Player of the Year Awards

Don’t forget that this year’s player awards evening, sponsored by Tetley’s will be taking place on Monday 12 September at the Willows Variety Centre.

Our host for the night is Sky Sports’ Eddie Hemmings, and aside from the usual end of season awards, we can look forward to an evening of top class entertainment and cabaret.

Tickets for admission to the cabaret and awards only have just been released for sale at the special price of just £10 and are available now!

To reserve your seats or to enquire about the dining packages that are also on offer for the evening, please telephone 0161-661-1788 and speak to the staff in our corporate sales team.

Please not there are only 33 dining spaces remaining so to avoid disappointment, please book now!

McGuinness visits Special Centre

Salford City Reds’ Australian star, Kevin McGuinness, made a guest appearance at the Humphrey Booth Day Care Centre, Broughton, this week to present a number of budding designers with awards marking National Falls Day.

Given the alarming statistic that one in three women over the age of 50
suffer from osteoporosis, the subject was selected as the focus for a poster competition across schools and colleges in Salford.

Overall winner, Ashley Wells, from Pendleton College, scooped the top prize with a striking design portraying the damaging effects of the condition, tagged as the ’silent disease’.

The presentation was part of a packed agenda to mark Help the Aged’s National Falls Awareness Day (19 July), which involved activity at various day care centres across the city – including Tai Chi Classes, dancing, healthy hips and hearts’ classes and podiatry checks.

The activities were co-ordinated by Salford Primary Care Trust in
partnership with Salford City Council, Salford Royal Hospitals Trust, Age Concern, and NPHL to emphasise the importance of safety to prevent older people from falling. This ties in with the staggering fact that at least
10,000 older people fall each year and 40 per cent of care home admissions are as a result of falls.

The campaign has been supported by Salford City Council with the production of specially designed tea towels to raise awareness of the safety steps as well as dedicated website pages covering the issue -
www.salford.gov.uk/sure-footed .

Commenting on the activity, Councillor Sheehy, lead member for community, health and social care said: “We’ve worked closely with the PCT to highlight the danger of falls and the consequences of falling particularly as you get older. There is a great deal that individuals can do to maintain their health and we felt it was particularly important to make younger audiences more aware of what they can do to maintain their balance as they get older, in terms of regular exercise and diet.”

“Osteoporosis can be a problem and people need to be aware of what to do to avoid the condition. The activity also helped to reassure people of the preventative steps to take and what to do if they have a fall.”

Kevin McGuinness added: “It was great to be part of the events and to see such creative flair from the competition entries. The inspired work from colleges and schools across Salford showed that young people are in touch with health issues that affect both the young and old today.”

For more information please contact Jane Whitby on 0161 212 5634 or email
jane.whitby@salford-pct.nhs.uk .

Flames Turning Japanese

Salford’s very own cheerleaders will hopefully be Turning Japanese later in the year, with no fewer than seven of the Red Hot Flames selected for the United Kingdom Cheer Leading Dance Team.

The UK team will be taking part in the World Championships in Tokyo on 1 November, but before that team members will have to raise £1,000 each to help fund the costs.

The UK team train at the Manchester Velodrome under the guidance of familiar face Suzanne Roberts who also coaches the Red Hot Flames that she started in 1996 and who perform at the Willows during the Salford City Reds home Super League fixtures.

UK Team Manger Suzanne said: “We will be taking three teams to the World Championships in Tokyo including a co-ed team of boys and girls and of course the UK Cheer Leading Dance team, half of which are made up from the Red Hot Flames. Funding is an issue and every member of the team will have to raise £1,000 each to help fund participation in the Tokyo World Championships”.

So far the successful Salford Red Hot Flames Emma Harris, Karen Eyre, Lyndsey McLoughlin, Ashley Harris, Helen Reid, Georgina Evett and Jennifer Birchall have raised around £400 each from bucket collections, names cards and similar fundraising activities.

During the World Championships the team will be staying in the Olympic Village in Tokyo and will be competing against teams from the USA , Japan , Finland and others from around the World.

Suzanne added, “Since forming the Flames in 1996 the girls have gone from strength to strength. To have seven of my girls representing team UK is an honour for me, the girls, Salford Reds and the City of Salford . But they are desperate for any help with funding to make the trip a reality.”

Anyone who can help the Flames with sponsorship or support can contact Suzanne through the Salford City Reds on 0161 736 6564. The girls have already organized a race night and quiz night for later in the year.

RBS Join Up with Reds

Major financial institution the Royal Bank of Scotland have joined forces with Salford City Reds and are planning to become a founder member of the club as it undergoes the transition phase of moving from the current Willows home to the proposed new stadium at Barton.

The agreement sees RBS becoming involved with the club with immediate effect. Part of their business and sponsorship support to the club will see them becoming member of the exclusive Platinum Club which has already secured membership from some of the major players in the City, as well as becoming the first member of the Salford 100 Club, which is a new initiative enabling businesses to “sponsor” visits to Salford City Reds’ home Super League matches by local community groups.

The organisation is a massive employer in the region, with around 7,500 members of staff working in the various branches and administrative centres in and around Greater Manchester.

Tony Longden, from the Royal Bank of Scotland, commenting on the partnership said ‘We welcome this opportunity to work with Salford City Reds, we are, like the Reds, proud of our association with Salford and we see this as a chance to work closely with an organisation that shares our belief that Salford is really going places.’

Salford City Reds Chairman, John Wilkinson expressed his delight at the new partnership, “It’s a major coup for us to get someone of the calibre of the Royal Bank of Scotland on board as a founder member, and they share many of our philosophies about supporting the local community and making real progress with the advent of the new stadium. I hope that we can continue to attract similar support of this kind.”

