The man behind a business empire sponsoring and supporting Salford RLFC said his role in the club’s rebirth is something he will be “proud of for the rest of my life.”
Cas Paton is the founder of OnBuy, a UK-based online marketplace valued at an eye-watering £200 million and Salford’s new front-of-shirt sponsor for their ongoing Championship campaign.
The 41-year-old tech entrepreneur from Urmston took little convincing when asked to back a consortium spearheaded by Mason Caton-Brown, chosen to lead the phoenix club into a new era.
That is despite new CEO Ryan Brierley describing the Salford RLFC financial position as “precarious” as the part-time outfit looks to court investment, operate within a tight budget and rebuild relationships with clubs and players that broke down under the former regime.
Paton explained that he sees similarities in the challenge he faced when trying to launch OnBuy in a sector full of established firms and the goal to regain Salford’s rugby league standing.
He said: “I founded OnBuy as a disruptive founder, really wanted to grow a company, take on American giants.
“I understood what Salford were trying to do in terms of disruption and that made me really want to be part of the project, so I decided to sponsor the club.
Paton added: “I wanted to make sure that this club was going to work in the best way possible for the future and not be run by some old school consortium.
“It had to embrace new technology, social media, access to the merchandise and I think the guys involved have really pulled that off. There’s something really exciting coming from the club.”
Paton helped the club’s leadership group to brainstorm ways to raise funds for the season and grow all while making sure the operation cuts its cloth accordingly.
Salford’s hierarchy struck a favourable deal with a Shocal, a locally founded delivery company, which allows them to keep all the profits they make from kit sales through their online app.
“I shared some ideas about how they could bring in more revenue and make sure the club, as it operates, is sustainable and has a life for the future that cannot be rocked again,” he said.
“The work I have done has gone beyond the OnBuy sponsorship. I try to help with other things like driving in corporate partners and other sponsors.
“I think there are a lot of people behind the project and it’s very exciting. It has a strong future and I would hate to ever be in a situation similar to what happened previously with the club going into liquidation. I don’t believe this team will let that happen in a million years.”
Paton outlined that the leadership group are working to put the fans at the centre of the club’s aims and hopes that they will buy into the project by spending their hard-earned cash at the club.
“The club is nothing without fans, it’s as simple as that the fans are the club and there’s no club without the fans. One of the bits of advice I would give to the fans looking to help would be to get the merch and spend a little bit on a hat.
“You’d be surprised how much that really adds up to making that club sustainable and keeping the club running,” he said.
