Former Salford Red Devils chief executive Chris Irwin has insisted the club ‘will never die’ after the 152-year-old outfit was wound up at a specialist companies court on Wednesday over an unpaid tax bill to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. The brief, one-minute hearing brought an immediate end to the club’s corporate existence and prompted the Rugby Football League to terminate Salford’s membership straight away. The Red Devils had been relegated from Super League following a turbulent 2025 season.
Irwin, who is leading one of several interested consortiums, said the court decision closes a painful chapter but does not spell the end for rugby league in Salford. ‘Today marks the end of what has been a turbulent year for fans of Salford Red Devils, its stakeholders and its partners,’ he said. ‘We all knew it was coming – the inevitable was prolonged. But it’s not the end. The club, its fans, its community will never die.’
He added that his group has already begun talks with prospective coaches, players and other staff, and has been drawing up a sustainable business plan for a phoenix club. An RFL board meeting scheduled for Thursday could rapidly approve a pathway for a new Salford club to compete in the 2026 Championship season.
Salford’s 2025 campaign was overshadowed by financial problems: repeated late wage payments, a failure to fulfil a fixture following a mass player exodus, and the departure of head coach Paul Rowley to Super League rivals St Helens.
Irwin said a consortium, to be named in due course, has been working behind the scenes to produce a realistic plan to rebuild the club. Conversations have already begun with a prospective head coach, staff and potential players to form the core of a new team.
Salford are due to begin the 2026 season against local rivals Oldham on January 16, and the aim is for a newly formed club to take the place vacated by the liquidated Red Devils. The winding-up petition was first filed in June and adjourned several times to allow the debt to be settled; the club was not represented at Wednesday’s hearing. An RFL spokesperson said the board will meet to set out the process for new club ownership following the court decision.