Council chiefs have finally given the scheme the green light, dramatically enhancing the club's chances of retaining their Engage Super League status.
At a make-or-break meeting yesterday, the council cabinet agreed to form a joint venture company with Peel Holdings to build the £26m, 15,000-seater Community Stadium at Barton.
Reds' delighted chief executive Dave Tarry told MEN Sport: "Our stadium bid is now up and running. It is great news for the club, great news for the city and great news for Super League.
"And it's a major boost for us when we apply for a new Super League licence next year.
"Others clubs may have stadium plans on paper, but we will have building work as proof of our intention. We have finally jumped the hill."
Work on the stadium, a replacement for Salford's current 109-year-old Willows ground, is expected to start in the next couple of months.
"We haven't got an exact timescale for the development of the site," added Tarry. "But we're expecting a minimum 12-month build with everything completed by the end of 2011"
Yesterday's news was a vital boost for a team currently propping up the rest of Super League.
Shaun McRae's side has lost its first five games, including Friday's defeat by previous winless Catalans Dragons.
And the pressure on McRae is mounting with fans barracking the Aussie-born coach after the last two home fixtures. McRae now faces a must-win game at fellow strugglers Harlequins at the Stoop on Saturday.
Fortunately for the Reds, there is no automatic relegation from the top flight. But their playing record will be taken into account next year when all 14 sides must apply for a renewal of their SuperLeague licence.
However, the main factor could well be their new stadium.
Rivals St Helens, Castleford and Wakefield all hope to move into new homes by 2012.
The project will transform land at Barton with Peel and the city council pooling their land-holdings to create a single, 70-acre super-site.
Outline planning permission for the land had already been granted for a stadium and retail use. The joint venture company would manage the stadium, with the Reds having a licence to use it. Funding will include a grant from the North West Development Agency to prepare the land for development and a loan from the city council for construction work and infrastructure.
"This development would be another landmark of Salford's regeneration, adding to an already impressive line-up near the Lowry and MediaCityUK," said Salford City Council leader Cllr John Merry.
"The partnership approach we're adopting also means the city will be part-owner of a major sporting and community asset. Sport is a big business and making suitable, state-of-the-art facilities available for a successful club will bring economic benefits."
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Red Army 99, Salford (10/03/2010 at 11:28)
Officer Dibble, On the lash with Choo-Choo and Benny. (10/03/2010 at 13:05)
David Burrows (10/03/2010 at 13:08)
harryl5, bispham blackpool (10/03/2010 at 13:45)
Jim Shelton (10/03/2010 at 16:17)
Mike Van Vleck (10/03/2010 at 16:24)
Alicante Red
Red Chief, South Yorkshire (10/03/2010 at 18:00)
What we now see as our possible redemption is a stadium owned by a joint venture we have nothing to do with being used by whoever the owners decide to bring in the money.
Let's hope it's enough to get us a franchise for 2012-15. The current attendance record and lack of competitive team will weigh heavily against
mark armstrong (10/03/2010 at 19:36)
They should not be spending council funds on projects like this when then fail to provide basic services.
The needs of a few thousand rugby fans do not have priority over education, infrastucture and policing.
Another example of the council thinking that they are an investment bank!!
Shabba Ranks (10/03/2010 at 19:44)
scott cooper (10/03/2010 at 21:27)
Super Leaguer, Bolton (10/03/2010 at 22:00)
alan marshall (10/03/2010 at 23:13)
They lied and cheated there way into Super league last time on the back of a stadium they knew that unless third party money builds it was never going to happen.
I have just read that John Merry says "it will boost local economy" lets hope it is not the same boost that the pink rink gives each year when it operates at a loss.
Just how many true Salford fans who live close to the grounfd will travel to Barton,instead of the true Salford support from the real borough of Salford not some boundry outpost in Erlam.
Johnniejohn, Tunbridge Wells (11/03/2010 at 08:11)
the arguments over whether the 2012 olympic stadium should retain a running track are a good indicator of why football/rugby and athletics do not mix. Having moved from my home town of Manchester many years ago, what happened to the commonwealth games athletics stadium? Or is that the COMS now used by City?
Otherwise, great news for Salford, without Barton, no chance of a new franchise. Finally to Shabba Ranks, I can remember getting rained on under the main stand back in the 1970s. Clearly nothing has changed....
BALL AND BAT, ALL OVER (11/03/2010 at 08:56)
dessie, manchester (11/03/2010 at 09:18)
Russ Foster (11/03/2010 at 09:50)
The Grinch (11/03/2010 at 11:46)
Damien Smith (11/03/2010 at 15:24)
I dont understand why are people are even talking about Sale. They have nothing to do with Salford. They are a made up club that dont even play in Sale and play in Stockport. Looking at what has happened to Stockport County since Sale moved in I would want nothing to do with them.
mark armstrong (11/03/2010 at 19:49)
This is not the correct way for the council to spend public funds, this is a private club that cannot support itself so how will they repay this loan when they have a very limited income.
I hope you are all still cheering for them when your council tax has gone up to support the funding ??
Kevin Ashcroft (12/03/2010 at 08:43)
If I were the RFL I would make sure that they only keep the franchise if they are the main tenant without Sale.
They know that if Sale are seen as the Manchester team then they are well on the way to getting at least seen to be the big city sport of the north. They don't give a flying f*ck about the smaller towns as they have no media significance without big city clubs. They also probably know that most Mancs still don't know their a*rse from their elbow when it comes to rugby and know little about their own heritage.
Finally there is a tendency for many northerners to be what I would call snobs, trying to climb the social ladder, and would do anything to latch onto what would separate themselves from the rest. They can't really do this through any other avenue other than RU. These are the sort of people who Sale would pick up en masse at a good new stadium. The RFU's propaganda machine would then go into full overdrive about how it is a massive sport up north............
Kevin Ashcroft (12/03/2010 at 08:51)
If I were the RFL I would make sure that they only keep the franchise if they are the main tenant without Sale.
They know that if Sale are seen as the Manchester team then they are well on the way to getting at least seen to be the big city sport of the north. They don't give a flying f*ck about the smaller towns as they have no media significance without big city clubs. They also probably know that most Mancs still don't know their a*rse from their elbow when it comes to rugby and know little about their own heritage.
Finally there is a tendency for many northerners to be what I would call snobs, trying to climb the social ladder, and would do anything to latch onto what would separate themselves from the rest. They can't really do this through any other avenue other than RU. These are the sort of people who Sale would pick up en masse at a good new stadium. The RFU's propaganda machine would then go into full overdrive about how it is a massive sport up north............
Angry Lion (12/03/2010 at 17:10)
Barton is out on a limb geographically and not a fitting location for community leisure facilities. It is ridiculous that the powers that be have used Stott Lane playing fields for a car park and made a flood plane out of Littleton Road playing fields; both suitably scaled sites properly in Salford, accessible to the traditional support base of the City Reds and in need of a boost to leisure facilities.
Instead they want to stick it out on the periphery of the built up area where any community facilities will hardly get used. Crazy thinking. Without a major upturn in fortunes on the pitch the Reds will struggle to get gates much above 2,500 playing out there.