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As many will have read, South Somerset District Council have unanimously approved the deal to purchase Huish Park and the surrounding land from Yeovil Town Football Club today. From a Council perspective we can see that this is a low risk commercial deal that will benefit them whichever of the four scenarios outlined by the Council Officers comes to pass.  What we all have to decide is will it be a good deal for our football club.

The Glovers Trust applied for an Asset of Community Value registration with SSDC in 2016, thereby protecting, to a certain degree, Huish Park from a snap sale without the community having the opportunity of considering making a counter bid.

We have until the 7th January 2021 to formally notify the Council of an intention to consider a bid. Should notification of such a decision be made by the end of this six week period, the proposed sale will be put on hold for up to six months to allow for consideration of a bid.

A mostly new Trust Board or possibly a completely new one, together with its members will shortly have to make the decision whether to trigger that ACV and send YTFC in one direction or another. The Trust members hold the Club’s future in their hands.

We are working hard to ascertain details that the newly elected board can put to the members in order that we can provide them with as much information as possible before a decision is made on the next steps.

We all want the very best for Yeovil Town Football Club and with all of us working together as the only independent organisation for supporters we can have an influence over the future of our club.

Be you a member or non-member your participation in this process is critical to achieving this aim. Let’s keep the dialogue going.

The Glovers Trust Board

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Glovers Trust statement after SSDC approves purchase of Huish Park and surrounding land

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Following the closure of the Glovers Trust nomination period on Friday we can confirm that there are 16 candidates who have put themselves forward for board membership.  As there are 12 places on the Trust Board available, we will now move onto the voting process to decide which candidates will take the positions on the committee.

The Trust election process has coincided in what can only be described as one on the most critical periods for our Football Club in recent times, with news earlier this week that the Chairman of Yeovil Town FC is in discussions with South Somerset District Council to potentially sell, and lease back, the Huish Park site.  The current Trust Board are working to ascertain as much information as possible with regards to the proposal, and under the terms of the Asset of Community Value status that we successfully gained for the site, are entitled to submit a written intention to bid if we decide we can offer an alternate and more beneficial proposition.  We received written confirmation on Friday from SSDC that the intent to sell the asset has been received and so the six-week moratorium period has formally commenced and will end on Thursday the 7th of January.

As this date falls after the initial timeline for the closure of the voting process, the current Trust Board have reviewed and agreed a revision to the previously published timeline so that the new Committee have a chance to provide input into the above consideration during the moratorium period, and take forward the decision that is ultimately made. Therefore we would like to advise that the voting process will open on Wednesday the 2nd of December and close on Friday the 11th of December.

When the voting process commences, the manifesto that applicants submitted will be published to all members who are eligible to vote.  Those members will then vote for 12 of the candidates that they wish to see elected to the Trust Board.  At the end of the process, the 12 candidates with the most votes will be elected to the Trust Board.  For clarity, the scope of eligible voters is defined as individuals who were an active member of the Glovers Trust up to and including 30th of June 2020, and any individual who has joined between that date and the 27th of November 2020.

Upon completion of the voting process, we will announce the results as soon as possible after the 12th of December, and no later than Monday 14th of December.

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Election to take place to decide Glovers Trust Board

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Following the release of the statement made by SSDC and Scott Priestnall this afternoon, the Glovers Trust would like to confirm that we had been made fully aware of these proposals by Mr Priestnall on Sunday evening.

In a long and transparent discussion via video link members of the Trust Board were appraised of the situation that exists at Huish Park, including the severe financial difficulties that face our Club.

We are all in favour of measures that will ensure the stability of YTFC and will allow for sustainable revenue streams to provide sufficient funds to allow our Club not only to survive but positively thrive. We want and need the Club to be an important facility for generations to come.

At this early stage we believe that the proposed scheme has much to commend it and should the proposals be carried out as presently stated, a brighter future could await Yeovil Town. A club unencumbered by both land charges and covenants would free up the possibilities for the type of development that would bring those all-important revenue streams on board. We shall be consulting with our members to gain their views on what could be one of the most important steps forward in the Club’s 125 year history. The Trust also welcomes the opinions and views of non-members in order to assess the level of support.

There will be much to discuss going forward should these proposals gain the support of those who represent our community at Council level. We suggest that supporters be at the very centre of such discussions. The present pandemic has highlighted by its absence that vital element in our football club, the supporters. The beating heart and emotional investment that all fans bring, not to mention their financial support, makes the Club what it is. A share in the decision making will surely be required.

The Glovers Trust Board of Directors

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This afternoon is a very poignant moment for many supporters of Yeovil Town as the Away End is formally named in memory of Mr Yeovil Town himself, Martin Badger Baker.

