Yeovil Town owner Prabhu Srinivasan has revealed the club have appointed a new Sporting Director and agreed a playing budget increase for manager Billy Rowley.
In an update to supporters on Wednesday, the chairman said that the new appointment would be announced soon and described him as someone who “has operated at Football League level.“
The club will also continue to train at the SGS Wise Campus in South Gloucestershire next season having moved there last summer following the decision to leave the facility at Alvington.
The owner said: “Looking ahead, Billy will be backed with an increased playing budget, recruitment is already underway, and our commitment to developing local talent into the first team remains firm. First team training will remain based at SGS Wise Campus, which continues to provide excellent facilities that support both high-performance preparation and recruitment opportunities, giving players access to a professional environment that benefits their development and our long-term squad building.
“We are pleased to confirm that our new Sporting Director has joined the club, and we look forward to introducing them to you very soon. For a club with our ambitions, having someone in this role who has operated at Football League level – who understands what a joined up football structure looks like and what it takes to build one – is a significant step forward. Their remit is clear: to ensure that everything under our badge, from the first team to the academy, carries the same values, the same standards, and the same identity. That coherence is what separates clubs that grow sustainably from those that do not.“
The update comes ahead of the final fixture of the season at Huish Park against Solihull Moors on Saturday lunchtime and the owner said the arrival of Rowley and his assistant Darren Simpson in November had led to “a clear shift in standards, stability, and the feel of life around the club.”
He added: “That shift required some hard decisions. We parted ways with individuals whose attitudes did not match the vision and values we are building this club around, and we navigated a number of inherited situations and historical matters that needed careful handling. I am proud of how the group responded to all of it.“
Off-the-pitch, the club extended its exclusive rights to buy back Huish Park and surrounding land from Somerset Council until 2028. The owner had previously spoken of an ambition to complete the purchase by the end of the current season, but described it as part of the ownership’s “long-term plan.”
He said: “Reuniting Huish Park with the football club remains a clear priority, with discussions ongoing. We have secured an extension on the buyback rights for Huish Park until 2028. This is an important step in our long-term plan to reunite the stadium with the football club. This season we have upgraded the floodlights to EFL required standards, improving pitch drainage, and enhanced the 3G pitch and lighting for youth and women’s access.
“We are also raising the bar on the everyday presentation of the ground, because Huish Park should be somewhere everyone connected with this club is proud to walk into. Historic financial commitments, including Sport England repayments, continue to be managed carefully as part of building a sustainable future.“
Well this seems like progress
I would be quite happy if if was someone like Martin Starnes. Wealth of EFL knowledge and experience
If the owner wants to be popular… restore the club motto… to not just an after thought… but part of the club badge once more.. Traditional style banner underneath our current “drawn on the back of a beer mat in the pub” design. 😄
On the pitch progress is good and should be welcomed. But I’m disappointed with the decision to keep training in Bristol. The town is already an afterthought for many and having the football team, one of the town’s only remaining assets, reinforce that view is sad. Maybe the world has changed irreparably but having players who lived, trained and socialised in the town was the backbone of our success. I love the ambition but want Prabhu to bring the town with him as much as possible, rather than continuing to isolate the club from its supporters and area.
It has nothing to do with the town and more to do with the state of Alvington. When we buy the ground back we’ll get training back in Yeovil.
What’s wrong with Alvington? My grandson plays there, it seems a perfectly good facility to me.
Was waterlogged all winter last year. We then had to train on a dodgy astro pitch which caused a load of injuries to a much bigger squad then this one.
Yes I thought the pitches at Kingweston near Street, Millfield School would be up to standard for a professional team. They could be away from everything there, not be spied on by opposition trying to find out tactics… Would need some development to have all same facilities as SGS Campus. But would at least be fairly local.
Will the new sporting director be Gary Johnson, I wonder?