At present the main area the club appear to be concentrating on is East and South Manchester. There are development officers in those areas and new teams with juniors have been formed.The remit from the RFL was that Salford should spread the game to Manchester and this is what they are trying to do.
This unfortunately has a detrimental effect on the Core area in Salford.
Our local teams are suffering and the interest in the game is dwindling especially in the schools.
I know of only three in the area who have RL on the school sport curriculum.
We need to get kids interested and playing the game.
This should be at an early age where tag rugby is a good introduction.
Salford should be helping with schools coaching and also holding sessions at local clubs.
If you do not get the kids interested then the sport will become more of a minority pastime and we will never see that next Salford Born England playing scrum half.

I am sure the Rugby League would be interested in this because Wigan are poaching out of their development area by doing this, Salford have been warned about going into Oldham by the rugby league.
Salford do have a development team lead by John Blackburn.

I went into the shop with an idea a while back. I'd be interested to know what people think. The idea was kids parties. I had recently paid £8 a kid (15 kids) for a party in one of these soft play centres and it gave me the idea. Kids would get an hour on the pitch with a player (whether it be first team or academy) and half an hour to an hour for food, candle blowing out etc. Each child would get a party bag containing maybe a key ring or badge, some sweets, novelty toys and a golden angel tickets. The benefits would be:-

1. No outlay - all costs would be factored in to the cost to the customer.
2. Profit - obviously
3. 15 kids (or however many come to the party) take a ticket home for the next game, bringing guests with them, increasing the attendance for that game and if they enjoy it future attendances.
4. Promote the game to kids who might find they like it and /or are good at it and seek out a local club.
5. Those 15 kids will have so much fun playing rugby with the likes of Luke Adamson then they will also have their party there too with maybe a different set of kids starting the whole process again.

Negatives - I can't think of any. The club really has nothing to lose.

Whether this idea got past the door of the shop or not is anyone's guess but i'd be interested to know what others think.

Chrismum all these years and now you are a genius



great idea,









plus at christmas McRae not doing a lot we could rent him out as Santa no padding needed.

great idea i would of loved the opertunity to have done this when i was a kid if it did happen i nw where my kids birthday parties will be at for the next 3 years

Fantastic idea.



Mods - Anyway we can stop supporters from other clubs pinching this idea?

They did something like this at a young supporters meeting a few years back.
The kids went on the pitch training with the players and they all loved it.
A similar thing was also done at a CO-OP set up with Robbie Paul, again this went down a storm.
So these things do work and the club should be looking into things like what Chris' mum says.
Since Trish went the emphasis on the younger supporters has gone and there is now nothing.
The club would probably put it down to Health and Safety etc etc

Pleased with the positive response. I might give it another try at the club - bypass the shop this time though. Anyone know who is best to approach about this?

you should be marketing director

Trish' replacement the new Marketing guy (sorry I donot know his name)
would be the best bet

What did he say?? I missed the interview

Me also.

Well done chrismum , great idea.

Ask to speak to Adam - his remit is to increase attendances

thanks Early Bath I'll do that.

The name of the marketing guy is Adam Jude, who coincidentally played for our academy in that first year alongside me and The Butcher. Adam also hails from Warrington and was brought down by Kevin Tamati.

I am one of those aforementioned Salford born and bred academy players who didn't go on to greater things at the club. But what an honour it was to pull on the Red jersey and fulfil a boyhood dream of playing at the Willows. we need to have more kids who dream like this but probably of playing at Barton now!

I was disappointed to hear the clubs that all those lads who were introduced to the crowd last friday. Not one of them from the Salford area. I feel that we have shot ourselves in the foot a bit over the years. There is a problem with not enough players to go around all the amateur clubs.

This was always a problem when I was in youth rugby at Langworthy. We have a situation where we get some players spread across clubs and not enough at any of them to make a team in some age groups. Surley Salford City Reds should be coordinating this under the umbrella of Salford rugby development area rather than leaving it up to well meaning amateurs who have other jobs and pressures and don't have the back up structure. It really is a constant battle.... and I know cos I've done and continue to do so in my job as a teacher.

