The Spartans success story behind Shrewsbury Town’s prospective new owners

The Spartans had been largely unknown to the Shrewsbury Town faithful - until now.

The Scottish League Two side has been inundated with new followers from Shropshire since the American consortium seeking to take over Salop was revealed, with supporters flooding their social media pages and claiming Spartans as their second club.

The surge prompted Spartans to welcome their unexpected new following with a post of their own after majority shareholder Scott Davidson and fellow directors at the Scottish club were revealed as the figures behind the proposed takeover of Shrewsbury.

Davidson has enjoyed instant success at the Edinburgh-based club since arriving in summer 2021, overseeing their rise into the professional ranks and coming close to another promotion in recent seasons.

But Spartans’ work in the community is also central to their identity.

Scottish broadcaster Brian McLauchlin told BBC Radio Shropshire: “What’s happened since he (Davidson) and other directors arrived, they have built the profile of the club up.

“They have been able to help develop it on the park to a professional level, taking it through the Lowland League into the professional ranks.

“They are still a part-time club, but they work very, very hard to try and give some younger pros an opportunity. They have associations with the likes of Hearts of Midlothian and Hibernian, so some younger players can come in on loan and develop.

“They are a magnificent little club. One of the big good news stories in Scottish football in the last 20 years has been the development of Spartans. Nobody says a bad word about them.

“The investors have helped take Spartans to a different level. Certainly if Shrewsbury Town want to develop themselves as a football club, then these three guys can do it.”

Spartans first came onto the radar of Shrewsbury supporters this summer when forward Ricardo Dinanga joined the Scottish club on loan.

One of the most significant aspects of Spartans’ work is their highly regarded foundation, which has made a major impact across the Edinburgh community.

“Their stadium is in one of the most deprived areas in Edinburgh, and the club has risen from the ashes in the last 20 years,” McLauchlin added.

“There is no better community club in Scotland than The Spartans. They bring people in, have given people jobs, they are the focal point of that particular point of Edinburgh, 24 hours, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, The Spartans are open for the community.

“And if Shrewsbury Town wants to do something like that, then there are no better people to help them along then the people who have been helping Spartans in the past few years.”

McLauchlin also explained how Scottish football great Gordon Strachan has been a key figure at Spartans, having retained a close lifelong connection with the club after growing up around the corner.

Miami-based businessman Davidson will be joined by fellow Spartans board members Will Dotson and Craig Graham, who would become directors at Shrewsbury subject to approval from the Independent Football Regulator, alongside former Premier League goalkeeper Bradley Friedel.

The potential takeover still requires approval from the Scottish Football Association, although reports suggest the body is supportive.

McLauchlin said: “For these guys to go down there they obviously have a vision.

“They have certainly been good news to Spartans, and I believe they will still be involved with them.

“There are still a few bumps in the road to go, they need approval in England but also from the Scottish Football Association, because there are rules and regulations about the percentage of shareholdings people can have. But I don’t envisage it being too much of a problem.

“Good luck to them. It is a very unique story, because normally it is about owners from America or down south coming up to Scotland to buy clubs. It is very unusual for owners of Scottish clubs to try and buy a club in England.”