From player to CEO: Ryan Brierley’s next chapter at Salford

Transitions in sport are rarely straightforward. For Ryan Brierley, it wasn’t a gradual step away from a professional Rugby League career, but a quick, calculated move towards something far less certain. From Salford Red Devils captain to CEO of the newly launched Salford RLFC, his shift into commercial leadership came at a time when stability had all but disappeared.

Faced with professional and financial uncertainty during the collapse of Salford Red Devils, Brierley left the club he had supported since childhood to join Oldham. The easier path would have been to continue his playing career there. Instead, he chose early retirement and stepped forward into a new role with Salford’s phoenix club.

What stands out is the mentality Brierley brings from the pitch into the corporate world, one that naturally translates into leadership.

It’s built on a “next job” mindset, where focus stays firmly on what comes next rather than what’s just happened. As he explains,

“Rugby league has always been about that next job mentality. If you make a mistake, you move on quickly… that mental toughness is the same in the commercial world.”

Alongside that is a resilience shaped through constant challenge and rejection. “The amount of times I’ve been told no… even wanting this role or similar roles, I was told no hundreds of times I couldn’t have the job. Likewise, as a professional athlete, you’re told you’re not good enough, you’re too small… if you start focusing on that, you’ll never get anywhere.”

It’s this combination of perspective, persistence, and forward focus that makes Ryan’s transition into this next stage of his career feel like a natural progression rather than a departure. As captain, he had already been leading from the front; this next step is an extension of that responsibility.

Leadership in the commercial world, however, brings a different kind of challenge.

The immediacy of performance on the pitch is replaced by longer-term decisions, less visible outcomes, and a different level of responsibility. Navigating that requires clarity, not just in strategy, but in how people are led.

For Brierley, that starts with a simple and crucial idea: “Treating people how you want to be treated first and foremost… that’s the key to every successful organisation, top to bottom.”

He continued:

 “Spending half an hour with Ged Mason, who is so people focused, it’s no secret why Morson are so successful… it’s something I want to mould our philosophy on.”

What stands out for Ryan is how quickly his new role requires perspective.

There’s a balance between experience and restraint, knowing when to contribute, and when to step back. “I’m having day to day meetings with staff, with players, but understanding my role as a previous player and now as CEO is you don’t cross that line between trying to tell the coach how to coach, trying to tell the general manager to how to manage, but you can offer your opinion and support and if it’s done in an honest and transparent way, it certainly goes a long way.

That awareness, knowing when to step forward and when to step back, is shaped by Ryan’s experience as a player. It gives him a unique, 360-degree view of the club, with the ability to understand and empathise with both players and staff.

The rebuild at Salford is still in its early stages, but the intent is clear.

There’s a focus not just on recovery, but on growth – including areas that have historically been underdeveloped in rugby league. Brierley’s experience as an agent in women’s football offers a broader view of what’s possible.

“With my work in Women’s football, I’ve been involved with brands like Nike, Puma, Under Armour… there’s a lot of opportunity that hasn’t been exposed to rugby league.”

That extends into a commitment to the women’s game.

“Making sure we kept on the women’s team was integral for us, because we want to make sure that we’re giving women an opportunity in sport. We want to keep the women’s team and grow that area. For someone in women’s sport, I’ve seen how commercially viable it can be as well. People want to be involved with women’s sports and the women’s pathway

There’s no clear blueprint for transitions like this, but what Brierley’s journey shows is that performance doesn’t stand still. It develops with experience, adapts to new environments, and grows as individuals take on new opportunities.

At Morson, that’s what matters. Because in any setting, it’s the ambition to step forward, grow and keep progressing that creates exciting new opportunities.

For us, creating such opportunities is key. We actively support people to take the next step in their careers, whether through STEM education and mentoring, our “Go Beyond” programme helping female engineering students build industry skills and access career paths, or through targeted training solutions and apprenticeships.