New ownership announced at Salisbury Football Club
Kuwaiti businessman Ali Alhamad is taking charge of running the club
New investment has been announced at Salisbury Football Club, which will lead to a change of ownership.
Kuwaiti business man Ali Alhamad is taking charge of the Whites and is replacing Ian Hammond as chairman of the club.
Mr Hammond has overseen a period of success at the Ray Mac, with two promotions being secured, the latest bringing the club back to the National League South in 2024, a decade after the club was reformed following the collapse of Salisbury City FC.
The club remained in the sixth tier on the final day of the 2024/25 season, thanks to a 1-1 draw at Welling United.
The new investment was revealed to fans on the clubs website in an open letter from the Directors of the club.
Mr Hammond, said the extra investment should help the club continue to progress: "We appreciated that the cost of running the club successfully in the National League South or, or above, is far greater than running the club in the Southern League. We don't want to go back down there.
"We could not support Brian with a decent budget that he could be really satisfied with, that would enable him to develop the club going forward.
"What really matters for us is to generate a sustainable club for Salisbury. Which has every opportunity to move forward rather than move backward. We couldn't have done it without new investment.
"It's not just a question of a one-off gift going into the bank account of the club. Long term sustainability is what really matters for the club. Therefore, a new style of investment is absolutely necessary to carry the club forward into the future."
Manager Brian Dutton welcomed the deal, having said following the teams' final day survival that extra investment was needed to strengthen the squad and the club.
He praised the impact Ian has had on the club.
"Ian and his family have been outstanding custodians of this football club, and we've all been incredibly lucky to have had their commitment over recent years.
"Ian was the perfect Chairman a manager could ask for, allowing me to do what I was good at without interference, backing me all the way.
"But it was unsustainable and unfair to keep asking Ian to foot the bill alone for all these years.
It's believed that the new ownership will bring a boosted budget for the manager to build his squad with, ahead of the new National League South season.
The boss said his meetings with Mr Alhamad have been positive: "Ali brings excitement, enthusiasm and a renewed feeling of hope to Salisbury FC. Having had several meetings with him, I'm filled with confidence that the club will reach its full potential."