To all those who used the Ciderspace website Martin Baker was known as the person who brought every scrap of YTFC information to the fans. His explanations, of often complex situations, were easily understood by all of us who regularly logged in. They were tempered with a quick wit and when required the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel. Nothing escaped his gaze and whether or not you had ever met him you felt he was a great friend.

The Glovers Trust are proud to be able to sponsor the Away End in Martin’s name. From the inception of the Trust Martin was a true believer in its cause. He was one of six fans who attended the London offices of Supporters Direct in 2015 and pitched the case for setting up a Supporters Trust. He understood the need for an independent voice for supporters, the desire to have a say in how the Club that generations of fans had supported.

On many occasions in the following years he gave the Trust guidance, support and knowledge which was used to attempt to persuade those in charge to listen to the fan’s grievances and points of view. If Badger were here today it is more than likely he would point to the support that fans have given over the pandemic period as an example of how Club and fans should work together. He would urge fans to see that it was more important than ever to have a strong Trust, able to continue the encouraging dialogue that has developed with the present ownership. He would be looking ahead to greater cooperation and representation for all involved in this, our Club.

It is believed that Martin Baker is the very first supporter to have received this important recognition of a named stand in the 125 year history of YTFC. How fitting that he should be number one!

Martin Baker is sorely missed by many but will be forgotten by none.

 

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You may recall that the Glovers Trust Board took a decision earlier this year to defer the nomination and election process for 2020 given the uncertainty that the Coronavirus pandemic has caused. Since then we have seen one season end and a new season begin, all behind closed doors, and despite all of the uncertainty, it is clear that it will be some time before we return to a sense of normality.

With this in mind, we have decided that despite the uncertainty now is as good a time any to open the Board nomination process and give members the opportunity to step forward for election to the Trust Board. This year is more important than ever!

Under our constitution we have an allocation for up to twelve Board members each sitting for a period of two years before seeking re-election should they wish to do so. We have struggled year on year to get anywhere near that allocation and have felt the need to co-opt people from time to time to give us a small working group. This in turn has curtailed our ability to offer our club and the supporters as many initiatives as we could otherwise have done. Last October we set out the election process once again but not a single enquiry was made by a supporter. Consequently, there was no election of new Board members and consequently five of the existing members agreed to carry on. One who had chosen not to be re-elected kindly allowed themselves to be co-opted for one more year to keep it afloat.

Of course, a Supporters Trust should not just rely upon the Board members to organise and run every event, activity and initiative and for many Trusts at many clubs up and down the country the volunteer is the life blood of the organisation. We thank those that have kindly volunteered for various things over the years but frankly we need more and cannot successfully run the Glovers Trust on the backs of five or six people.

This year all of the existing Board will need to stand for re-election and there is no guarantee that all or any will choose to do so. Clearly this is not how it is meant to work – volunteer organisations benefit from new blood, new people with vision, new ideas and enthusiasm. There is no other way to take the vehicle forward and if no one steps up this time there could be grave consequences for the Trust.

If you are interested and would like to step forward, then simply complete the Trust Board Nomination Form and return it by Friday the 27th of November, preferably by email to secretary@glovers-trust.co.uk. Candidates must be nominated by two other adult Trust members, and complete a statement outlining why they want to get involved with the Board. Due to the exceptional circumstances this year, individuals do not need to hold an active Trust Membership so if you are a new or former member please get in touch with us and we will provide you with the information that you require to stand for election. Eligible forms will be included in our Election manifesto to be sent to all current Trust members, who will then vote for their preferred candidates. Results will be announced w/c 11th of January 2021.

Full details of the process can be found in polices 7, 8 and 9 here and should be fully read and understood ahead of nominating but a summary the timeline of events are as follows:

  • Monday 19th October – The nomination form is published online here. Trust members wishing to stand for election must submit a form which must include nominations from 2 Trust members along with a manifesto of no more than 450 words.
  • Friday 27th November – Deadline for completed nominations. All nomination forms must be received by the Trust Secretary, either by email (secretary@glovers-trust.co.uk) or post (FAO Trust Secretary, Glovers Trust, 48 Grove Avenue, Yeovil Somerset, BA21 2BE) by the end of the day and will not be accepted after this date.
  • W/C 30th November – Members will receive voting packs containing manifestos of those standing for nomination.
  • Friday 8th January – Deadline for completed votes to be received by the Trust Secretary. Votes will not be accepted after this date.
  • W/C 11th January – Election results are announced.

