What Gary Neville said when he first took over Salford City as takeover talk bubbles away | OneFootball

Gary Neville and the Class of 92 acquired Salford City over ten years ago but could be set to sell the club.

Gary Neville and the Class of 92 have been co-owners of Salford City for over ten years now, and with talks of a potential takeover bubbling following stagnation, Football League World revisited Neville's first interview after first acquiring shares in the club, back in 2014.

Salford's journey started off as a meteoric rise, going from the Northern Premier League Division One North (eight tier) all the way up to League Two in just five seasons, getting four promotions in that time.

However, there has been talk of Gary Neville and the Class of 92 seeking outside investment and according to Alan Nixon, new buyers have been in contact with club officials in about a sale.

Now they find themselves stuck in League Two, after no promotions since the 2018/19 season, when they went up to the EFL.

This season, they are currently seventh with one game to go, and as long as they beat already relegated Carlisle United, they will qualify for the playoffs.

Despite it being a positive campaign on the pitch for the Ammies, talks of a potential takeover have been bubbling and Neville and co may be looking for a way out.

"Commitment" fuelled the takeover initially

Following the purchase of the club in 2014, Neville spoke to The Guardian to explain his motivations behind it, saying:

"I had my first trial for Manchester United in Salford at age 11, and I will never forget how important that was to me. Salford City FC to me represents those early years, the commitment, hunger, enthusiasm, desire and spirit of football and I am very excited about this venture."

This commitment paid dividends initially, with a move to the newly renovated Peninsula Stadium in Kersal in 2017 coming during a run of four promotions in five years, up to the EFL.

Crowds were growing, big name players for the level such as Adam Rooney were joining and there was a general feel-good atmosphere around the club for the first few years.

It is rare for a club in League Two to have an owner with as much passion for and knowledge of the game as Neville, whilst also having the deep pockets of both him and Singaporean businessman Peter Lim, but that is exactly what Salford had.

How it is going now for Salford City

Since they joined the EFL in 2019, they haven't managed to get themselves out of the league and have consistently underperformed.

The closest that they have came was in 2022/23, when they lost on penalties to Stockport County in the playoff semi-finals, the only year in which they have finished in the top seven.

In 2024, Neville bought Peter Lim's 50% stake in the club and became the majority shareholder, following them looking for some more outside investment for a while.

Currently, crowds are low and they have been unable to attract any more investors, meaning that eventually the time may come for Neville and the Class of 92 to sell the club entirely to a new owner who can push the club forward.

Neville's purchase of Lim's shares was a statement of intent that he is the person taking responsibility, but if results do not improve on the pitch and crowds don't increase, there is only so long that he can keep putting in money for.