The American consortium attempting to buy Shrewsbury Town has cleared another regulatory hurdle after the Scottish Football Association approved its members holding interests in both Spartans FC and the League Two club.
The group includes Scott Davidson, Will Dotson, Craig Graham and former Liverpool, Tottenham and Blackburn goalkeeper Brad Friedel. It has already passed the due diligence and financial tests set by the English Football League and the Independent Football Regulator.
The Scottish FA clearance addresses dual-interest concerns around Davidson’s existing role as majority shareholder at Scottish League 2 side Spartans, where Dotson and Graham are also involved. In a statement, Spartans said the Scottish FA had given approval to the dual interests arising from the acquisition of Shrewsbury Town by the consortium led by Davidson, and to the appointment of Davidson, Dotson and Graham as directors of both clubs.
Spartans added that the ruling “completes the majority of the regulatory aspects of the acquisition.”
The takeover process has been a long one at Shrewsbury. Chairman Roland Wycherley put the club up for sale in 2024, but several potential deals have collapsed since then. Negotiations with an American buyer fell through in March 2025, and a second bid from a different party also failed six months later.
The deal with Davidson’s group has been running for the past six months, with hopes that the takeover will be finalised before Christmas. Wycherley, who is 85, has warned that “time and patience” will still be important once the new owners officially take charge, drawing on his own 30 years of running the club.
If completed, the sale would end Wycherley’s 30-year tenure as owner. On the pitch, Shrewsbury Town are 14th in League Two, having won three of their nine games so far.