We value the input of those who have taken an interest in the Glovers Trust, you may be a past, present or future member, someone who has grasped the concept of a Supporters Trust and believes it has a place at Yeovil, and we are reaching out to you and encouraging you to help. If it cannot continue then Yeovil supporters will no longer have an independent voice. There are no special qualifications to join the Trust Board. We are not looking for a Superman, Superwoman or an Einstein. Just people like you who love Yeovil Town FC and have the enthusiasm and dedication to make a difference. Please give it some thought, even if you live far away. One thing that this Pandemic has done is change the way we think about holding meetings – distance is no problem! The Board generally meet once a month for a couple of hours, have a laugh and a drink and discuss how to change the world of Yeovil Town FC for the better – you could be a part of that!

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The Trust committee would like to provide an update in these uncertain times in relation to the successful Crowdfunder campaign that the Glovers Trust ran in May to sponsor the Away Stand at Huish Park for the 2020/21 season in memory of Martin Baker.


We are extremely grateful for the donations that were made in contribution to the campaign, without which we couldn’t have achieved our goal, and we are continuing to work with Yeovil Town FC to get everything in place for the beginning of the season, whenever that may be.


You may recall that those who donated were also placed into a prize draw that presented a chance of winning merchandise that we were able to secure from the Club. This merchandise included season tickets that came as part of the stand sponsorship package, and home and away football shirts that we purchased with the additional money that we raised over and above the £5,000 target.


The draw has recently been undertaken and the winners have been notified directly and we are pleased to be able to publicly confirm the winners as follows:


2020/21 Season Tickets – ‘Big Dave’ & Oliver Hallam


2020/21 Yeovil Town Home Shirt – Mike Hudson, Roger McCabe, Steve Whitlock, David Tolley (from Wales), Stuart Tilley

2020/21 Yeovil Town Away Shirt – Adrian Gleave, John Hartley, Victoria Freeman, Ben Mitchell, Ross McKendrick

We will communicate further with the above individuals once we have received the prizes from Yeovil Town FC.

We have been directly trying to contact ‘Big Dave’ without success so far as information on the individual who donated under this name is very limited – we are guessing his name is Dave but will reserve judgement on his size! If we have still not reached him by the 30th of September then we will re-draw the prize.

If Big Dave sees this update, we urge him to get in touch, via chairman@glovers-trust.co.uk or anybody knows of this individual please could you let him know that he has won one of the top prizes! We will of course require evidence of the donation that was made.

Many thanks to those who participated and congratulations to the winners!

We are hopeful that fans will be able to return to Huish Park as soon as it is safe to do so and to see the hoardings proudly displayed on the away terrace!

Best wishes to all YTFC Supporters.

The Glovers Trust Board 💚

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We hope you are keeping safe and well. 

As many are aware by now, we are currently crowd funding to sponsor the away end at Huish Park for the forthcoming season. Our target is £5,000 which would then be ploughed into the Club’s crowd funding scheme and hopefully swell the total to at least their target of £25,000.  Collectively we have now raised £3,000 towards our goal thanks to the kind donations from many of you.  Should we be successful as hoped, we wanted to outline a proposal for how we as a Trust Board would like to name the stand.

The untimely death of Martin Baker last October shook many of us to the core. He was a friend to many and a fount of knowledge to all who love Yeovil Town FC.  The intervening months have shown us all how much we relied upon his understanding and wisdom relating to events surrounding our Club. Ciderspace was a must go to for many on a daily basis and its demise has created a large void in our football world.

Martin was always a champion of the Glovers Trust.  He was one of the original six that travelled to London to present our application for Trust status in 2015. He was always willing and able to give us sage advice whenever a situation required it.  We, like so many of our fellow supporters, miss him greatly.

Should we be successful in raising the necessary sum and securing the naming rights, we propose calling the away end:

THE MARTIN BAKER – GLOVERS TRUST TERRACE

We hope that you will agree that this would be a fitting tribute to our friend Badger. 

If you haven’t done so already, are you able to help us reach our target of £5,000 and see Martin’s name proudly displayed at Huish Park?  A donation of any amount would be most welcome and if we are successful we will be offering raffle tickets, for pledges over £10, for prizes of two Main Stand Season Tickets and two Home shirts. Also a reminder that 10% of the money donated will be going to the NHS at Yeovil Hospital. 

If you are able to help with a donation please visit our Crowdfunder page here.

Best wishes,

The Glovers Trust Board of Directors

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We hope you are keeping safe and well and enjoying what you can of the Bank Holiday weekend. By now most fans will have seen that Yeovil Town FC have created a Crowdfunding initiative to help generate income during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Our Trust Chairman had a constructive chat with Scott Priestnall shortly before the YTFC Crowdfunder was launched. Ultimately the aim is to bring revenue into the Club by offering pre-paid services that reflect sources of income that the Club should be getting in at this time of year under more normal circumstances.

