Salford chief executive Butt steps down from role

Nicky Butt was part of the Class of '92's takeover of Salford City in 2014

Salford City chief executive Nicky Butt has stepped down from his role, the League Two club has said.

Butt took over from Gary Neville in October 2022 and has decided he can no longer dedicate the time to continue in the position, but he will remain an active shareholder and board director.

The 49-year-old is a part owner of the Ammies alongside his former Manchester United team-mates Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, and has indicated he wishes to return to a coaching position.

"Whilst I have enjoyed the day-to-day responsibilities of the chief executive role and discovered a huge amount about the challenges an EFL club faces away from the football pitch, I have recently realised how much I miss the coaching and development of players, and this has increased my desire to get back into that side of the game," he said.

"Over the past few months there have been several exciting opportunities put forward to me that have put my focus back on coaching and on the grass.

"That being said I have always wanted to put Salford first, and we now have experienced executives within the senior management team here which means that I can step away from my current duties without any impact on current operations and it will be very much business as usual."

Finance director Jonathan Jackson will now take over as chief executive officer on an interim basis, the club's statement added.

Since taking over the club in 2014, the Class of '92 have seen Salford City rise from the eighth tier and the Northern Premier League Division One North to reach the EFL in 2019, having achieved four promotions in five seasons.

They have spent five years in League Two, with seventh place and a play-off semi-final defeat by Stockport County in 2023 their best finish.

They slipped to a disappointing 20th last season, with manager Neil Wood replaced mid-season by Karl Robinson.

In an interview with BBC Radio Manchester in April, Butt said that the Class of '92 were still fully invested in the club despite their stagnation.

In August, Gary Neville bought fellow co-owner Peter Lim's stake in Salford City to "pave the way for a new strategic partner".

The club are currently 16th in League Two, having won three of their 10 games this season.