Ryan Brierley watched Salford fans help raise more than £100K in less than a week and insisted: “It doesn’t surprise me.”
The Red Devils aim to become Betfred Super League’s first wholly community-owned club through their ‘Reds Rise Together’ campaign. The community share offer allows an individual to purchase a share in Salford’s holding company - now a Community Benefit Society – and enables fans to vote at the AGM and stand for election to join its board. The extra investment will help boost chances of being competitive more consistently in Super League but also improve chances of fulfilling IMG criteria for a Category A grading.
In-form Red Devils full-back Brierley, a childhood Salford fan, was delighted by the positive reaction to the scheme. He said: “It is brilliant. Because I’ve been amongst Salford fans, I know how much the club means to the people. And I always say, they’re my people as well. It’s a great honour and privilege to see the fans supporting the club but I expect no less. I know how good they are. It’s not come as a shock to me as I know how much they value the club.”
Salford are not traditionally a cash-rich club and have often needed to fight hard to compete with the elite. But they have turned a corner recently, being able to retain Man of Steel Brodie Croft on a long-term deal and tie-down England internationals like Kallum Watkins and Andy Ackers. On the support they’ve received, Brierley added: “It’s a pleasure to be a part of and not just because they’ve become owners and passed the 100K mark.
“I’m always proud to represent this club and this just adds another notch on the belt about why I came here in the first place. It vindicates that decision and justifies everyone’s decision to play under Paul Rowley and the coaching staff here, and more importantly - going forward - a community-owned team which is pretty special.”
Salford currently sit fifth ahead of Friday’s trip to Leeds. Scotland international Brierley, 31, added: “We've a great set of lads and we know we’re on the brink of something special. But it’s probably needed this little injection to take us to that next level and enable the growth of the club. We’ve broken the mould now by keeping hold of Brodie Croft and retaining so many of this star-studded team. It was just this next level we needed to enable us to compete sustainably over a longer period of time.”
