BY JOHN DAVIDSON
Ryan Brierley understands the criticism of his appointment as CEO of Salford RLFC, given his lack of experience, but insists he is learning and knows what the club and its fans need.
Brierley has hung up his boots after 14 years as a professional rugby league player to become the chief executive of new club Salford RLFC. The Championship outfit has taken on the RFL license after the Red Devils went bust in December.
At the age of 33, and with no previous experience running a club, he is possibly the youngest CEO in the sport. But the former fullback and halfback has worked as an agent in women’s football, with his company The Players Player, and as a pundit in rugby league.
“I understand the comments, they’re completely fair,” Brierley told rugbyleaguehub.com Long Reads.
“I suppose the caveat to it is that I am trying to learn. Obviously, I’ve run my own sports business now for nearly five years.
“I’ve been a player and been affiliated with the club, I know the club inside out and its needs and what fans want.
“My willingness to engage and complete two degrees, one in sports management and one in sports directorship, I’m trying.
“I get the comments in regards to experience, but I’m really committed to educating myself further and hoping I’m successful.”
Brierley has also seen firsthand how not to run a front office, after experiencing the issues at Salford in 2025 and for the three years he spent with Toronto Wolfpack.
“I’ve been given some decent exposure to how things shouldn’t be run. But it’s a really tough position to be in, because when I was burnt before with regards to Toronto stuff, when this with Salford started to happen around November/December time there was probably one player who was skeptical, and it was me.
“It was hard for me to engage authentically and emotionally with it because I’d seen all that before. And when the late payments came, the excuses about different countries, Swiss banks, Australian banks, Swiss bank holidays, Australian bank holidays, I’d heard all that before.
“Dave Argyle at Toronto used all those excuses before, so I’d seen it all before. I had a red flag and I warned the boys before the first Hull KR game that we wouldn’t get paid on that Thursday. I felt that would happen.
“And anyway, lo and behold, when we woke up that Thursday morning we hadn’t been paid. So I felt like I had a good accuracy of predicting certain things and being less surprised when it did happen.
“Also being a spokesperson for the playing group, I found it really difficult at times when we’re trying to be positive to complete a game, or get ready for a game, just giving the lads the reality of the situation so they go and look after themselves, and get themselves sorted.
“Because I never saw this ending the right way. It was always going that way.
“But it’s hard, as much as the hardship is there in that situation, I felt like I was in a good position to evaluate, because it had happened to me before. So I’m almost grateful now for those situations, how not to do things.”
Brierley concedes it was not a difficult decision to retire because he fell out of love with playing after what happened at the Red Devils last year.
He started his career at Castleford’s academy before making his debut at Leigh in 2012. Brierley had stints with the Centurions, Huddersfield, Toronto Wolfpack, Hull KR, Salford and Oldham, making more than 300 first-team appearances and also playing nine Tests for Scotland.
“The decision to retire came a lot easier to retire than I thought it would,” he admitted.
“I lost my love last year quite a bit for playing, with obviously what happened at Salford. I tried to reignite a fire, and it had gone.
“I loved my time at Oldham – the boys were great, the staff were great, but if I said I was looking forward to playing this season I’d a been lying. I had a bigger purpose to play, a bigger part to play in this.
“Ultimately, that’s where it came from. I just felt I needed to use my platform and my profile to help the club I love so much.”
Brierley revealed he was offered a job in Salford Red Devils’ commercial team last year, which never came, and only officially joined the Salford RLFC consortium recently.
“I only joined it real late,” he explained.
“All last year Paul King was offering me a commercial job, and it never came. Even when I was leaving, I was saying well put that contract in front of me. And then once when the money drops I’ll come back – and it never did.
“So I joined the consortium late. John Wilkinson [Former Salford owner] spoke to me and said he’d love for me to get involved with Salford, and put me in touch with the lads.”
Brierley is working hard to put together a team and a staff for the club’s season opener at home against Oldham on January 16. He admits it has been extremely difficult, with some agents refusing to deal with the new club as they are still owed money by the old club.
“As an agent myself, I get it, but it’s got nothing really to do with us,” he said.
“I’m owed four or five months’ pension money myself, my wages were short a few months.”
“We’re desperate for loans from Super League clubs, and they’ve been brilliant. They’ve been offering me players.
“We’re at the bottom of the mountain, so we’ve just got to get what we can.”