Why Salford Red Devils should not change their name to Manchester. They are not from the city.
Club may change its identity after not attracting fans through the door
WHAT DO singers John Cooper Clarke, Ren Harvieu and Russell Watson have in common?
It’s the same thing as Ordsall Hall, MediaCity, Salford Lads Club and the place where Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels partially developed the Communist manifesto.
It is even the same thing as the Lowry Hotel, where England footballers and Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho stay.
It is the same thing as Salford Red Devils – they do not come from Manchester.
News the rugby league side may consider changing its name to Manchester has sparked outrage among supporters.
As Ian Watson’s men won at Wigan for the first time in 20 years, a massive flag reading, ‘Manchester never, Salford forever’ was unfurled.
And I have to say I agree with them.
Let me declare an interest. I was born and spent a lot of my childhood in Manchester – you cannot get much more central Manchester than being born at St Mary’s Hospital.
Having lived all my life in the borough of Tameside, I also know that rugby league has no real presence at all there. The same goes for two neighbouring boroughs – Stockport and Manchester.
Amateur rugby union clubs and schools give that game more of a presence than the 13-a-side code.
So why ditch more than a century of tradition and a city that is ever more proud of its status in favour of a place that virtually has no connection with the game?
A rumoured move to the Manchester Regional Arena – or in other words the stadium with the athletics track next to Manchester City’s ground – is also thought to be an option.
Salford has launched a fans’ survey to try and shape the future after poor crowds, even though they currently sit second in Super League.
There is no excuse for that, the 3,128 that watched the game against Widnes was pitiful, but if anything the club should be doing more on the fact they are not Manchester.
A music festival called Sounds From The Other City has been going more than a decade, non-league football club Salford City goes full-time next season and one of its owners, Ryan Giggs, grew up and lives in the city and has set up a restaurant there.
Any sign of any link-ups between any of those and Salford? Not publicly anyway.
Rugby union side Sale has attempted to make in-roads into Manchester. I remember attending an open training session held on the green at Spinningfields.
What logo appeared on the back of their shirts? Spinningfields and that, to me, is the way Salford should go.
It is not as if there are no multi-million pound businesses with bases in Salford. One of the biggest electrical and civil engineering firms, WSP, has a base in the city.
The staff at Salford work tirelessly behind the scenes to promote the club and bring in whatever money they can.
But Manchester should be used as a means to an end, not as the end itself. Especially when a name change would create such apathy among fans from all clubs.
