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| Full name | Yeovil Town Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Glovers | ||
| Founded | 27 August 1895; 130 years ago (1895-08-27) (as Yeovil Casuals) | ||
| Ground | Huish Park | ||
| Capacity | 9,565 (5,212 seated) | ||
| Owner | Inflection Holdings | ||
| Chairman | Prabhu Srinivasan | ||
| Manager | Richard Dryden | ||
| League | National League | ||
| 2024–25 | National League, 18th of 24 | ||
| Website | ytfc.net | ||
 Current season | |||
Yeovil Town Football Club is a professionalassociation football club based in the town ofYeovil inSomerset, England. The team competes in theNational League, the fifth level of theEnglish football league system, after winning the2023–24 National League South title. The club's home ground isHuish Park, built in 1990 on the site of an old army camp. That stadium is named after their former home,Huish, known for its pitch, which had an 8 feet (2.4 m) sideline to sideline slope. The club's nickname "the Glovers" is a reference to the history of glove-making in the town of Yeovil, which became a centre of the industry during the 18th and 19th centuries.[1]
Founded in 1895, the club initially joined theSomerset Senior League and competed in a multitude of leagues up until the outbreak ofWorld War II. During this time they won titles in theSouthern League,Western League, Bristol Charity League,Dorset District League and Somerset Senior League. They played in the Southern League after the war ended, winning the championship in 1954–55, 1963–64 and 1970–71, before becoming members of theAlliance Premier League from 1979 to 1985. They spent the next three years in theIsthmian League, and were promoted into the Conference after finishing as champions in 1987–88. Relegated in 1995, they were promoted again two years later after winning another Isthmian League title. Yeovil won the2002 FA Trophy final and secured a place in theFootball League after winning the Conference in 2002–03 under the stewardship ofGary Johnson. They then won theLeague Two title in 2004–05, before reaching theChampionship with victory in the2013 Football League One play-off final in Johnson's second spell as manager. However they suffered consecutive relegations, and were relegated once more following the2018–19 season, ending their 16-season spell in the Football League.
Yeovil are one of the most successful non-league teams in theFA Cup, having defeated major Football League teams, most famouslySunderland in thefourth round in 1949, before going on to play in front of more than 81,000 spectators away atManchester United in the next round. For some years, as the only Football League side in Somerset, they have had few local rivalries as the club climbed the divisions in the 2000s, though their most notable is the derby shared with Dorset side,Weymouth.
Yeovil Football Club was founded in 1890, and shared its ground with the localrugby club for many years. Five years later, the current club was founded and named Yeovil Casuals and started playing home games at the Pen Mill Athletic Ground. In 1907 the name Yeovil Town was adopted, which on amalgamation with Petters United became Yeovil and Petters United.[2] The name reverted to Yeovil Town before the 1946–47 season.
The club came to national attention as 'giant-killers' during the 1948–49FA Cup,[3] in which they defeatedSunderland2–1 in the fourth round, in front of a record home attendance of 17,000. They were defeated 8–0 in the following round byManchester United.[4]
Between 1955 and 1973 they were champions of theSouthern Football League three times, and runners-up twice.[5] During this period, Yeovil Town applied for election tothe Football League on a number of occasions, coming within a few votes of being elected in 1976.[6] In 1979 the Glovers were founder members of the new national non-league division, theAlliance Premier League. In 1985, they wererelegated to theIsthmian League. Yeovil won that championship in 1988 and returned to the Conference.
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There was success in theBob Lord Challenge Trophy in 1990 and three years later Yeovil finished fourth in the Conference, their best finish ever.[5] In January 1995, formerWeymouth andSpurs playerGraham Roberts was appointed manager, but demotion back to the Isthmian League soon followed. Yeovil secured promotion back into the Conference in 1997 after winning the Isthmian League with a record number of points – 101.[5]
Colin Lippiatt became manager for the 1998–99 season and brought Terry Skiverton to the club as a player.Gary Johnson took over as manager in June 2001 and Yeovil won theFA Trophy in his first season in charge with a 2–0 victory overStevenage Borough in the final atVilla Park – the club's first major trophy.[5] Yeovil Town earned promotion to the Football League in the following season, by winning theFootball Conference by a record 17 points margin, accumulating 95 points and scoring 100 goals, remaining unbeaten atHuish Park. Their team included many top players, some of whom went on to playPremier League football. Notable players includeGavin Williams who moved toWest Ham United,Lee Johnson,Chris Weale,Darren Way andAdam Lockwood.
