Andover Town Football Club has entered a new era after the ownership group behind Salisbury FC completed a takeover of the club and secured a 25-year lease on the Portway Stadium.
Proleague Limited, which owns Salisbury FC, has completed the transfer of Andover Town from Sparsholt College, with Test Valley Borough Council agreeing a long-term lease which will keep the club at its traditional Portway home.
The move represents a significant change in direction for Andover Town, with the new owners setting out ambitions to take the club back up the non-league pyramid, invest in facilities and create a pathway between Andover and Salisbury for young players.
Crucially for supporters, Andover Town will retain its own name and identity and will continue playing its home matches at Portway.
The takeover comes at an important point in the club’s history.
Andover Town was established in 2013 by Andover and Sparsholt Colleges, with one of its central aims being to bring senior football back to Portway and provide talented young footballers with a route from education and academy football into the adult game.
The club quickly climbed into the Wessex League Premier Division and enjoyed its finest league campaign in 2017/18, finishing runners-up with 99 points, while also winning the Russell Cotes Cup that season.
Recent years have proved considerably more difficult.
Town were relegated from Wessex League Division One at the end of the 2023/24 campaign and spent the following two seasons in the Hampshire Premier League Senior Division.
The 2025/26 season ended with another relegation after Town finished bottom of the Senior Division, meaning they are competing in Hampshire Premier League Division One this season. There was, however, silverware to celebrate in May when Andover defeated BTC Southampton 2-1 to win the George Mason Memorial Shield.
The new owners have now made clear that climbing back through the divisions is a priority.
In announcing the takeover, Salisbury FC said the deal was “first and foremost” an investment in Andover Town, describing the town as an area with considerable young footballing talent and stating its belief that Andover Town should become the area’s leading club.
Day-to-day responsibility for the club will be handed to Mohammad Alkandari, who will serve as Andover Town’s Chief Executive.
Alkandari is expected to provide supporters with greater access to developments behind the scenes through the club’s social media channels as the new ownership begins putting its plans into place.
The arrangement will also create a formal footballing link with Salisbury FC, who are competing in National League South during the 2026/27 season.
Under the proposed multi-club model, young Salisbury FC academy players will be able to gain experience of senior football with Andover, while other players requiring regular competitive minutes could also spend time at Portway.
Scouting and coaching resources are also expected to be shared between the clubs.
For Andover, however, potentially one of the most significant parts of the announcement concerns the future of Portway Stadium itself.
Proleague has secured a 25-year lease on the ground from Test Valley Borough Council and says improvements to the facilities are planned.
Among the options being explored is the installation of an all-weather 3G pitch.
Such a development could dramatically increase the amount of football Portway is capable of hosting, opening the stadium for greater community use throughout the week while potentially also providing Salisbury’s first team with a training base.
Portway has played an important part in Andover’s footballing history. When the current Andover Town was created, significant investment was made to bring the stadium back into use, with Test Valley Borough Council contributing £200,000 towards refurbishment work ahead of the club’s return in 2013.
Salisbury chairman Ali Alhamad believes the new relationship can strengthen both clubs while retaining their individual identities.
He said: “This is a proud day for both clubs. I care deeply about this region and its young players, and Andover Town has huge potential that we intend to back properly.
“The synergy between the two clubs is what excites me most: the multi-club model gives our young players a clear pathway into senior football, opens up new opportunities for scouting and investment, and makes both clubs stronger on and off the pitch.
“Our aim is to build something Salisbury and Andover are both proud of.”
Alhamad took control at Salisbury through Proleague in 2025, with the club subsequently investing in its playing squad as part of plans to establish itself at National League South level.
Companies House records also show Alhamad was appointed as a director of the newly incorporated Andover Town FC Limited earlier this month, alongside his existing directorship of Proleague Ltd.
The takeover brings to an end Sparsholt College’s long period as custodian of Andover Town.
The college’s involvement has been fundamental to the current club since its formation, with the original model designed to combine senior non-league football with opportunities for students and young players.
Ben Stokes, of Sparsholt College, said the organisation looked back with “fond memories” on its time running the club.
He said: “Through its inception in 2013 and reviving a football club at the Portway Stadium, we have seen many successes on the pitch and supporting the progression routes for aspiring young footballers who also attended Andover and Sparsholt Colleges.
“We are excited by the new opportunities for Andover, its supporters and the local community and will continue to offer our support to Andover Town.”
The relationship between Andover Town and the colleges has previously produced notable opportunities for young players, with the club’s youth side reaching the third round of the FA Youth Cup during the Sparsholt era.
Attention will now turn to exactly how quickly Proleague’s ambitions can be translated into progress on and off the pitch.
The gap between the two clubs is currently substantial, with Salisbury playing in National League South and Andover beginning the 2026/27 campaign in Hampshire Premier League Division One.
But the long-term nature of the Portway lease, together with plans for investment in the stadium, shared football resources and a pathway for players between the clubs, suggests the deal is intended to be far more than a short-term arrangement.
For Andover Town, which just eight years ago finished runners-up in the Wessex League Premier Division with 99 points but has since fallen down the pyramid, the takeover offers the prospect of rebuilding towards those levels and beyond.
Proleague has thanked Sparsholt College for its work as custodian of the club and Test Valley Borough Council for its support in agreeing the new lease.
Further announcements are expected in the coming weeks, including more detail about the plans for Andover Town, the season ahead and how supporters of both Andover and Salisbury can become involved.
After several challenging seasons at Portway, the message from the new ownership is clear: Andover Town is to remain Andover Town — but there are ambitions for the club to start climbing again.