Former Shrewsbury striker handed FA ban for betting breaches

Ryan Bowman, 33, admitted to making a staggering 6,397 bets on football matches between June 2015 and September 2023. This extensive period included his time at Shrewsbury, where he made 135 appearances and scored 22 goals.

During his spell with Shrewsbury, he placed bets on 243 games that either he or the club were involved in. Notably, this included betting on himself to score and, in some instances, betting against Shrewsbury Town to lose matches. One instance cited involved a bet placed during a game while he was on the bench.

Shrewsbury Town Football Club today released a statement confirming their awareness of the FA's investigation, stating they were first contacted by the FA regarding rule breaches by Bowman, although the full extent of the charges was initially unclear.

Shrewsbury Town confirmed they "did everything we could to assist their investigation" once informed.

In their statement, Shrewsbury Town expressed disappointment with the severity of the offences, but highlighted their commitment to supporting Bowman and his family through this difficult period. They also reaffirmed their "full support for the FA’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of the game."

Bowman's betting activity extended beyond his time at Shrewsbury, with offences also recorded during his spells at Torquay United, Gateshead, and Exeter City. An independent regulatory commission, which heard Bowman's case, determined that he had engaged in a "very significant breach" of FA Rule E8, which prohibits participants from betting on football worldwide.

The commission's findings also revealed that Bowman had initially not been "forthcoming" during FA interviews and had deleted data from his phone despite instructions not to.

The ban, effective immediately, will prevent Bowman from participating in any football or football-related activity for 42 months.

Shrewsbury Town has stated they will be making no further comment on the matter.