 | |||
| Full name | Sale Sharks Rugby Union Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Union | Cheshire RFU | ||
| Founded | 1861 (as "Sale Football Club") 1999 (as "Sale Sharks") | ||
| Location | Barton-upon-Irwell, Salford, England | ||
| Ground(s) | Salford Community Stadium (Capacity: 12,000[1]) | ||
| Chairman | Fran Cotton | ||
| CEO | Paul Smith | ||
| Director of Rugby | Alex Sanderson | ||
| Coach(es) | Paul Deacon | ||
| Captain(s) | Ben Curry | ||
| Most appearances | Sam James (244) | ||
| Top scorer | Charlie Hodgson (1,872) | ||
| Most tries | Mark Cueto (90) | ||
| League(s) | Premiership Rugby | ||
| 2023–24 | 3rd | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| www | |||
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club from Greater Manchester, England. Its team play in Premiership Rugby, and have been in England's top division of rugby union continuously since 1995. Originally founded in 1861 as Sale Football Club (which is now a distinct amateur club), it is one of the oldest existing football clubs.[a] It adopted the nickname Sharks in 1999.
Since 2012 Sale have played their home games at the Salford Community Stadium in Barton-upon-Irwell, Salford. Between 1905 and 2003 they played at Heywood Road in Sale, before moving to Edgeley Park in Stockport where they stayed until 2012. Historically one of the leading teams in the north of England, their traditional colours are blue and white.
Domestically, Sale were Premiership champions in 2005–06 and runners up in 2001-02 and 2022-23. They won the Premiership Rugby Cup in 2019-20 and were losing finalists in its predecessor, the Anglo-Welsh Cup, in 2012-13. They also won the second division in 1994 to secure promotion to the Premiership. Internationally, the club won the second tier European Rugby Challenge Cup in 2001–02 and 2004–05.
In the 2022–23 Premiership Rugby season, Sale finished second in the regular season and second overall after they lost in the play-off final to Saracens F.C. Their position entitled them to compete in the first tier 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup. The club's Director of Rugby is Alex Sanderson, who was appointed in January 2021 following the departure of long-time manager Steve Diamond in December 2020.[2]
- ^ "AJ Bell Stadium". Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ "Sale Sharks appoint Alex Sanderson as Director of Rugby". Sale Sharks. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
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