as they have to work at keeping a occupancy in the media and in the mindset of the public. Today's Manchester Evening News has 7 pages for United and City (City played last night so would get 2/3 pages for the match) but only 7 paragraphs for Sale and a quarter of a page for the change to the RL Salary cap and Dr Koukash's reactions to that news. Lancashire cricket get half a page.

Any impediment to that presence which could come from a landlord (see Sale and Stockport above) will reduce the attraction of that club: Salford would suffer and it could start a terminal decline. Agreed with tact and a positive approach by Salford, it may not happen. But...

I think you have laid bear the issues & reason we are unable to grow the fan base. I would also add to your excellent comments, we no longer play rugby league in the schools, with football being played from a very early age at all levels, our game is really up against it.
If papers were to give our game wall to wall coverage & we had a fair crack in the schools, I am sure the game would grow, although I believe traditional rugby league areas are also facing the same issues.