With this in mind we have instigated an initiative which has the Club’s support – We have launched a Glovers Trust Crowdfunder page here with the aim of raising money to ‘pre-order’ one of the Club’s larger offerings advertised on its own page. The initial target that we have set is £5,000, with which we could get naming rights for the away end at Huish Park. This would provide the Club with income but also get the Trust greater visibility on a more regular basis. We are also looking to raffle off any subsidiary items that we may acquire to those who donate over £10.

We acknowledge that times are hard for many, with so many great causes looking for attention, or you may not feel comfortable about contributing in this way but we believe this is an opportunity to gain greater engagement which would help the Trust to evolve and with it, demonstrate the art of the possible. Your support will be critical if we are to achieve it.

Best wishes

The Glovers Trust Board of Directors

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With the 2019/20 season now under way with a new-look football team, it is also the time of the year that presents an opportunity for change on the Glovers Trust Board. We are looking for nominations from adult members interested in serving on the Trust Board from October 2019. This is our fourth year of operation and we are looking for up to 4 new Board members who wish to take an active role in developing the Trust and influencing our relationship with what we anticipate will be a new-looking YTFC. Your support is vital in sustaining a successful Trust that can challenge and support the Club – if have an opinion then this is your chance to do something about it.

If you are interested then you will firstly need to ensure that you hold an active Trust membership, which may have expired on or before June 30th 2019. Renewing is simple and can be completed online by visiting the Trust website here, or if you would rather visit us in person, pop by the gazebo at Huish Park ahead of a home match. For those of a more traditional nature, there is also a postal option.

Once you have confirmed that your membership subscription is active, simply complete the Trust Board nomination form and return by Friday the 6th of September. Candidates must be nominated by two other adult Trust members, and complete a statement outlining why they want to get involved with the Board. Eligible forms will be included in our Election manifesto to be sent to all members, who will then vote for their preferred candidates. Results will be announced at our third AGM to be held in Yeovil, week commencing 7th October (exact date and venue TBC).

Full details of this process can be found in polices 7, 8 and 9 here and should be fully read and understood ahead of nominating but a summary is as follows:

  • Friday 16th August – The nomination form is published online here. Trust members wishing to stand for election must submit a form which must include nominations from 2 Trust members along with a manifesto of no more than 450 words.
  • Friday 6th September – Deadline for completed nominations. All nomination forms must be received by the Trust Secretary, either by email (secretary@glovers-trust.co.uk) or post (FAO Trust Secretary, Glovers Trust, PO BOX 5240, Yeovil Somerset, BA20 9FR) by the end of the day and will not be accepted after this date.
  • Friday 13th September – Members will receive voting packs containing manifestos of those standing for nomination.
  • Friday 4th October – Deadline for completed votes to be received by the Trust Secretary. Votes will not be accepted after this date.
  • W/C 7th October – Glovers Trust AGM takes place and election results are announced.

Whilst the Trust Board endeavour to act on the views and beliefs of our members, we will not always get things right and fully respect the views of our former members who have decided against renewing for now. We’d love to hear from you as to why you have taken this decision and what we could do to entice you back – it’s a team game after all!

If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us via membership@glovers-trust.co.uk or communications@glovers-trust.co.uk.

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It has gone from bad to worse and we hope there is light at the end of the tunnel. The end of a torrid season (that follow a number of torrid seasons before it) was suppose to be a new start – a chance to hit reset.

Instead, all we’ve had is uncertainty, delays and more frustration. The post-season after the campaign to forget has been a debacle up to this point. No manager, no coaching staff, very few players and hardly any season tickets sold – and who can blame anyone for not buying one?

As with so many things around Yeovil Town FC, it didn’t have to be this way. Let’s be frank and honest (because honesty has been in short supply of late) – we have been lied to. The deal with Rob Couhig just needed EFL approval for so long… and then, an agreement couldn’t be found between Mr Couhig and YTFC – something doesn’t add up!

So, we’ve been back to square one. A new bidding process, with who knows, the same results? We hope not, we want this to happen (to the right people), so we’ve hung back and tried not to upset the apple cart…speaking of apples, don’t we all need a pint or two of cider after this!

To Norman Hayward and John Fry we say this. Make this happen, sell to the right people and make it happen fast. Additionally, don’t look over your shoulders, don’t check the results or gauge the feelings of the fans – just melt away!

To our new owners, whoever from the three options and whenever it takes place – we want and need this to be a success. There is a proud fanbase wanting to come back to Huish Park and engage with their club if it is ready to engage with them.

We’ll help! Your task isn’t an easy one. There is a lot of resentment due to the past failures, but together we can make it work. Achieve by Unity has felt like an unworthy club motto recently. We hope that it will not only be our motto, but our reality!

Our vision is clear and we believe it will work – take a look at our blueprint. Make this happen and YTFC will thrive again.

The Glovers Trust Board of Directors