Salisbury FC, a phoenix club playing in the sixth tier of English football, are making waves in Kuwait, where their owner claims they have a larger following than most Premier League clubs. The National League South side, currently third in the table, recently completed a five-day trip to the Middle Eastern nation, facing one of the country's most successful teams, Al Qadsia, on Wednesday. The Wiltshire outfit lost the friendly 3-2 and flew home on Thursday ahead of their FA Cup third qualifying round tie against Dulwich Hamlet.
FA Cup progress and Kuwaiti links
Salisbury wrapped up a surreal week by securing an emphatic 5-0 win over Dulwich Hamlet, reaching the furthest stage of the tournament since their reformation in 2014. They are now one win away from the first round proper, when League One and League Two sides join the competition.
The club's ties with Kuwait stem from the takeover by Kuwaiti businessman Ali Alhamad in June 2025. Alhamad, who has worked in manufacturing, the oil and gas industry, real estate, hospitality and cryptocurrency, said after his takeover: "There is huge potential with the club, all over.
"The city, the people that attend, it's a beautiful stadium, the people are wonderful. The main goal is creating a sustainable, well-run, community football club which serves Salisbury right."
Commercial growth and community impact
The recent visit to Kuwait was part of Alhamad's growing efforts to bring commercial growth to the club, while the non-league players were also able to experience a completely different environment. The players are said to have surprised the owner with how eager they were to embark on the trip, having reportedly agreed to go within an hour. As shown on the club's official Instagram page, they visited local restaurants, wore traditional clothing, and met local schoolchildren, who were delighted to take pictures with them.
The links with Kuwait extend beyond the pitch, with four of Salisbury's sponsors being Kuwaiti, including the front of shirt sponsor. On Instagram, the official Arabic account of Salisbury FC has more than 14,000 followers - only slightly less than their official English profile.
Alhamad said: "I would even go further than saying that Salisbury in Kuwait is bigger than many of the Premier League teams in the UK.
"So I am not exaggerating when I do say that it is a huge name in Kuwait but what's more important than the size is we are contributing a lot to the local community here in Kuwait and to the children and the future of the football in Kuwait.
"Salisbury really is an integral part of opening those avenues and helping the youth here to be better in all the aspects we're looking for."
Educating Kuwaiti fans on non-league quality
The owner went on to note that, while non-league is an unknown commodity in Kuwait, he hoped the match will have educated fans about how high the standard of football still is. He added: "People are not properly educated in the fact that the non-league is actually a really high quality and that is also an indirect goal of mine with this match.
"We're here to show them, you're belittling playing the sixth tier of English football, the second step of the English non-league."
