Salford City Reds To Move Onto Castle Irwell
Reporter: Stuart Owen
SALFORD CITY REDS are close to an agreement with Salford University officials that will see them use the campus facilities as their main training complex.
The deal will not only mean you could be bumping into the likes of Malcom Alker on your way into the gym, but the facilities will be improved as a result!In addition to the ‘Community Partnership’ between the two parties, which saw the newly promoted Super League outfit using the university’s £0.75m high-tech sports science labs, this agreement will takes things much further.
Castle Irwell will be used as the club’s training ground and will see new facilities built on site, including a team room and physiotherapy suites added by the Reds.
Jan Wilman, Director of Commercial Services for the University of Salford said:
“We are very close to reaching agreement for Salford City Reds to use the University’s sports facilities as their new training complex."
“As soon as Reds start training for the new Super League season we expect to see all their players doing practice drills and having team talks at Castle Irwell Student Village, where Reds will have a dedicated base including team room, coaches offices and physiotherapy suite.”
Not only will this benefit the rugby team and other teams training on Irwell who will surely be in awe at the sight of top pros using their playing fields, but the sports science students will be delighted about the news, too.
Wilman went on to say:
“This extension of the partnership between Reds and the University aims to provide more opportunities for our students to be involved with these elite athletes, through practicals on Sports Science, Physiotherapy and Sports Rehabilitation programmes and perhaps through placements”.
Salford University’s rugby league team is already coached by the Reds, and were even provided with kit last season, and now the student team will get the chance to see them train on a regular basis.
If all goes according to plan, the players will be arriving back for pre-season training at the end of November, and the training they do off of the field is just as important as on it.
The clubs use of the campus’ facilities may raise the profile, but will not affect the students who use the gym and pool, Wilman confirmed.
“They will also do strength and conditioning work in the University’s gyms, as well as rehabilitation work in the pool – this has been planned for the mornings, so the players’ gym and pool sessions take place before most staff and students do their training”.
Financially, the university will of course benefit from the deal, and the money which is made will be ploughed back into the students, according to Wilman.
She said:
“We plan to re-invest the income from this deal in improvements to the facilities, so our students will see a direct benefit.”
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