HOW Salisbury FC Could Become the Next Wrexham | OneFootball

While 52,534 fans took to the Etihad Stadium to watch Manchester City take on Manchester United in the Premier League, over 200 miles and five divisions away, 1,750 fans made their way to Salisbury to watch Salisbury FC make history.

This historical moment came during the first year of a resurgent period for the Phoenix club, after recent investment from Gulf owner Ali Alhamad, who has large ambitions for the club.

The History of Salisbury City FC: The 1£ Football Club

Formed in 2015, Salisbury FC was formed from the ruins of the former club Salisbury City Football Club, which was created in 1947. The original club went through years of hardships, with fans raising over £33,000 in 2008 in order to keep the club alive.

However, despite their efforts, their attempts would fall short, with the club being put up for sale a year later for just 1£, before entering administration with £200,000 worth of debt cleared.

There was a brief period of hope five years later, when a Moroccan businessman came in to take a role as the club’s co-owner in May 2014, but he was eventually forced out after failing to significantly impact the club’s finances, as they were expelled from the Conference South, before falling into liquidation.

The Rise of Salisbury FC

A year after their expulsion from the league, a consortium, led by David Phillips, Ian Ridley, Jeremy Harwood, Graeme Mundy, and Steve Claridge, took over the club, with the tall task of rebuilding the team from scratch.

After winning the Wessex League Premier Division during their first year as owners of the club, led by owner and team manager Steve Claridge, they would languish in the Southern League Premier Division for six years before earning promotion to the National League South under current manager Brian Dutton, who took over in 2022.

Now, three years on from that historic moment, Salisbury is still being led by Dutton in the dugout; however, things have changed significantly behind the scenes.

Big Ambitions: Ali alhamad’s takeover of Salisbury FC

This Summer, Salisbury became one of a long line of clubs to attract investment from the Middle East, with Kuwaiti entrepreneur Ali Alhamad taking control of the club through his UK-registered company Proleague Ltd.

Following his takeover of the club, Alhamad has already put into place a series of ambitious moves that could see the club follow the wildly successful formula of Wrexham and their fairytale rise from the National League all the way to the EFL Championship in just a few years.

One key part of Wrexham‘s success under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney was their critically acclaimed documentary, ‘Welcome to Wrexham,’ which featured on Disney+.

Learning from that Success, under Alhamad, Salisbury has put plans in place to create a similar product, recently releasing a trailer for the series, that will follow The Whites “from the shadow of relegation to something bigger than football”.

Focusing on more than just footballing potential, following the release of the trailer for the new documentary, the Kuwaiti owner revealed that the most important part of this project to him is the spirit of the people in Salisbury.

While Salisbury’s new owner has embraced the fans and the community surrounding the club, it has also been a two-way transaction, with fans of the Whites also embracing their new Middle Eastern Owner.

With real belief from both the fans and Alhamad himself, who shared that he adamantly believes that the club can do special things, the current atmosphere around the club is the highest it has been in a number of years.

While it may not be expected for Salisbury to become an instant success overnight, following a poor start to the league, the club does have the opportunity to make history in its first season under new ownership.

The magic of the FA Cup

Following their 4-1 victory over local rivals Laverstock and Ford FC, a special day which saw 1,750 fans make their way to the Raymond McEnhill Stadium to watch their club demolish their local rivals.

With this result, the Whites have placed themselves on the verge of history, with the chance to make it the furthest they have ever been in the Emirates FA Cup if they can turnover fellow National League South side Dorking Wanderers to reach the Fourth Round.

Salisbury City FC, the former club, managed to reach the Second Round 3 times, with one of the club’s most iconic moments coming when they took on Nottingham Forest, holding them to a 1-1 draw at home and appearing on Match Of The Day, before ultimately losing the replay 2-0.

Having reached the third qualifying round of the FA Cup on two occasions prior to their victory last weekend, fans of the Whites now have the opportunity to make new memories.

With a place in the Fourth Qualifying Round at stake, Salisbury will take on Dorking Wanderers at their home ground, in a fixture that means everything to both the supporters and the new owner as well.

Another member of the club, who has high hopes going into their upcoming FA Cup tie in two weeks time, is current manager Brian Dutton, who we interviewed following his side’s 4-1 victory last weekend.

A Bright future

While things are certainly not perfect currently at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium, currently sitting near the bottom of the league following a winless start to the season, the magic of the FA Cup does have the potential to turn the club’s fortunes around.

Despite their current form, according to one fan, the entire club is still behind their new owner and current manager, stating that ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’ and tempering their expectations, understanding that improvements will come in time.

With new investments, a beloved owner, and a documentary on the way, Salisbury FC has all the makings of a beautiful grassroots football story, and while the club may have some significant steps to make, the new owner is completely dedicated to making that happen.