PAUL King admits that the BEST thing for Salford is to get tens of thousands of pounds extra just to play a game.
Not endorsed by the government, which insists more expensive PCR Covid-19 tests are used when and after they travel, which costs them a tidy sum.
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Salford, including star Tui Lolohea, are the first club to travel to Perpignan to face CatalansPhoto credit: SWPIX.COM
The Red Devils are the first English Super League club to fly to France this season to play against Catalans. In doing so, they did several times what the dragons did in the opposite direction.
That translates to a total bill on the order of £ 42,000 for chartering a plane from Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport, pre-game food and drink take-out, and three rounds of PCR testing – one before travel, one on return to England and one to make sure the quarantine only lasts five days.
Covid-19 logs also mean they had to spend £ 600 on buses to get them between Perpignan Airport and Stade Gilbert Brutus – a journey of less than two miles!
Salford could have refused to leave but they are allowed as they are elite athletes which means that in a season when relegation is still active, doing so would result in a loss, a hefty fine and a point deduction.
Simply put, you have to go as the consequences of not traveling would be too severe.
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Salford director Paul King revealed the cost of flying to Catalans for a Super League gameCredit: STEVE MCCORMICK / SALFORD RED DEVILS
Director King said: “The flight from Liverpool is £ 28,500, that’s 21 players, coaches and medical staff.
“Then we don’t have to walk the 10 minutes from the airport to the stadium because we have to stay in our bladder. We have to get coaches because people have to be socially distant.
“We’ll sit in the stadium for a couple of hours, play a game, and then come back. Ordinarily it would cost £ 25,000 to £ 30,000 – and we’ll be staying for about four days!
“If we didn’t leave, we’d get massive fines and points deducted. We waited about a week for advice on whether the French lockdown would do anything other than do it.
“Changing the tests on return didn’t help. That was annoying, it’s a hell of a lot more expensive than side flow. They cost £ 5,000 for a block of roughly 400 and even everyone in the offices is tested. This is £ 10,000 just for the people who travel.
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The Catalans and coach Steve McNamara have flown to Great Britain several timesCredit: CATALANS DRAGONS
“I sympathize with Catalans. If it wasn’t for their owner Bernard Guasch’s money, how would they compete?
“Not leaving was never really a serious option. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for maybe half a day.
“Would we really want a £ 15,000 fine and a 10 point deduction? We had one from Warrington hanging over us last year and a 10 point penalty is a serious situation.
“It’s a really tough run for Catalans but right now everyone has to charter a plane that costs £ 28,000 to £ 30,000.”
Salford would normally have flown out on a commercial flight on Thursday and acclimatized in the south of France.
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Salford boss Richard Marshall takes his side to France todayPhoto credit: SWPIX.COM
But that’s very different – pre-game food can be on the plane – and coach Richard Marshall had to change the usual routine. King joked that “he could even use a dart board” to ease boredom.
He said, “There is no such thing as luxury accommodation – it’s about getting in, doing the job and coming back.
“We’re doing it right, even if it costs us a significant amount.
“If you’re going to Hull, you’ll be on a bus for two and a half hours. This is on a plane but we will only be playing one game. We do that every weekend.
“They do it several times a season, but they’ll have a routine, it’s a one-time thing for us.
“In an ideal world, we would have a few days there and have a session in a pool, but that’s not supposed to be. We roll up our sleeves and move on. “
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