We have a bunch of cheerleaders which seems to grow by the day. Red Hot flames, fire starters, mini-fire starters, tiny little sparklers. We have more cheerleaders than fans. Why? Because there's only one group which have the support of the club and subsequently a high profile. If youth rugby was coordinated by the club maybe we would get a stronger base to build from. Those who make the grade are straight into the academy, those who just miss out can then be signed by the amateur clubs open age teams maybe.

Think we are picking up a reputation for being the club who will promote youth to the full squad if the talent is there, Adamson, Ratchford being two , both are Wigan based I think , We have had quality youngsters from the Salford/Manchester Area - Dennis Betts , Adrian Morley, Callum Watkins. They were all snapped up by 'Bigger Clubs'. Jason Robinson , one of Wigans greatest finds was actually a Hunslet Boys player, Some of Warrington's best young playersicon_razz.gifaul Sculthorpe / Iestyn Harris were poached from Oldham. If those players presented last week come good, wear the red shirt with pride that'll do for me

Absolutely middleman, I don't dispute that. We are bound to need players from other areas. Malcolm Alker is a wigan lad who has made Salford his adopted City. Another was the great Chris Hesketh.

What i am getting at is it would be nice and great for the club if we could get some lads in the team who hail from Salford. Of course they must be of the very best quality but it would serve to inspire our youth in the City to aspire to greater things than knocking round the streets.

The most successful and vibrant RL club over the years has been Wigan. They have always had a strong contingent of Wigan lads in the team. Their decline has coincided with the diluting of the local element in their team. It was almost like the heart had been taken away from the Wigan team and only with the likes of the Tomkins brothers and Ainscough in the side do they even start to look like they could get back to that level again.

7 of Wigans team who played last week were either Kolpak or Aussie.It is a sad state of affairs when a rugby League heartland like Wigan can not get more local players in their team. Still we profit from it.

Basically said the move will happen.
He was not for the college partnership but it appears Peel are so they have the sway in these things.
Was annoyed that rumours were flying around (and he did state forums so I guess he means this) which had no truth whatsoever.
So in short the new stadium will happen, it will be later than planned, which partners will be involved is stillopen to discussion but the college still looks the most likeley.

Ta for that PR

Possibility that the legend Chris Hesketh will be at the game tonight, & maybe a couple of our other past players.
The club are setting up a past players ass. to merge with the Red Devils Ass. & we are trying to contact as many of Salford's ex players to get involved with an open invitatin to all home games.
Keith Fielding will probably joining us at the Wakefield & H.K.R games along with other legends. Will keep you informed.

Would that be Langii's by any chance

running late shirl?

I attend the development meetings that Salford regularly hold with amatuer clubs. Eccles didn't attend the last one i did...

Salford now have SLAs with amatuer teams in the area, as signed by Cadishead tonight.



As said, Salford now have SLAs with amatuer teams - this guarantees a level of service from the club over the course of a season to help the amatuer team develop (e.g. see tonights programme and feature on cadishead).

To quash a common misconception...Salford put more effort into Salford than the other development areas. Meet the team, and you realise how many are active in Salford and that the 'manchester' or 'trafford' officer is just one person in each case (with funding obtained from outside of the clubs direct budget). The club does work in a lot of schools...what is lacking, and i'm sure amatuer clubs in salford would agree...is volunteers at amatuer clubs to help be the 'destination' after salford's work. salford rlfc cannot "be" a replacement for amatuer teams and their work and it's the joining up which needs work.

My suggestion to any fan wanting to see the development of the game, and if you want to make a difference, is ring langworthy reds, or folly, or eccles, or any one of the ten clubs listed in each programme with numbers (including my side - Bury Broncos) and offer your services...Salford are investing, but it needs a well (volunteer) resourced amatuer base too.