Salford was a tad late to the RL party only joining in 1896. This was after being suspended by the Rugby Union for professionalism and then demoted to the bottom of the RU Lancashire League. The 1930's was the club's golden era, considered the best side in the game at the time. Salford was the first club to be invited to tour France in late 1934 to promote Rugby league in the country. They won all six matches in style so the French Press gave them the name Les Diables Rouges (The Red Devils).
The 21st century hasn't been without issues for the club, perhaps even lucky to be playing in the elite division. I won't mention all the coaches as they have had quite a few. The noughties started with decline and relegation in 2002. Back in 2004 with Karl Harrison as coach they had a few OK seasons but down again in 2007.
Back up in Super League after a year in the Championship wilderness, they lasted four seasons before a return trip down again. Back again in 2009, they repeated the pattern except they got a reprieve in that while coming last in 2013, relegation had been temporarily suspended. Several more years of survival and a couple of good seasons have been the club's lot since.
In 2012, the club moved from its long-term residence at The Willows to the Salford City Stadium. While a much improved facility, it wasn't as convenient for locals to attend and away supporters who travel there complain on forums about how difficult it is to access. It seems this lack of convenience has hurt attendance numbers.
At the beginning of 2013, it was made public that there was a winding-up notice against the club. Successful businessman Marwan Koukash stepped in and took the club over. His style of operation was different from other owners, which at times led to his being criticised. He left the club in 2017, handing ownership back to the fans after failing to get more supporters turning up to watch matches. The following year, he wrote off a debt owed to him by the club.
For 2022 and 2023 Paul Rowley has done a reasonable job of keeping the club competitive on a relatively small budget. They can't quite match it with the best sides over a season but they have been above the relegation scrap. Their fan base is steadily growing too.
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