Yeovil's first game in the Football League was a 3–1 away win overRochdale. The Glovers finished their first season in eighth position, and reached the third round of the FA Cup before losing 2–0 at home toLiverpool. Before the game the club released a record sold only in shops in the town: "Yeovil True" reached No. 36 in theUK Singles Chart.[7] The following season Yeovil finished as champions of League Two with 83 points, earningpromotion toLeague One. During the season the club was sold by Jon Goddard-Watts toDavid Webb, who took over the role of chief executive from chairman John Fry.
At the beginning of the2005–06 season manager Gary Johnson left Yeovil forBristol City. He was replaced by his assistantSteve Thompson andKevin Hodges was appointed as his number two. At the season's end Thompson was demoted to first-team coach and he was replaced byRussell Slade. Around this time John Fry had bought all Dave Webb's share of the club, becoming Yeovil Town's new owner.[8] They again reached the fourth round of the FA Cup and were drawn away againstCharlton Athletic, then in thePremier League, to whom they lost 3–2.[9]
Yeovil finished the2006–07 season in fifth position, qualifying for the League One play-offs. In the semi-final Yeovil beatNottingham Forest in the two-legged match 5–4 on aggregate, after losing the first home leg 2–0.[10][11] Yeovil metBlackpool atWembley Stadium inthe final, but were beaten 2–0.
The2007–08 was less successful, as Yeovil finished 18th in League One with 52 points. Russell Slade continued as Yeovil manager into the2008–09 season, but he left the position in February 2009.[12] After one game with assistant manager Steve Thompson acting as caretaker manager, club captainTerry Skiverton was announced as manager until the end of the 2009–10 season, withNathan Jones as his assistant.[13] The duo kept Yeovil in League One, with safety secured following a 1–1 draw atTranmere Rovers.[14]
Skiverton and Jones helped Yeovil avoid relegation in the following two seasons, but a poor start the2011–12 campaign prompted a change of manager. On 9 January 2012, the club announced the re-appointment ofGary Johnson, with Terry Skiverton becoming assistant.[15] The Glovers went on to again achieve safety, finishing 11 points clear of the relegation zone.[16]
Yeovil made their best ever start in the2012–13 season, picking up 10 points from their first four games. Yeovil finished the 2012–13 season in fourth place, reaching the League One play-offs. They reached the final on 6 May 2013 after a 2–0 home victory againstSheffield United, overturning a 1–0 loss atBramall Lane in the first leg. On 19 May 2013, Yeovil defeatedBrentford 2–1 in the League One play-off final at Wembley, reaching the second tier for the first time in their history.[17] StrikerPaddy Madden, who netted the opening goal against Brentford at Wembley, finished as the league's top scorer.[18]
Yeovil spentone season in theChampionship and, despite enjoying memorable victories overNottingham Forest,Sheffield Wednesday andWatford, suffered immediate relegation back to League One.[19] The club's struggles continuedthe following season, although the club did earn a lucrativeFA Cup tie againstManchester United, which they lost 2–0 despite a "gallant challenge".[20] Manager Gary Johnson was eventually replaced byPaul Sturrock as Yeovil suffered another relegation, returning to League Two for the first time in 10 years.[21]
Following a poor start to the 2015/16 season, Sturrock was sacked and replaced byDarren Way, initially in a caretaker role before being named permanent manager.[22] Way was able to lead Yeovil to safety as they finished their campaign 19th in the table.[23] During Way's tenure as manager, Yeovil equalled their record for heaviest Football League defeat with an 8–2 loss toLuton Town on the opening day of the 2017–18 season,[24] although they also recorded their highest Football League victory under his leadership with a 6–0 win overNewport County in September 2018.[25] The club also enjoyed anotherFA Cup tie withManchester United in January 2018, however they lost 4–0 toJosé Mourinho's side.[26]
Yeovil's 16-year stay in theEFL came to an end when they were relegated during the 2018–19 season, following a 2–2 draw withNorthampton Town.[27]Darren Sarll was unveiled as the club's new manager in June 2019[28] and a takeover of the club by a consortium led by Scott Priestnell and Errol Pope was announced in September 2019.[29] On 22 April, the2019–20 National League season was ended with immediate effect due to the coronavirus outbreak, with the Glovers fourth in the table.[30] In May 2022,South Somerset District Council completed the purchase of Huish Park and its surrounding land for £2.8 million from Yeovil Town's owner Scott Priestnall, with the football club becoming tenants of the council through a leaseback arrangement.[31]
