Yeovil Town’s Under-18s side has withdrawn from the Western Counties Floodlight Youth League in a bid to protect the pitch at Huish Park.
The young Glovers had made an unbeaten start to life in the division having opted for a midweek league over the Saturday matches of the South West Counties Youth League which they competed in last season.
In a statement on Friday, the club said that the league had rejected a proposed change of venue for home fixtures which it “deemed essential to help protect Huish Park following a period of severe weather conditions.”
The Under-18s had played all their home matches this season at Huish Park, attracting hundreds of supporters to watch the midweek matches, putting added pressure on the pitch which has felt the full force of the bad weather inflicted upon the South West.
The club’s statement said that it remained committed to developing young players remained “unwavering” and said it was “actively seeking alternative league options“.
When they played in daylight hours in previous seasons, the Under-18s had played at the club’s training pitches at Alvington, Gassons’ Lane in Somerton and Hardings Lane, Gillingham in recent years.
The club statement in full reads:
We regret to announce that Yeovil Town Under 18s will no longer compete in the Western Counties Floodlight Youth League.
This decision comes after the league rejected our proposed change of venue for home fixtures, a measure we deemed essential to help protect Huish Park following a period of severe weather conditions.
Whilst this outcome is disappointing, our commitment to the development of our young players remains unwavering. To ensure their progress continues, we are working to arrange high quality matches against top local league clubs. These fixtures will provide competitive challenges and invaluable experience to support their growth as future stars of the game.
In addition to these fixtures, we are actively seeking alternative league options and are in the process of shortlisting suitable competitions that will provide the best opportunities for our players’ development. Many of our young talents have already trained and been included within the first team, and we are determined to build a strong, well-rounded group of players capable of achieving great success.
We appreciate the understanding and support of parents, players, and fans during this time.
The Gloverscast has approached the Western Counties Youth League for a comment, however, at the time of writing, no response has been received.
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