Edinburgh’s remarkable Spartans FC take over historic English club
Spartans FC have been described as the most important institution in north Edinburgh. Not the most important sporting organisation, the most important full stop.
That is down to their community foundation, one of the most admired in the UK, which supports more than 2000 people every week with everything from alternative education for those struggling in mainstream school to providing free food bags.
Now Spartans have produced one of the great Scottish sports stories of recent decades by taking over an historic English Football League club.
Buying Shrewsbury Town is just the latest chapter in the seemingly unstoppable rise of the club under the ownership of self-made US multimillionaire Scott Davidson.
Moving on up: Originally established in 1951 by former members of the Edinburgh University football club, Spartans are rising through the Scottish football ranks. Three years after being promoted into the Scottish Professional Football League, they are challenging for promotion to the third tier. But it is the growth of their community foundation that has been most impressive.
Community goals: The Spartans Community Foundation is an important social enterprise whose work includes communities around Pilton, Muirhouse and Granton. It runs 36 programmes, with focuses including health and wellbeing, youth work and tackling food poverty. Their staff pay roll has grown from four to 83 in recent years.
Who is Scott Davidson? Spartans’ owner is a graduate of the Yale School of Management, who spent 12 years as managing director of the New York-based international banking institution JPMorganChase. A strong supporter of the community foundation, the Miami-based businessman is passionate about football and its power to deliver social change. He is also a UEFA ‘A’ licence-qualified football coach.
Star supporters: The late Kevin Keegan, Gordon Strachan and Sir Chris Hoy are among the big names who have backed the foundation’s fund-raising, which includes a star-studded annual gala dinner at Prestonfield House. Former Spurs and US international goalkeeper Brad Friedel is a friend of Davidson’s and will join him on the board at Shrewsbury.
What happens next? The Shrewsbury take-over is expected to see the two clubs work closely together to develop both their ambitions on the pitch and their community foundations. Spartans chairman Craig Graham will become a director at Shrewsbury, alongside fellow Spartans director Will Dotson, a New York-based financier. Longer term, who knows? But don’t bet against Spartans continuing to rise.
YOUR EDINBURGH BRIEFING
NEXT STOP FOR TRAMS? The business case for building a new tram line from Granton to Little France has been approved by councillors, despite determined opposition to the local authority’s preferred route to the north of Princes Street along the Roseburn Path. Councillors agreed the southern stretch to the Royal Infirmary and BioQuarter at Little France will be the priority, with the northern section on the backburner.
The £1.4bn question: The next challenge is securing the funding needed to press ahead with work. The whole line would cost up to £2.9bn with the priority southern stretch alone priced at £1.4bn. That is most likely to come from brokering an agreement for the tram to be one of the Edinburgh City-Region’s key regional transport priorities.
No Meadows line: Conservation body Edinburgh World Heritage’s concerns about the impact of trams on North Bridge has reopened debate about the possibility of instead taking the line across the Meadows. However, the council has investigated that option and ruled it out, partly due to the greater traffic congestion it would cause.
Target 2036: The earliest possible opening of a line to Little France is likely to be 2036, allowing five years to agree funding and then start work, plus five years of construction. So it may be several years before the
CUP OF CHEER: Congratulations to Hearts and Hibs for winning through to the semi-finals of the Premier Sports Cup, or the League Cup as it is more traditionally known. And with the two teams drawn against each other in an Edinburgh derby semi-final (due to be played on the weekend of October 31/November 1 at Hampden with the exact timings to be confirmed) there will be at least one Capital side in the final hoping to lift the trophy in December.
HOSPITAL HOMES: Plans to turn the 42-acre former Astley Ainslie Hospital site in Morningside into around 500 homes are moving forward. City councillors have been discussing a planning framework for the future development of the site which includes extensive grounds, in between Morningside, the Grange and Blackford.
COX COMES BACK: Succession star Brian Cox will return to Lyceum Theatre, 60 years after becoming one of the founding members of its theatre company. The 80-year-old actor will share tales from his storied career in An Evening with Brian Cox next month.
SUPERHOSTEL CHALLENGE: Campaigners against a 544-bed superhostel planned for the West End have mounted a legal challenge against the Scottish Government’s approval of the development. The Inquirer revealed earlier this year that BlackRock, the world’s biggest investment fund manger, were behind the controversial proposals.
NEW TO HOTSEAT: Edinburgh Depute Lord Provost Councillor Lezley Marion Cameron has been appointed to one of the most important and challenging roles in city politics, Chair of the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board. The councillor for Liberton/Gilmerton will lead the board, which oversees health and social care services in Edinburgh and the Lothians, and involves local councils and NHS Lothian.