In February 2023, it was announced that SU Glovers Limited, a company publicly fronted by Matt Uggla and former England rugby union internationalPaul Sackey, was in the process of completing a takeover of the majority shareholding of Yeovil Town Football and Athletic Club Limited.[32] It was confirmed (ultimately prematurely) that former majority shareholder and chairman, Scott Priestnall, would no longer be involved with the football club.[33] In April 2023, the club was relegated to theNational League South.[34] On 2 May 2023, it was reported that the SU Glovers takeover would not be proceeding;[35] on 13 May 2023, Yeovil was taken over by a local company, the Hellier Group.[36]
At the end of the2023–24 season, Yeovil secured an immediate return to the National League after winning the National League South title.[37]
On 29 May 2025, it was announced that entrepreneur Prabhu Srinivasan had completed the takeover of the club from former owner Martin Hellier after Srinivasan's family office, Inflection Holdings, acquired all shares previously held by the Hellier Trading Group, with Srinivasan becoming owner and chairman.[38] Ahead of the 2025–26 season, the club confirmed that their first-team training operations would be relocating to theSGS WISE Campus inStoke Gifford ahead of the new season.[39]
| Season | League | FA Cup | FA Trophy | Other | Top scorer | Average[a] attendance | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division[b] | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Pos | Competition | Result | Name | Goals | ||||
| 2020–21 | National League | 42 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 58 | 68 | 52 | 16th | R2 | R3 | — | — | Rhys Murphy | 14 | 1,593[c] |
| 2021–22 | National League | 44 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 43 | 46 | 59 | 12th | R3 | R4 | Somerset Premier Cup | W | Tom Knowles | 11 | 2,378 |
| 2022–23 | National League ↓ | 46 | 7 | 19 | 20 | 35 | 60 | 40 | 22nd | QR4 | R3 | Somerset Premier Cup | QF | Alex Fisher Malachi Linton Matt Worthington | 5 | 2,730 |
| 2023–24 | National League South ↑ | 46 | 29 | 8 | 9 | 81 | 45 | 95 | 1st | R2 | R2 | Somerset Premier Cup | R2 | Jordan Young | 16 | 3,916 |
| 2024–25 | National League | 46 | 15 | 11 | 20 | 51 | 60 | 56 | 18th | QR4 | R3 | Somerset Premier Cup | R2 | Aaron Jarvis | 8 | 3,200 |
Yeovil have their fiercest rivalry with Dorset club,Weymouth, which has been described as intense.[40] Often when the two clubs meet, a large police presence is required to separate the two sets of fans.[41][42] In October 2021, fans reportedly clashed before and after the game in Huish, with mounted police and dog units being called into action.[43] The2020–21 National League season marked the first league encounters between the club and Weymouth since the1988–89 Football Conference season.
The club also shares a minor historic derby with fellow Somerset club,Bath City, with Yeovil playing them 274 times.[44][45][46] Albeit since the turn of the century, the majority of any animosity dissipated heavily.Hereford United were also seen as rivals, before their dissolution in 2014, due to both clubs being fairly well matched during their time in non-league ranks.[47] During the club's time in theEFL, Yeovil fans considered bothBristol Rovers andBristol City to be rivals. In August 2009, Yeovil playedExeter City for the first time in the league, and both clubs have shared a rivalry since, with the match often being billed as a Westcountry Derby.[48]Swindon Town andAFC Bournemouth were also considered somewhat rivals due to geographical proximity.[49]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Owner / chairman | Prabhu Srinivasan |
| Executive chairman | Stuart Robins |
| Club secretary | Kirstie Baker |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Richard Dryden |
| Assistant manager | Jerry Gill |
| Goalkeeping coach |  Matthew Gould |
| Lead sports therapist | Joe McFarlane |
| Academy manager | Jamie Phillip |
| EPDP and U19s manager | Matt Percival |
The following men have been chairman of the club's Board of Directors:[53]
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League
Cup
After the merging of Bridgwater Town and Yeovil United (previously Yeovil Town Ladies) intoBridgwater United W.F.C. in 2021,[67] the return of Yeovil Town's Women's Football Club (YTWFC) was announced in January 2023.[68][69] In June, players from Sherborne Town Ladies and Ilminster Town Ladies were signed to the team ahead of the2023-2024 season,[70] as well as coaching staff from both clubs joining the team.[71]
In September 2023, Yeovil Town W.F.C. joined the Somerset County Women's League,[71][72] playing in Division One,[73] with homes games at the Somerton Recreation Ground.[74] In January 2024, the women's team reached the top of the division after winning 10 consecutive games.[75]
As 17 July 2025[71]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Dave Court |
| Assistant manager | Matt Bennett |
| Goalkeeping coach | Tony Rich |
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