BREAKING NEWS: New Tamworth FC Ownership Identified with Connections to MLS Ecosystem
- Calum Ewing
- 33 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Credit: Tamworth FC
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
On April 26, Ben Jacobs of talkSport reported that National League club Tamworth FC, best known for back-to-back promotions from 2022-2024 and forcing Tottenham Hotspur to extra time in last year’s FA Cup with part-time players, were finalizing an American ownership takeover. Now, the National Soccer Network can identify the investors as Dawn Sports & Entertainment, with ties to the Jacksonville Armada of MLS NEXT Pro and Oklahoma United FC of The League for Clubs.
Dawn Sports is a part of Dawn Group International, a commercial real estate group that manages private equity capital and investment brokerage. NSN can confirm that company founder and CEO Abdullah Ashraf attended Tamworth’s final National League match of the season, a 5-1 victory over Braintree Town. Ashraf is the owner of American semi-professional side Oklahoma United FC, formerly of the NPSL and now a member of the League for Clubs. They had an average attendance of 1,900 in 2025, a significant total for the 4th tier in America. Additionally, Ashraf manages a CRE portfolio exceeding $100 million AUM in assets.
Oklahoma United pulled considerable crowds throughout their inaugural season in 2025 - Credit: Oklahoma United FC
The second prospective owner of Tamworth FC confirmed in attendance at the Braintree match is Nathan Walter (identified in obtained photo with help of @GarmaZed on Reddit), the executive senior vice president of Dawn Capital and most importantly the President and General Manager of the Jacksonville Armada since October 2017. Walter has been involved with the club as a whole since January 2014, serving as the Director of Soccer Operations and later the Technical Director during their club’s time in the second-tier North American Soccer League (NASL). After the professional league folded in 2018, the Armada moved to 4th-tier semi-professional National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). Due to the collapse of the NPSL Gulf Coast Conference during a league leadership change this year, the Armada are set to participate in the brand-new Florida Champions League this summer.
On November 2, 2023, the Armada were officially welcomed into MLS NEXT Pro, a third-tier professional league in the MLS ecosystem consisting of MLS reserve sides and a collection of independent clubs. Although the club intended to join in 2025 and has bought land with a permit to build a downtown soccer stadium, work was delayed as majority owner Robert Palmer sold the team to local Jacksonville-based lawyer Chris Campione. It was reported by multiple outlets that Walter would transition to club director and CEO, but there has been little public reporting on the progress of the sale since the initial announcement in November 2025.
Dawn Group International has publicly made its interest in investing in the English football pyramid known. On their website, Ashraf is quoted stating “We see enormous potential in football clubs: not just as sporting institutions, but as regional pillars that deserve the structure, investment, and ambition needed to rise.” With investment pillars focused on facility infrastructure and being a positive community force, their intentions align with reports that state Tamworth will be looking to gain promotion to the EFL for the first time in their 93-year club history. ITV reported that club insiders are so confident about the financial might of Dawn Group with a “number of high net worth individuals behind them” that they hope for a Wrexham-style rise up the English football pyramid in a more realistic timeframe.
Credit: Football Ground Guide (Facebook)
With the sale expected in the next couple of days and “certainly by early May”, Dawn Group will take over as controlling owners from Bob Andrews. With Tamworth FC currently part-time and not holding ownership of The Lamb Ground stadium, major investments are expected to raise the ceiling of what the club in a small town of 78,600 can truly accomplish.
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