Salford boss Paul Rowley hopes for talent search in million people missed by RL
PAUL Rowley has another target after guiding Salford to a play-off place - more than one million people missed by rugby league.
And the Red Devils' stadium deal can start bringing benefits on the field as well as off it.
Salford City Council’s buyout of current partners Peel is set to unlock £150,000 a year of revenue just from food and beverages at the community ground.
SunSport also understands a number of commercial agreements, including at least one within the area’s Chinese community, are ready to go.
Then there is the income generated by an advertising screen that will be installed close to the neighbouring M60 motorway.
All that means money can be diverted away from paying the bills and placed into looking for talent in neighbouring boroughs like Manchester, Trafford, Stockport and Tameside – which have a combined population of more than 1.3 million people and hardly any rugby league footprint.
And Red Devils boss Rowley said: “Most definitely those areas are untapped markets.
“We all know it but it’s then about having the resources to mine that talent. What we can provide as a club and a sport is opportunity.
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“We might have to mine it harder and deeper to find ones that get missed, that just fit the shape and size of a rugby league player.
“But our club servicing the area is good for the area. It’s in the area’s interest to help the club out and give youngsters some role models, aspirations and opportunity.”
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Salford’s stadium deal will put the club on a much firmer footing after years of having to sell its best players to survive.
But that will not change the philosophy of making the most of people other clubs do not want, for the time being anyway.
Rowley added after Saturday's 58-4 hammering of Hull FC sealed a top six spot: “Not in the immediate future as at the minute, the stadium deal bears no fruit to us. They don ‘t give us the key plus a bag of money.
“This is a long-term plan and this is the start of a journey. It’ll require patience but at least there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
“For me, the immediate change I’d like to see is for our fans to identify with our club. Whether that be at a stadium that has more branding or more accessible events on matchday.
“And I’ve not spoken to those upstairs as we’ve got too much in at the minute!
“But it would be great that in five or 10 years’ time, it was a vibrant place to come and visit with things around it.”