New Salford Rugby League Club Granted Championship Place for 2026 After Red Devils Collapse

A new Salford rugby league club has been granted Championship membership for the 2026 season, just three weeks after the historic Salford Red Devils were wound up.

The Rugby Football League confirmed that a consortium led by former Salford player Mason Caton-Brown has been selected from three “high-quality” bids to take the club forward. The successful proposal was submitted under the banner of Salford RLFC Ltd and was praised by the RFL for its long-term vision.

In a statement, the governing body said the bid “demonstrated a clear commitment to sustainable governance, financial responsibility and long-term stability”, key factors in the decision to award Championship status.

Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester earlier this month, Caton-Brown said plans were already in place to build a competitive squad, with a head coach and players lined up, although preparations now face a tight turnaround ahead of a proposed season opener against Oldham on 16th January.

“We’ve already got a few agreements with some players and should this bid be successful we can turn them into concrete agreements,” he said at the time. “I’m really confident we can get a full squad out on our first game. We’ve got a coach lined up and he’s really enthusiastic and ready to go.”

The decision follows the High Court ruling on 3 December that brought an end to the 152-year-old Salford Red Devils after a chaotic year marked by financial problems, delayed wages, heavy defeats and a mass departure of players. The club’s Super League status for 2026 had already been lost before its liquidation.

Despite the collapse of the original club, optimism quickly grew that a phoenix organisation could be formed to represent Salford in the second tier. Among the rival bids was a consortium involving former Salford chief executive Chris Irwin, and the RFL said it hoped those unsuccessful groups could still work alongside Caton-Brown’s team in a “mutually beneficial way”.

RFL interim chief executive Abi Ekoku said the strength of the proposals underlined the city’s commitment to the sport. She added that the decision was made possible by the support of Salford City Council and stadium operators CosCos, and was taken with the long-term interests of the club, its community and rugby league firmly in mind.

The new Salford side now faces a race against time to finalise staffing, player recruitment and preparations ahead of their anticipated return to Championship action in 2026.