Dr John Wilkinson
OBE was chairman of
Salford RLFC between 1982 and 2013. He was born in
Walkden
Walkden is a town in the City of Salford in Greater Manchester, England, northwest of Salford, and of Manchester.
Historically in the township of Worsley in Lancashire, Walkden was a centre for coal mining and textile manufacture.
In 20 ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
He previously owned the Cebora welding company, who were the main jersey
sponsor (commercial), sponsors of Salford until 2006, when they were replaced by the
Trafford Centre
The Trafford Centre is a large indoor shopping centre and entertainment complex in Greater Manchester, England. It opened in 1998 and is third largest in the United Kingdom by retail space.
Originally developed by the Peel Group, the Trafford C ...
(although Cebora remained a minor jersey sponsor for Salford until recent years.)
He was given an OBE in 2005 for Services to the
City of Salford and is also a
Trustee
Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...
of the Salfordian Hotel in
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England.
Southport lies on the Iris ...
.
Wilkinson has also been given the Nickname of 'Mr Salford' due to his pride for the city he grew up in.
In 2009 Wilkinson received a Dr of Letters at the Lowry, Salford Quays.
A 25th Anniversary celebrating John Wilkinson's time at the club was arranged for the Super League game between Salford and Harlequins RL on 15 June 2007. He remained chairman of the club for 31 years until 2013, which remained the longest chairmanship of any major sports team around the world until 2017 when overtaken by FC Porto's Pinto da Costa.
Upon selling the club to Dr Marwan Koukash in 2013, he now continues to live in Salford with his family and still is an active chairman of his other businesses. He is no longer involved with the new Salford Rugby administration and spends the majority of his time in his hot tub and sauna.
People from Walkden
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Rugby league chairmen and investors
Rugby league people in England
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