Duo re-sign for 2006

Salford City Reds forward duo Sean Rutgerson and Gareth Haggerty are to star again for the Reds in Super League XI.

The pair have both agreed terms and signed new contracts at the club.

Rutgerson has been appointed vice-captain this term and his blockbusting efforts on the pitch have not gone unnoticed and he has agreed a 12-month extension.

Meanwhile Haggerty is a firm crowd favourite and the barnstorming forward will be looking forward to carrying his great form into next season and the season after having penned a new two year deal.

Football Director Steve Simms said: “It’s good news for the club, both are important players for us. We are finalising the details today and it should all be tied up tomorrow but both have agreed terms.”

Goodbye Cliff

Salford City Reds star Cliff Beverley will leave The Willows at the end of the season to return home to New Zealand after three successful years at the Reds.

Beverley signed from Barrow and blitzed through Salford’s promotion campaign, finishing up the country’s leading try scorer and breaking a hatful of club records along the way.

Head Coach Karl Harrison was full of praise for his popular import: “His wife is a little bit homesick and they have a young baby. They want to be at home, which you can understand.”

“Cliff Beverley has been fantastic for this club.”

Counting the Days with the Flames

Salford City Reds award-winning cheer squad The Red Hot Flames are set to launch their new Red Hot Calendar shortly.

The special Calendar which will run from September 05 until December 06 will raise funds for the girls trip to the World Championships in Tokyo in November.

Each girl must raise £1000 each to be able to compete and sales of the calendar will go towards this initially.

If you are interested in helping the Flames get to Tokyo please get in touch with Suzanne at the club.

Now for an exclusive sneak peek, here are the girls in action!

Carlsberg UK Pledge Long-Term Support for Reds

Brewing giants Carlsberg UK have pledged their support for Salford City Reds for a further three years.

The deal will see the brand being featured on the club’s playing strip in the prominent spot of the front right breast position, as well as keeping the title of official beer of Salford City Reds.

The deal which is worth a six figure sum to the club will increase in value, year on year for the duration of the agreement.

Reds’ Chairman John Wilkinson, OBE, praised Carlsberg for their work with the club, “Carlsberg UK have been one of our most loyal and consistent supporters over the years, both in terms of financial aid, and in terms of their sterling work in promoting the sport of rugby league and in particular the Salford City Reds brand.”

“This agreement will take us through into the new era of the stadium at Barton, and heralds a most exciting time for the club and it’s business partners. We’ll be working closely together to maximise opportunities for joint initiatives, and I know that both parties are determined to make it an even more successful partnership.”

Jayne Wade from Carlsberg UK said “We are delighted at Carlsberg UK to be involved , It has been a long and successful partnership and committing ourselves for a further three years re-affirms our commitment to the sport and most importantly to Salford City Reds.”

GMB Announce Even More Backing for Reds

Following their successful involvement with Salford City Reds over the past two years, GMB Union have indicated that they will be extending their sponsorship deal to cover the 2006 season as well.

The deal which represents a five figure sum for the club, will see the GMB remain as associate shirt sponsors with their logo in a prominent position on the upper back of the shirt.

Gary Jones, Regional Secretary for the GMB Lancashire Region said, “The GMB Union is proud to be associated with Salford City Reds and are pleased to remain as shirt sponsors. My family and I are from Salford – it’s where I was brought up. Over the years I ‘ve seen the depletion of manufacturing jobs in the area. It’s only right that I uphold the principal of working with the communities we serve.”

“Chairman, John Wilkinson himself has demonstrated his love for Salford and has worked tirelessly over the years to keep the club in the spotlight, encouraging work in the community and securing the future with the new stadium development.

“As a keen Manchester United supporter as well as a Salford fan, I acknowledge the fact that there is really only one “Red Devils” Come On Salford!”

Salford City Reds Chairman, John Wilkinson OBE, was justifiably pleased with the agreement, “We have a very good record at the Willows of working closely with our sponsors, and consequently, we’re successful at retaining them as business partners for relatively long periods of time. The GMB Union have been at the heart of the community, as have we for a very long time and Gary Jones saw the value of working closely with us, and has been a vocal supporter of the partnership from the start. We look forward to working with him and all the GMB representatives again next season.”

Gates Are Up

Following their successful involvement with Salford City Reds over the past two years, GMB Union have indicated that they will be extending their sponsorship deal to cover the 2006 season as well.

The deal which represents a five figure sum for the club, will see the GMB remain as associate shirt sponsors with their logo in a prominent position on the upper back of the shirt.

Gary Jones, Regional Secretary for the GMB Lancashire Region said, “The GMB Union is proud to be associated with Salford City Reds and are pleased to remain as shirt sponsors. My family and I are from Salford – it’s where I was brought up. Over the years I ‘ve seen the depletion of manufacturing jobs in the area. It’s only right that I uphold the principal of working with the communities we serve.”

“Chairman, John Wilkinson himself has demonstrated his love for Salford and has worked tirelessly over the years to keep the club in the spotlight, encouraging work in the community and securing the future with the new stadium development.

“As a keen Manchester United supporter as well as a Salford fan, I acknowledge the fact that there is really only one “Red Devils” Come On Salford!”

Salford City Reds Chairman, John Wilkinson OBE, was justifiably pleased with the agreement, “We have a very good record at the Willows of working closely with our sponsors, and consequently, we’re successful at retaining them as business partners for relatively long periods of time. The GMB Union have been at the heart of the community, as have we for a very long time and Gary Jones saw the value of working closely with us, and has been a vocal supporter of the partnership from the start. We look forward to working with him and all the GMB representatives again next season.”

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