WALKING ON SUNSHINE: The sun shone on the 8,000 people who took part in yesterday’s Kilt Walk through the capital yesterday. Sir Chris Hoy led the walkers who together raised £1.5m for 762 charities.
LOAN SUM: Plans to build hundreds of new homes, a primary school and commercial premises as part of the first phase of the Granton Waterfront project have been boosted by a £38.4 million loan from the National Wealth Fund to the city council. The loan will deliver enabling infrastructure and serviced development plots, unlocking more than £160 million of new private investment. The project is part of the wider £1.3 billion Granton regeneration.
SETT TO CLOSE: St Mary’s Street in the Old Town is closing to traffic for six months to allow its historic setts to be replaced.
FATAL ‘SHOOTING’: A 35-year-old man has been killed in a suspected shooting in Armadale in West Lothian on Saturday morning.
LEITH CHOOSES: Eligible community groups and charities have almost four weeks left to apply for LeithChooses 2026/27. New projects designed to start after March 31 next year and run for a year, which will deliver community benefit, can apply for project funding.
Pic of the week
THE BUSINESS
ScotMid offers food businesses taste of success
Edinburgh-based Scotmid Co-operative is offering local Scottish producers the chance to secure a listing in its extensive network of stores.
The co-operative has officially launched its 2026 ‘Scottish Favourites’ competition, an initiative designed to unearth and champion new food and drink products from across Scotland. It will be the fifth consecutive year that it has run the campaign in collaboration with Scotland Food & Drink, the industry leadership body dedicated to fostering growth and enhancing the global reputation of Scottish produce.
Previous winner Karen Robinson, founder of Edinburgh-based Three Robins, said that winning a ScotMid listing in a previous round had been transformative for her oat milk range, allowing her business to “double our distribution overnight, making our products available to families all across Scotland.”
This year’s competition introduces an enhanced prize structure, featuring three prestigious Gold Awards. Winners will not only secure a listing in Scotmid stores but also receive a £2,000 monetary prize to support their product launch.
Scotmid is Scotland’s largest independent co-operative, with approximately 275 convenience stores across Scotland and a £432 million turnover. Scotland’s food and drink sector employs 123,000 people across 17,000 businesses.
BASS (AND BARREL) TO ROCK: Scottish hospitality operator Buzzworks – which operates around ten pub and restaurant venues in Edinburgh and the Lothians including the Herringbone restaurants, has unveiled The Bass & Barrel as the new name for the former Nether Abbey Hotel in North Berwick, and an opening of 20 October. The Bass & Barrel joins the Bonnie Badger in Gullane, purchased from Tom Kitchin earlier this year, as the group also move into accommodation in the Lothian area.
SOLID BET: The iconic Edinburgh art deco building The Maybury Casino has changed ownership, AM Sci Tech, a subsidiary of Hurstwood Holdings, has completed the £2.9 million purchase following the group’s recent acquisition of 7 Lochside View at Edinburgh Park.
CITY CHEF WINS: Head chef at Edinburgh International Conference Centre Paul Hood has won a prestigious industry award. The Hospitality Industry Trust Scotland Legacy Scholarship will see him take up a placement at the world-renowned hotel The Dorchester in Mayfair, London.
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
COLONY OF ARTISTS: The colonies of Abbeyhill become a giant indoor and outdoor art gallery this weekend as the Colony of Artists returns for 2026. (Get an idea of what to expect from last year’s long read: Homes, gardens, sheds and even staircases are turned into mini-galleries)
INCREDIBLE MUSEUM: There’s a chance to enjoy The most incredible city museum you’ve never visited when the University of Edinburgh’s Anatomical Museum holds an open day on Saturday.
FIRE FEST: Tickets have gone on sale for the Samhuinn fire festival which returns to Calton Hill on Friday, October 31. (Read more about what to expect here All Hail the Queen of Winter.)
QUICK BITES
FOOD HATCH: Walkers (and others) enjoying Holyrood Park or the nearby Meadows have a new coffee spot. The Hatch is a new “hole-in-the-wall” café opened in The Scholar Hotel at Edinburgh University’s Pollock Halls on Holyrood Park Road. Hot and cold drinks, pastries and dog treats are all on offer.
NOW BOOKING: Bookings are being taken for the new Ottolenghi restaurant which is to open on George Street on 5 October, the first Scottish venue to be opened by the renowned restaurateur. Offering all-day dining, it will be spearheaded by native Scot Head Chef Neil Campbell.