2nd October 2020

The club is delighted to be able to update our fans on the latest developments off the field.

Club Chairman Scott Priestnall praised the Green and White Army when he said ”Firstly, I would like to say thank you to all our fans and particularly our season ticket holders who have been waiting to for an update on our situation.

I am pleased to announce that the government are going to support us financially for the first 3 months of the season due to use being unable to play games with supporters at games.  This position will be reviewed in 3 months, funding thereafter will be subject to a review, which we believe is to allow for the possibility of crowds being allowed back into stadiums on some basis as the season progresses.

The financial package to National League clubs is worth £10m over the next 3 months and although we await to see how much our allocation will be I do not expect it to cover our estimated losses (incurred in playing behind closed doors).  I am however, extremely grateful to the National League board, the FA, Marcus Fysh MP, Alex Parmley and South Somerset District Council for their help and hard work behind the scenes to enable us to start the season.

I am bitterly disappointed that supporters will not be at our games for the start of the season but I want to make sure everyone knows that we are working furiously to ensure that our supporters and community not only come along with us on this season’s journey but also that you are able to enjoy it. Darren, Terry and the team will start the season tomorrow knowing whether you are physically at the game or not we have a first class set of fans for whom we are all determined to do the best for this season.

I am aware fans have been waiting for an update on variety of matters so hopefully the update in this club story will answer most of the FAQs”

 

Answers to Frequently asked questions

The club can now confirm the options supporters now have in relation to season tickets and Crowdfunder packages as well as details of our new streaming service, this season’s kit and online shop for this coming season:

Season Tickets

This club would be nothing without its dedicated season ticket holders who came along and bought tickets knowing there was still a chance that they would not be able to see live football. If you have bought a 2020/21 season ticket, the  options that are now available to you are as follows (based on the fact that at present we know that supporters will definitely miss the first 8 homes game at Huish Park):

Option 1 – You can exchange your first 8 home games for a free streaming pass for those games. You will then be the first in the stadium when we return for games.  If we restart with a limited capacity, you will have priority in returning for the remaining games at Huish Park.

Option 2 – You can be provided with a refund of 34.7%, equivalent to the first 8 games and keep the remaining in your season ticket and if we restart with a limited capacity, you will have priority in returning for the remaining games at Huish Park.  You can then buy streaming passes for matches on a game by game basis.

Kids season tickets include a free YTFC shirt, so the refund element will be adjusted so your child still receives the football shirt.

Option 3 – You can have a full refund on your season ticket. Obviously if you request option 3 as you would expect you would lose your priority window for buying tickets for games when supporters return etc

We will a make a form available online and from the ticket office at Huish Park to be filled out for all refunds.  Refund will be processed when the promised government funding is received, and I do expect all refunds to be received by you within 30 days.

UPDATE 5th OCTOBER: The season ticket form can be found HERE. 

Crowdfunder

If you bought items that related to match day tickets or sponsorship they will be transferred to next season (2021/22).  All other items bought in the Crowdfunder will start to be processed in the coming weeks as we begin to receive stock.

The Crowdfunder was a huge show of your support and commitment to this football club and it will never be forgotten.

 

New Streaming Service:

We successfully trialled a streaming service for the final preseason friendly free of charge with some success.  Both the Wealdstone and Wrexham fixtures will be produced to include added features from the friendly match to include live commentary whilst you’re watching the match, a live scoreboard on display to give you that high-quality broadcast feel, and our sponsors and partners will pop-up during the match. 

From the Sutton United home fixture, we will have a state-of-the-art camera installed that features artificial intelligence ball-tracking technology. This camera is situated on the half-way line for the best seat in the house and uses four lenses to make sure every inch of the pitch is covered. 

The stream will be available in HD 1080p resolution for a crisp picture and can be viewed on your computer, smartphone, or tablet. We have teamed up with two very experienced providers to bring you a service that your support deserves and is second to none. These being – Sportradar and Pixellot.

Following the success of Sportradar’s streaming platform, through which fans could watch the 2019/20 National League Play-Offs, they were the obvious choice to enable fans to subscribe and watch matches for this coming season whilst restrictions remain in place on attending matches in person. 

All video production for the streaming platform will be provided by Pixellot, using their automatic cameras. Pixellot’s technology, which uses artificial intelligence to track the action will also be used in the SPFL this upcoming season. 

We will be offering a Match day ticket to all supporters at the price of £9.99 per match.

 

First Team Kit:

As a result of the delay in the restart of the National League season and fan feedback regarding the proposed home kit for this season we have made the decision to adopt the  Macron supplied shirt worn in the playoff game with  Barnet as our first team home shirt this season.  It proved extremely popular at the time (with fans snapping up the shirts available in short order) and we hope that our decision to rethink our first team shirt for this season is well received as it is genuinely a case of us listening and responding to fan feedback. We also look forward to working with Macron for this coming season with more details to follow separately.

 

Front of Shirt Sponsor

You may remember that we told you a couple of months ago that we had a new front of shirt sponsor.  Due to financial issues that sponsor will not be taking up that opportunity, however we are in the final stages of agreeing a new sponsor now we have had confirmation of the restart of the National League season.

Tomorrow’s shirt for our opening game live on BT Sport will have the Adam Stansfield Foundation logo AS9 upon the front of the shirt. The foundation was set up following Adams passing in August 2010, following a short battle with bowl cancer. Its aim is to help give young people the unique opportunity to develop life skills, through the power of football and assist them in their goals of living the dream whilst raising awareness of illnesses caused by bowel cancer.

We were due to host the legends fixture back in May but were unable due to the pandemic outbreak, we hope this gesture of support to the charity goes some way to raising the awareness of the foundation on what is the 10th anniversary of Adams passing.

 

Shop:

This has rightly been a hot topic for supporters over the last couple of months.  However, the delay in starting the season etc has meant our plans to create a new physical and online shop in partnership with Hummel have been deferred. We can confirm however that we have a new online shop being built and we hope that will be launched in the next 10 days. Details of the opening times for the club shop at Huish Park will also be announced at the same time.

 

Staffing situation

Although we are fully geared up for the season it remains the case that some club staff remain on part time or full-time furlough due to the situation with fans not being allowed to be present at games.

Fans will have recently also have seen that Darren Behcet left his role as Goalkeeping Coach to take up a similar role in League One. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Darren for his sterling service to the club and we wish him all the very best for the future.

 

And finally….

Commenting on these changes and the loyalty of Yeovil fans, Scott had this closing message when he said “2020 has been a year of massive changes and our fans have been first class about every adaption we have had to make. A club is nothing without its fans and I sincerely hope my policy of open communication on all of the above matters helps show you how much we appreciate every fan’s fantastic support and adaptability in these difficult times.

Because of the genuine partnership between the club and fans over the last six months, tomorrow we can look forward to seeing the season finally start. Thank you for your support and I hope you all enjoy the game tomorrow.

Best Regards

 Scott