Yeovil Town chairman Martin Hellier has announced his decision to step down from the club.
He will be replaced by fellow director Stuart Robins who will take over as interim chairman until a permanent successor has been found.
In a statement issued on Monday afternoon, Hellier said: “It has been a privilege to serve as chairman, and I am proud of the significant changes made around the club, changes that I believe will benefit it for years to come.
“Helping the club regain its place in the National League was a key milestone, and while the journey has had its challenges, real progress has been made. However, due to the pressures placed on myself and my family, I have made the decision to step away from my role.
“Stuart Robins will take on the position of interim chairman while a successor is found, and I hope the club can continue building towards a strong future.
“In the meantime, I encourage you all to keep backing (manager) Mark (Cooper) and the team as we approach the final stretch of the season. The club will make no further comment until a new owner has been appointed.”
The news follows days of headlines, including many in the national media, about the owner’s public dispute with supporters which has seen many banned from Huish Park for “negative comments and remarks” regarding the club and Hellier.
In a post on his personal Facebook on Saturday, the local businessman said he intended to sell the club “as soon as suitable buyer can be found.”
The announcement ends a tempestuous period of ownership of the club which began in May 2023 when the Hellier Group confirmed it completed the takeover of majority shareholding of Yeovil Town Football Club and Yeovil Town Holdings Ltd securing the buy-back rights to the stadium and land around Huish Park.
Since then, the owner has led the revamping of parts of the stadium and oversaw last season’s charge to the National League South title, restoring the club to the National League Premier Division at the first time of asking.
However, it was also a period which often saw the owner in open dispute with sections of the club’s supporters often through his own social media culminating in the decision to ban supporters for online comments.
Last week the club also announced financial accounts which showed a loss of almost £2.8m during the 2023/24 season which saw the club return to the National League Premier.
Robins has been a director of the club since May 2022 when he bought a shareholding in the club under the chairmanship of former owner <NAME REDACTED>, which he retained during Hellier’s time in charge at Huish Park.
Earlier on Monday, a posting on Companies House showed that Jack Hellier, the son of the club’s owner, has terminated his role as a director of Yeovil Football & Athletic Club, the club’s parent company.
Hopefully all ‘bans’ are now lifted and we can have Ian back on comms.
Wonderful use of the word “tempestuous”
Following on from Ian’s recent use of “tumultuous”. Come on Ben, let’s have a big descriptive word from you, please 😁
I didn’t realise he had anymore toys to throw out 🤣
Good. He should never of been allowed to own a football club in the first place. Un-ban and restore the badge.
I think the majority of fans will agree that this is good news, the relationship with fans and sponsors was broken beyond repair. Hopefully a new owner will be announced soon, so the club is not left in limbo for the start of next season.
Can we get rid of that stupid badge now?
Also, as much as I would question many aspects of our former chairman’s stewardship of the club, the accounts clearly show he has essentially propped up the good ship YTFC with his own cash.
The current losses are totally unsustainable and with nothing of value left to sell, having been comprehensively asset stripped by a previous regime, there appears minimal hope of continuing as a going concern, let alone buying our ground back.
All in all, hugely concerning times.
Thank you Martin for ploughing in money you probably wont see again . Thank you for helping get us back in the NL and keeping us there. You were obviously destabilised by abuse as many of us would be. Now debts could spiral out of control. The ‘supporters’ are looking for a near perfect owner who they will probably still criticise. Who do we want? Another Scott Priestnall? Another John Fry who was amazingly criticised when things turned? Maybe someone with the immaturity of Matt Uggla will succeed this time. Those who yearn for constant criticism are bringing the club down.
The finance’s are very concerning, but they are concerning with or without Mr Hellier at the helm. Yeovil I believe are the 5th best attended team in the NL this season, this just shows that HP needs to be a 7 day a week venue and not just rely on match day revenue.
Can I ask what you mean by ‘the supporters’? Given the name you’ve chosen, you must be an expert!
Please explain why debts will now spiral more than they already have? Online criticism of Hellier hasn’t made him overspend. Poor footballing decisions have done that
Think Mr. Helier has brought this situation for the most part on himself.His general aggressive and argumentative nature is not befitting of his position as Chairman of our club. He should, however,be thanked for bailing the club out and we should wish him well for the future.Big question now is what next? Greetings from Essex to all YTFC fans and YES get rid of that awful badge!
It’s a crying shame that we’re back to square one I hope the players keep going and get as far as possible up the table we must keep hold of cooper either wise the blue and white in Bristol might nick him and I also hate the new badge still got my Yeovil shirt with the old design Italian phill