BY JOHN DAVIDSON
Salford head coach Paul Rowley admits he is unsure what his own future holds at the Red Devils, and if he will coach the team in the Championship next year, but is confident that the club will survive in one form or another.
Salford played their last game of the Super League season on Friday, going down 52-16 to Wakefield. The Red Devils are still in crisis with ongoing financial and ownership issues, and face a court date on October 29 over a tax bill of more than half a million pounds to HMRC.
Salford is expected to be relegated to the Championship in 2026, after the club decided against applying to enter the expanded 14-team Super League competition for next year.
In October last year it was announced that Rowley would be moving into a director of rugby role at Salford in 2026, with assistant coach Kurt Haggerty taking over as head coach. But Haggerty left to join Bradford as head coach this month and Rowley conceded he doesn’t know if he will coach the team in the second tier.
“I’ve got a contract as football director but a lot of things have changed since them days,” he said.
“I wouldn’t commit either way at this point, I’m just trying to get it over the finish line and the next thing to happen will be the clarity and see where the club’s at and all those other questions before I’ll be making decisions, or having thoughts on things that might never happen, or might happen.
“It’s too many ifs, buts and maybes and half questions.”
The Red Devils only have nine full-time players contracted for 2026 and are not allowed by the RFL to sign any new players until their financial problems are resolved.
“We can’t sign any players because we’re still under the restrictions,” Rowley confirmed.
The 50-year-old said whether Salford competes in Super League or the Championship next year is not something he has been concentrating on.
“I’m of the opinion of what will be, will be,” he said.
“To me, it’s not the most important thing at the moment, the most important thing is the Salford Red Devils. I’m trying to do it in order that things will drop.
“You would hope that something [the bridging loan] drops imminently and if not, it will be HMRC day and then that will start giving some clarity one way or the other. And then you can start worrying about stuff like that.
“It’s almost irrelevant at this moment in time, compared to the bigger issues that come before it.”
However, Rowley is confident that whatever happens at the club with its current owners and money problems, Salford will continue to exist in some form and in some division.
“I’m confident that whatever happens on that HMRC day that there will be Salford Red Devils,” he said.
“There’s 150 years of history, there’s people in this city who care deeply about the club. There’s people in this city who are well-resourced – basically, have money – who care about this club, and ultimately that’s what it needs.
“One way or the other, whether it’s in the current ownership, a new ownership, I’m pretty confident… I’m very confident that there will be a Salford Red Devils club to support.
“That’s my opinion though, I don’t have substance behind that. That’s just my opinion. Maybe I’ve learnt to be a bit more positive this year.
“You might say I’m a bit daft, but it’s a better way than thinking the worst all the time. I’ve certainly got my fingers crossed.”
The Red Devils’ next challenge will be completing their monthly payroll, which is due this week on September 25.
Asked what message he gave to his players at full-time on Friday, Rowley said: “These boys will be all going back to their own clubs so it’s a very unique situation.
“My reaction is one of gratitude and commitment to their effort really, and the times in the year we got whalloped two or three times during the year, and there was a time there where it looked like we wouldn’t get to the end.
“But spirits came back and this group has a lot of spirit, so and shown glimpses that this club is a fighting club and every player that’s put on the jersey has fought really hard, for the supporters, I must say.
“We speak a lot about the supporters and the privilege that we have, so they were very honored and proud to wear the shirt.”