SALFORD CITY REDS chairman, John Wilkinson, called the rugby league club’s move from their original home at The Willows, Weaste, to a the brand new 12,00 seater stadium at Barton Bridge, a “dream come true” last month.
“They’ve even taken community out of the name,” said Kingston, referring to plans to originally name the stadium Salford Community Stadium, before it was changed to Salford City Stadium.
But with the club facing a £50,000 tax bill, and fans feeling deserted, could Wilkinson’s dream be turning into a nightmare?
Known to many as ‘Mr Salford’, Wilkinson was awarded an MBE in 2005 for his services to the city, but his dream come true has come under criticism of late, as the true cost of the move is becoming apparent.
More than 5,000 spectators turned out to watch The Reds first Super League game at Salford City Stadium earlier this month, but the club’s chief executive, Dave Tarry, admits they need to increase their average attendance to 8,000 for the season in order to balance the books.
Meanwhile, back in Weaste, The Willows’ life has come to an end, and local Salford City Reds fans are missing their old match-day routine. So where, exactly, is Wilkinson going to find his extra 3,000 fans per week?
Steve Kingston, Editor of The Salford Star, suggests that rather than excitingly rushing to Barton to watch The Reds, many fans have actually been put off going to support the club since the move.
“A lot of the people I’ve spoken to in the community have said the new stadium is soulless. I’ve heard people complaining that they can’t get there, and I’ve even heard people saying they’re not going to bother going anymore,” he said.
Fans can get a bus to stadium, but it takes 30 minutes from Salford Shopping City, or over 40 minutes from the city centre, and doesn’t drop you off at the stadium. Hardly appealing after you’ve met your mates in the local pub for a pre-match pint.
Fans can, of course, drive to the match. The stadium offers over 600 free parking spaces – unless you want to park on a match day that is, when you have to pay property developer Peel Group £5.50 for the privilege.
Fans also have to buy their parking tickets at the stadium (or online through Ticketline) before 10pm the night before the game – a bizarre system meaning all fans have to do in order to reduce the hassle of getting to the stadium, is get there twice.
However, Stadium Manager, Pam, confirmed that plans were in place to build a taxi rank for Salford black cabs at Salford City Stadium. She said: “Salford black cabs have access to the ground and a new taxi rank will be opened right outside the reception of the stadium in the near future.”
Tarry, who has played down the tax bill as a ‘storm in a teacup’, seems unconcerned with the disillusion of his much-needed fan base, snarling that: "A sport’s club having a small issue with the Inland Revenue is not exactly earth-shattering news.”
Tell that to Glasgow Rangers fans.
The Willows When It Hosted Sport
The wider picture of this move, however, goes beyond the implications for Salford City Reds Rugby Club, to the impact on the community it has left behind.
Community facilities are being taken away from Salford, and some of the locals have a right to feel short-changed.
“Normally when projects like this are built, the community is given some kind of free access, practice pitches or facilities like that,” said Kingston. “But at Salford City Stadium, people will have to pay a commercial rate to use the facilities.”
The impact stretches to local business like pubs and shops. Peel Group have plans to build retail complexes in the surrounding areas of the stadium, but all that does is force punters to spend their pre-match money away from their struggling local community.
“They’ve even taken community out of the name,” said Kingston, referring to plans to originally name the stadium Salford Community Stadium, before it was changed to Salford City Stadium.
The Willows is still owned by Salford City Reds, but the club is yet to announce any plans to re-develop the site.
Salford City Council say they have received no submissions for planning permission from the club as yet, and there are currently no major plans for the general re-generation of Weaste.
Warrington Wolves proved that moving to a bigger stadium can be a sporting triumph when they left Wilderspool for the Halliwell Jones Stadium in 2003, but if Salford City Reds are to emulate that success, the club needs to convince the fans it has left behind in Weaste to join the party, and quickly.
