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Sale have changed their stance regarding the AJ Bell and rather than seek to move the club elsewhere, as was planned last year when they teased out plans to build a new ground in Manchester, they are now negotiating to buy outright the stadium where they are currently playing. Their altered thinking has emerged in a Q&A posted on the Sharks website with CEO Sid Sutton, who outlined what Sale want to do and why owning their own ground is so important in the current climate.
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Let’s start with a bit of background – how did Sale get to this point?
“It has been an ambition of this club for a long time to own our stadium and to have a place to call home. We want a home with a brilliant atmosphere that the fans love to come to, and we want a stadium we are in control of. One of the options we looked at was building a new stadium at the Crossford Bridge Playing Fields, in Sale, but the Trafford Council withdrew its support for that plan in September.
“That was really disappointing for everyone at the club, partly because an awful lot of time, money and effort had gone into the process, but mostly because we believed that taking the club back to its roots in Sale was the best way to grow the club and secure our future.
“Since that point, our resolve to find our own home has remained as strong as ever and we have spent a huge amount of time exploring potential options. The option of acquiring the AJ Bell has been in the background for a little while but it became quite pressing when our existing tenancy agreement was due for renewal in July this year.
“We could have rolled over into another long-term tenancy, but we decide to accelerate the option of buying instead. It was very apparent that both the existing AJ Bell owners, the council and Peel Holdings, were keen to sell purely for commercial reasons. We firmly believe that if we’re going to continue growing the club on and off the pitch, we must invest into a home for Sale Sharks.”
"This is a stake in the ground for Sale Sharks. Owning our own stadium is crucial for the future of the club."
Sharks CEO Sid Sutton sets the record straight on the club's plans to buy the AJ Bell Stadium.
Read more here ?? https://t.co/lRhQoSCR0g pic.twitter.com/USa1EyCyvx
— Sale Sharks ? (@SaleSharksRugby) September 8, 2021
Why is it so important for Sale to own their own stadium?
“This is about the fan experience. We want to be able to control what we can do at the stadium and at the moment we are very limited in terms of what we can do with things like having a band outside, running fan parks, choosing the catering and that kind of thing. If we enhance the fan experience, then we believe we will grow the fanbase and attract more fans to the AJ Bell and that will help us grow the club commercially too.
“The other point is that the cost of renting makes no financial sense. We want a stadium where we can create other revenues other than the match day. The financial structure of the existing lease agreement is not good for the club. This is all about ensuring the long-term viability of Sale Sharks. Owning our stadium is crucial to the future of the club.”
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There are obviously other parties involved here – what does this mean for Salford City FC and Salford Red Devils?
“Owning our own stadium is so, so important, but we have said that we won’t put in an official bid until Salford Red Devils are being looked after or until they have been consulted and have found a place to go. That question has been a huge factor in the negotiations so far for me.
“We are a community club and we have a good relationship with Salford Red Devils. We want to play an active role in securing their future and we’re doing everything we can to do that. During the due diligence process, it became apparent that financially remaining at the AJ Bell Stadium wasn’t an option for Salford Red Devils.
“In addition, they openly said that they couldn’t afford to either buy the AJ Bell Stadium or stay there as a tenant so we actively sought a second party to buy the stadium with us. Salford City FC are a willing party with huge ambition and a need for a new home, they have also the financial ability to be a joint owner of the AJ Bell.
“Both Salford City and ourselves are completely aligned that Salford Reds need to be catered for before any deal is done on the stadium. Several joint fans forums have been held to ensure all parties are being open, honest and crystal clear with their own fan base. Commercially it makes sense to us, but the most important thing to say is that the council and Salford Red Devils are still looking at other possibilities and we won’t be pushing forward until this is resolved.”
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Some big-hitters were out in force for the World 12s launch and they have had their say on whether it can be a lifeline for cash-strapped southern hemisphere unions whose players regularly take a shine to the euro, the pound and the yen https://t.co/y9dpSRo064
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 7, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Lets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments