July 2026 (Page 3)

Yeovil Town has issued a public response in the increasingly bitter war of words which has seen them split away from the Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust.

On Thursday, the Trust issued a lengthy statement revealing they had been asked to stop using the club’s name and branding in any communications, effectively cutting ties between the two organisations. Read more about that – here.

A further development made later on Friday is that Yeovil Town Women will also come under the club having previously operated under the Trust, led by CEO Jamie Phillip, who previously coached Cardiff City Ladies.

In the first update on Friday, the club responded to a number of claims by the Trust that the club’s owners Prabhu and Bhavna Srinivasan had “chosen a path of division” with the Trust, the club has claimed that “a shared way forward” could not be agreed between the two parties.

In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, the club said: “The club and the Trust had worked together under a formal service agreement, one the club was willing to continue to honour.

“When a shared way forward could not be agreed, we concluded that the club’s community work and effort are now best delivered directly by the club to honour the Yeovil Town brand ethos.

“That formal relationship will therefore come to a close, and we thank everyone who contributed to the Trust’s work over the years and wish them well.”

The split follows the establishment of a partnership with Yeovil College to set up “an elite player pathway” which will see the college, led by manager Roy O’Brien, run the Glovers’ under-19s side, which previously came under the Trust.

The Trust accused the club of “undermining it” by establishing the programme with the college which “directly competes with the programme the Trust has been successfully running for the last two years.” It adds: “These negotiations and subsequent agreements have been ongoing without informing or consulting the Trust in advance.”

The Trust has said it will continue to operate without the Yeovil Town name, and the split had doubt around where Yeovil Town Women would fit in the new structure. That was until Friday evening when the club issued another statement saying confirming the team had “returned to the ownership of the football club.”

The women’s team won South West Regional Division One South and will play in the fifth tier of the women’s game next season.

The club’s statement added: “With a proud history and a successful women’s side in previous years, we are committed to building on that legacy and continuing the journey back to where this team belongs. Bringing the women’s team back under the club’s ownership marks an important step in strengthening the connection between every part of Yeovil Town Football Club and creating a clear pathway for the future.”

Following the demise of Yeovil Town Ladies, who competed in the top flight of women’s football, in 2021, the women’s set up reformed in 2023 as Yeovil Town Women and have competed in the Somerset County Women’s league for the 2023/2024 season.

With that part clarified, the big outstanding question remains the future of the community activities, including summer soccer schools, undertaken by the Trust using the Yeovil Town name.

In its first statement on Friday, the club said: “We will share more about our community plans in the coming weeks.”

Overall, neither the club or the Trust has come out of this situation looking good and the public exchange of statements and social media posts has caused a seemingly unnecessary swirl of confusion.

It is the hope of us at the Gloverscast that this can be the end of this undignified behaviour on both sides and both the club and the Trust can get on with doing what they both claim is their main focus – supporting the football-loving public of Somerset.

The Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust has announced that it has officially split from the club and will no longer operate using the Yeovil Town name.

In a lengthy statement posted on Thursday, the Trust – which is now going under ‘Community Sports Trust’ – said it had been told to “remove the club’s badge and branding” from all communications and told the club “no longer wish to continue a formal relationship.”

It follows intensive promotion by the club of a new “elite football and education pathway” now being run between the club and Yeovil College which will oversee the Under-19s team, previously managed by the Trust.

The Trust has accused the club of “undermining it” by establishing the programme with the college which “directly compete with the programme the Trust has been successfully running for the last two years.” It adds: “These negotiations and subsequent agreements have been ongoing without informing or consulting the Trust in advance.”

It should be noted at this point that the club has been responding to questions on its Facebook page where it has said the Trust was kept informed about the situation. The Gloverscast has approached the club for a response and assured that something will be issued soon.

The Trust added: “The club knew the Trust had 12 learners going forward into a second year and had recruited a further 28 learners to start their first year in September. The club is now actively trying to divert these learners to the college which is unprincipled and fails to appreciate that many participants do not want to attend a college to undertake a BTEC course.”

The split throws in to question the future of community soccer schools and the fate of the Yeovil Town Women, which operated under the Trust last season. The Trust has said it continue to operate without the club name adding that the decision “provides clarity for the future of our organisation.”

It adds: “All the Trustees have a long-standing relationship with the club and the local community and they are determined the Trust will move forward with renewed purpose and vigour we regard this division between the club and the Trust to be temporary. We will reunite.”

On 2nd July, trustees listed on the Trust’s website include current club Executive Chairman Stuart Robins, former Chief Executive Officer Martyn Starnes, who is Chairman of Trustees, ex-Glovers’ captain Josh Staunton, former player and club Commercial Manager Dave Linney, Chris Roberts and Marilyn Cottle. However, the only people listed as directors of Yeovil Town Community Sports Trust Ltd on Companies House on 2nd July are Stuart Robins, Martyn Starnes, Dave Linney and Johanna Harris, a teacher at Buckler’s Mead Academy.

The Trust’s statement added: “We have always believed that football should unite communities. It is incomprehensible that the current owners are choosing a path of division between the club and the Trust, particularly as ‘community’ has been promoted as one of the club’s core values.”

Announcing the establishment of its new relationship with Yeovil College, which saw former defender Roy O’Brien appointed as manager of the Under-19s, director Bhavna Vohra said: “Giving young people a real route into careers through sport has been a passion of ours from the start, and in Yeovil College we have found a partner who shares that vision completely.”

However, the cracks between the club and the Trust were immediately clear with Trust posted on its social media channels: “We are disappointed to find out from social media about a new partnership between the football club and the college..” before going on to discuss its own Elite Performance Programme.

We spoke about this very public falling out on the latest edition of the Gloverscast podcast and called for clarity from the club about its future relationship with the Trust and the future position of the women’s team.

This latest unedifying chapter in the feud now means there is a question mark about the future of the young people enrolled on the Trust’s scheme, involved in its Junior Premier League sides and the future of community soccer schools. These appear destined to continue with the Trust, but without the club’s name attached or at any venue linked to it.

For the sake of these people alone, a swift clarification from the club is needed.