Marwan Koukash wants to take a Salford game to Old Trafford
Friday 5 May 2017 11:05, UK
Salford owner Marwan Koukash insists the club have no plans to leave the AJ Bell Stadium but says he would love to take a game to either Old Trafford or the Etihad Stadium.
The club have launched a large-scale consultation process with fans and sponsors after watching crowds plummet despite the team flying high in Super League.
After avoiding relegation with a dramatic extra-time victory over Hull KR last September, Ian Watson's men have climbed to third in the table after winning eight of their opening 12 matches but their crowd for the visit of Widnes last Sunday was just 3,128.
In response to the worrying attendances, the club have brought in former Bradford and New Zealand star Robbie Hunter-Paul to undertake what they say will be the largest research project in club's 144-year history.
The level of support is less than when I came in four years ago so something is not right and we need to find out why and what we can do to reverse the trend.
That could result in a rebranding, for example as Manchester Red Devils, in order to broaden the club's appeal and Koukash says he will consider a scheme to share ownership with supporters but he insists the future remains at the AJ Bell Stadium they share with rugby union club Sale Sharks.
"There are no plans to move stadiums at all," said Koukash.
"It's not perfect but, when the new road goes in in October, it will make it the most accessible in Super League because it will link the stadium with the Trafford Centre and people could park their cars there and it's no more than a five-minute walk.
"It would be nice to take one or two games from the stadium to the wider area of Greater Manchester - it would a dream for us to play one game at either Etihad or Old Trafford. There are 15,000 to 20,000 people from the Manchester area who go to the Grand Final.
"We are looking to explore all opportunities and see what the best option is moving forward in order to grow the club off the field.
"We have by far the lowest home support and we need to see why that is. We have a fantastic team. I'm not saying we're going to win something this year but at least we're not going to be in the Million-Pound Game.
"We've made huge strides and are playing very attractive rugby. We fully deserve to be in the top four but against Widnes the home support level was just above 2,200 which is not enough to sustain a Super League club.
"The level of support is less than when I came in four years ago so something is not right and we need to find out why and what we can do to reverse the trend."
