Football crazy or crazy football
As Yeovil Town changes hands again, we look at the recent history, the new owner, the dreams of fan ownership and the different ownerships structures in other Somerset clubs.
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Football crazy or crazy football
The last 12 months have not been a happy time for supporters of Yeovil Town Football Club. A new owner Martin Hellier has taken the helm. But not before the Glovers Trust started to investigate the possibility of fans owning a part of the club for themselves.
In this article we’ll take a look at the recent history of Yeovil Town, what fan ownership would mean and can it work in Somerset and beyond. And of course the new owner. Are there reasons to be cheerful? Perhaps. Oh yes and looking at different ownership models it would be remiss not to go via Frome Town and Taunton Town along the way.
Yeovil Town
Until recently Yeovil Town was owned by Scott Priestnall. Priestnall had previously been involved with the Worcester Warriors takeover in 2018 before leaving in 2019 to take over Yeovil Town.
On the field things were not going well for Yeovil Town. In 2019 they were relegated from the Football league. If fans hoped Mr Priestnall’s arrival shortly after their relegation would presage better times ahead and a return to the Football League, they were to be disappointed. It was not a happy time to be running a football club. Not least with the impact of COVID restrictions which hit lower league clubs especially hard.