The Glovers’ Trust has called for all parties involved in the talks about a takeover of the club to tell supporters what is going on.
In a statement issued after Yeovil Town booked their place in the third round of the FA Cup, the Trust confirmed that chairman Scott Priestnall had called a meeting of the Supporters’ Alliance Group (SAG) on Monday.
It added: “Mr Priestnall informed the SAG that he would no longer be funding the club and that the club was surviving on the prize money from progressing through the FA Cup.
“He asked the group to release a joint statement urging fans to return.
“We believe that it is time for the parties negotiating to explain the situation with clarity.
“Alas, once again, we are releasing an urgent plea to those at the table to bring forth a conclusion to the negotiations and complete a deal which is looking increasingly necessary to save a community club with more than 125 years of history.”
The Trust said that it had not released a statement until after today’s 1-0 win over Stevenage in the FA Cup second round because it “felt it imperative to not impact proceedings on the pitch.”
It is understood that two groups are in talks with Priestnall about buying the club, with one group led by Priestnall’s fellow director Glenn Collis, and a second group fronted by Julian Jenkins, a former commercial director at Cardiff City and CEO at Swiss side Servette.
Here’s a timeline of the long-running saga of the takeover talks with the club:
- June 28: Chairman Scott Priestnall announces he has “been approached by a group to buy the club” – see more here.
- July 30: In a statement alongside manager Darren Sarll, Priestnall said he was continuing to “talk to interested parties, including development partners” – see more here.
- September 6 – The Glovers’ Trust says it believes two groups are in advanced negotiations to buy the club – see more here.
- October 12 – The Supporters’ Alliance Group issues a statement calling on Priestnall to invest or sell – see more here.
- October 13 – A new filing on Companies House shows Yeovil & Athletic Football Club has taken on the club’s £800,000 loan to Sport England – see more here.
- October 13 – The Gloverscast echoes calls for clarity as rumours grow of consortiums led by Director Glenn Collis and former Cardiff City commercial director Julian Jenkins – see more here.
- November 22 – The Glovers’ Trust calls on Collis to talk with them about his offer for the club – see more here.
- December 5 – The Glovers’ Trust issues a second (or is it third?) statement calling for all parties involved in takeover talks to clarify the situation