Salisbury Supporters Group "cautiously optimistic" after take over
Ali Alhamad bought the National League South club earlier this week
A Salisbury FC Supporters Group says there is "cautious optimism" after the club was taken over earlier this week by a Kuwaiti businessman.
Ali Alhamad has bought the National League South side, promising to grow the club on and off the pitch.
Dave Drag from the Salisbury Supporters Group on Facebook was one of the fans who attended a forum at the Ray Mac stadium with the new owner.
"There's a lot of optimism in my head," Dave said, adding: "Proof of the pudding is always in the eating, so we will have to see how things go. But certainly, the way he's talked and the way he seems to have interacted with the fans and the club so far leaves us as positive as we can be."
There will have been concerns among the fan base with foreign investment, after it contributed to the folding of Salisbury City FC in 2015, which led to the phoenix club in its current form.
But Dave said there are some very clear differences this time around.
He said: "When the worst happened in the previous the previous foreign takeover, there was very little known about the guy who had taken over.
"This time there's a lot out there. You can see the businesses that that Ali runs over in Kuwait and elsewhere in the world."
He also explained that the deal has been brokered by a very experienced deal-maker, who has had involvement in many agreements, including with the likes of Portuguese powerhouse Benfica, and has a strong track-record.
Dave praised the outgoing board for doing their due diligence on the new owner: "This isn't a guy who's shown up overnight and suddenly has the keys to the front door and full ownership of the club. This this has been a lot more work."
Excitement building ahead of new season
Dave told us that he is hoping the new owner can bring increased matchday attendance and community engagement, as well as building a wider online audience.
"I think inevitably a wider audience brings success in its own right because it you know, you've got more people involved, whether that's just there on a match day, spending a bit more money, or whether that's through sponsorship or so on."
He says there is sense of excitement with the playing staff too.
In the clubs first season in the National League South, Brian Dutton's side stayed up on the final day thanks to a 1-1 draw at Welling United.
Dave said the summer recruitment suggests a team better prepared for the sixth tier of English Football.
He said: "Even before we knew that new investment was coming in, the players that have been signed this year, albeit we have sort of two-thirds of a squad signed on at the moment, look to be of a slightly higher calibre than what we had last year.
"There's a lot more experience at this level than there perhaps was a year ago."